I heard about Legend of Grimrock
through Internet chatter, and picked up a copy on GOG. There was an equal value Steam sale, but I
didn't want to have to be online, since my Internet had flaked out a few times
before.
Legend of Grimrock is a RPG dungeon
crawler. It’s like Eye of the Beholder, with a heavy emphasis on puzzles. There
are a few you can skip and miss out on some neat items, but the majority of the
puzzles are mandatory. They're also painfully clever. This is my cup of tea, so
I loved the game from the start.
The story takes place entirely in
the dungeon on Mount Grimrock. Your group was "forgiven" similar to
how Spartans forgive stupid messengers, by kicking them into a pit. This pit
just happens to be the start of a dungeon.
The controls of the game are quite
easy to pick up, but difficult to do when you have to move, shuffle potions,
drink potions, cast a spell, and attack all basically at the same time. The
game starts you off against slower and fewer enemies, but it gets crazier and
crazier as things progress. There is a quick save/load feature, which you
should use extensively.
The graphics are very nice; the
enemies have smooth animations and look really good. The lighting looks great,
and reacts to changes in the environment. Yes, you will need to carry a light
with you, unless you think you can fight enemies in the dark. You'll be
swapping your torch for one on the wall quite often, because torches burn out
if you hold them for too long. If they're on the wall or in a bag, they're
perfectly fine... no risk in putting something on fire into your bags... right
next to the explosives...
The sound is very good, and extremely
useful. Many times you will hear enemies coming from a direction before you can
see them. Also, when you hit switches that open secret walls, you can use the
sound direction to find where the secret is. Enemies have unique sounds as well, so you
can tell what kind of enemy is coming your way. This can actually be a
little unnerving, when you hear them through a wall and they’re nowhere near
you...
My party was a Human Fighter
(Swords/Armors), Human Rogue (Unarmed Combat/Dodge), Minotaur Rogue (Missile
Weapons/Dodge), and Insect Mage (Ice Magic/Spellcraft). I got this build from
trolling the Grimrock forums, and picking what worked good for people who had
already played the game.
A few tips for some things that
weren't clear when I started playing the game.
- You can put notes on the map.
- You can only heal by resting, or drinking potions.
- Dodging is much better than armor (no damage vs. reduced damage)
- If you're not using an item or plan to use an item, drop it. There are no vendors in the game and you can only carry so much (bag item limit, and weight limits). I cried a little when I put down an absolutely awesome dagger...
- Throwing weapons and missile weapons never miss. Missile weapons will do more damage later on, but you won't find a missile weapon for a few dungeon levels. Missile weapon "ammo" and throwing weapons don't go away; they drop to the ground when the enemy dies.
- Your mage can cast any spell their magic level allows. The scrolls in the game are for people who refuse to use the Internet to find out the spell combinations in the game.
- Potions work the same way as spells. All you need are the ingredients and the mixer. The speed potion and healing potion were about all I used, but I'm extremely conservative with potions.
- Food is important; if you're starving you won't recover health or energy. Make sure you stock up. Later on, there are places where edible enemies spawn infinitely. So don't worry too much about running out.
- Make sure you always have a few spare rocks and throwing knives for solving puzzles. And always have a few spare torches for light.
I would highly recommend picking up a copy.
I couldn't put this game down once I picked it up. I finished it in 15 hours of playtime, but that included a lot of backtracking and
solving every puzzle. Including the one I missed 3 floors back.
Useful links:
- List of mage spells (good for deciding which tree you want)
- How to cast any spell
- How to make any potion
- Magic level determines spell damage
No comments:
Post a Comment