Hopping into Legend of Grimrock for the first time is sure to be an unforgettable experience. Without much to be said, I was creating my party of four characters, picking from three available classes (warrior, mage, rogue) and the three different races (human, minotaur, insectoid).
Why are there minotaurs and insect-like creatures? Are the insects actually aliens? I have no idea. I also have no idea why my four “heroes” were right away doomed to be tossed in this dungeon to find their way out or die trying. What could have they done that was so deserving of this punishment? The intro sequence doesn’t exactly explain, but it tells you how they are transported to the top of Mount Grimrock and sentenced for their crimes against the king. They are sealed into the mountain, from where no one has ever escaped.
Legend of Grimrock is a first-person action RPG that takes dungeon crawling to a different level.
You explore these corridors and rooms while trying to find your way down, where supposedly there is a way to escape. As you rest, your dreams are populated with messages from a mysterious voice that tries to guide you to freedom.
The simplicity of the game is what makes it so addictive. There are basic RPG elements in place, such as the ability to equip your party members with weapons and armor, an inventory, alchemy to create potions, and of course, experience and leveling up. The skill system lets you customize your characters by specializing specific abilities, so you can have a warrior who gets bonuses out of using maces, a mage who is more powerful with fire spells, or a rogue who is an expert in throwing projectile weapons.
My first moments were pretty awkward, as I had no idea how to attack. There is no tutorial to tell you the most basic of things, so I was backing up away from giant snails and eventually finding myself stuck and dead. Fortunately I have a husband with quite a bit of Mount Grimrock experience. However, I still had no weapons, so there were some epic battles taking place right from the beginning. The first time a spider lunged at my face, I actually jumped back away from the screen! I totally hate spiders! But I swear, a role-playing game isn’t complete without giant spiders…
It was also only by accident that I discovered the map. Three levels of this confusing labyrinth and the whole time there was a map? And I could even place marks on it? Hey, tutorial… where were you when I needed you? I’m surprised I even got to level three without the map. At some point my husband said “You should play without the map, it makes it more interesting.” and I’m like, “…THERE’S A MAP?!”. All this time I was wandering and backtracking, thinking I should just get some graph paper and start drawing my own. So yeah, press TAB to access the map.
Unlike most RPGs, there aren’t tons of dialogs and story to go through, which I found refreshing. The plot is what you make of your adventure. You explore the dungeon reluctant to what may come out at you from any corner, panic when your torch burns out, are startled by creepy spiders as you quickly turn into another hallway, get frustrated by teleports that seem to lead to dead ends, or are suddenly thrown into a pit full of creatures as a trapdoor opens below your feet.
The gameplay is split between exploration, combat and puzzle-solving. Paying close attention to your surroundings may reveal a lever, switch or hidden button that can reveal a secret room or open a passage where none seemed to be before. Secret rooms usually contain helpful weapons, armor or spell scrolls – very useful to teach you how to cast certain spells, since you must click the right combination of symbols in order to cast successfully.
Outfitting your party with the right weapons is part of the combat strategy, Obviously, you want your back row to have ranged weapons, so for me, a mage and rogue were the ones respectively casting spells and throwing projectiles. At some point, I had them equipped with spears, which have more range and could physically hit enemies from the back row. At the front, my warriors specialized in different skills and were wielding heavy shields, the best defensive armor I could find and the most effective weapons. Keep in mind that finding weapons and armor (or just about anything, really) is always reason for excitement. When you’re thrown in a pit with nothing but your wits and will to survive, every little bit helps, so even that rock on the ground or the torch you see on the wall sconce can be a weapon.
Finding a secret room, learning a more powerful spell or finally figuring out that puzzle I’ve been staring at and fiddling with for hours always comes with a sense of accomplishment, only to be let down shortly after by this feeling of “I still got a long way to go before I get out of this place…”. This is why Legend of Grimrock is such a great game. You make your own story. Whether you live or die (and you will, several times), the adventure is always worth it.
