Legend of Grimrock 2

Welcome to the island amusement park for RPG masochists, welcome to Legend of Grimrock 2 . Here you will find exciting attractions like the House of Needles, the trapdoor garden and murderous mascots. The second part of the Grimrock series builds on the classic role-playing strengths of the predecessor Legend of Grimrock , smooths some of the edges - and finally lets us breathe fresh air. Gone are the days of stuffy dungeons, most of the time we are on the island of Nex.

The basic structure remains the same: tried and tested, bone-hard role-playing food, which is particularly appreciated by connoisseurs of the early Might & Magic parts or the venerable Dungeon Master . With a troop of four heroes we walk from field to field like a chessboard from the first person perspective and explore the island of Nex.

Before we start, we either choose our party from ready-made characters or create our own. There are five races and seven classes to choose from. Among them are of course the classics: melee, magician, archer and defense specialist. Certain race and class combinations are literally the right choice, for example the "Insectoid" is an excellent magician because he has more magic points available.

The distribution of the attribute points also needs to be carefully considered, because the values of our heroes cannot be changed afterwards. For our first round, we put two melee tanks in the first row and a mage plus archer in the second row. The front row takes almost all of the damage, as long as monsters don't attack from the side or from behind.

After we have completed our team of heroes, our colorful troop is stranded on the banks of Nex. The island actually has something of Disneyland, only that all the attractions are apparently out to break us down into manageable components: nasty traps, tough monsters and a bunch of tricky puzzles, which, by the way, can also send us to the afterlife if we screw up the solution.

The bored island master

We are the plaything of the so-called island champion. Out of sheer boredom and malice, he confronts us with tricky tasks. Which brings us to one of the biggest problems of Grimrock 2: the story. We learn almost nothing about the island and are only reminded every now and then by nasty letters that we have an opponent. If you play role-playing games mainly because of a gripping story, you shouldn't be happy with Legend of Grimrock.

The island master's castle towers in the middle of the island, and around it are four adjacent areas: a swamp, the Twigroot forest, the ruins of Desarune and a cemetery. Our goal is element crystals with which we gain access to the villain's castle. These in turn are distributed in the open world of Nex.

After a short intro tube, we can move freely in the world and discover a lot in the process, in addition to dungeons, for example, hidden chests await that we can find via secret counter or even with the help of a treasure map, a whole bunch of monsters and so-called stone philosophers, large statues with glowing lights Eyes that give us tips for the puzzles.

In order not to lose track of treasures and places, we should take notes on our own, which is noticeably facilitated by the excellent map function. Notes can be made on this map at any time, thus marking important key points. As an alternative, real old-school veterans simply switch off the card and grab pen and squared paper as they did in the past.

However, the game world also looks like a wasted opportunity. Nex is inconclusive, the areas are too extensive despite teleporters, the narrative thread that holds the individual regions together and merges them into an organic whole is missing.

Scissors, stone, zombie

The puzzles mentioned mostly consist of classic fare: pushing blocks, operating switches. But there are also imaginative puzzles. Of course, we don't want to anticipate anything, but one of our favorite puzzles (which almost drove us to despair) follows the rock-paper-scissors principle.

While most of the puzzles are pleasantly tricky and logical, some fall into the Trial & Error category. The greatest horror is a pit full of zombies in which we have to press three switches to open the door to the next area, deactivate a barrier and finally activate the teleporter from the pit. The undead surround us every single time, we absolutely cannot reach the counter.

Only after several attempts (and many quick storage statuses) did we have the necessary luck to escape the pit halfway unscathed. Such passages are the exceptions, however, the majority of the puzzles are demanding, well thought out and can be solved with an alert mind.

Test of patience fight

In addition to the puzzles, the battles make up a large part of Grimrock 2. With a right click on the various weapons next to our hero portraits, we carry out the respective attack. Since the whole thing happens in real time, most battles consist of circling the enemy and attacking.

Over time, of course, our magician also learns magic spells with which we riot at the creatures from a distance. The archer or weapons specialist supports him with a hail of arrows or bullets. Overall, however, the combat system is a double-edged sword.

Every skirmish starts out as challenging. Later, the confrontations become pure tests of patience, and most monsters feel that they can withstand too many blows. On top of that, Grimrock 2 only throws us at larger hordes of opponents in the later parts of the game, instead of actually challenging us tactically. Even the bosses usually only consist of several small monsters and one big boss, which we dance around afterwards, a certain boredom sets in.

Colorful gang of criminals

In order to take on the hordes of monsters, our adventure group has to be well coordinated, the skills should complement each other, but the character system runs out of breath comparatively quickly. For example, we specialize our party members in fire magic or ranged weapons, but after that there is often only one supporting skill that is really worth investing in new skill points.

A good "tank" requires exactly three skills: armor, heavy weapons and athleticism. If he has learned them completely after climbing 15 levels, there is hardly anything useful afterwards, so experience points are quite meaningless in the last third of the game.

You have to give credit to the developer for the fact that after the success of the first Legend of Grimrock they didn't just clap a second part, but rather thought about possible adjustments. The open island world is a good idea; compared to its predecessor, Nex is bigger, more varied and more beautiful. More monsters and puzzles, on the other hand, are part of the standard repertoire of a sequel, but are still welcome.

The revised magic system now also works better and, above all, faster in combat, the included dungeon editor should soon provide new playable content. So fans of the predecessor get a rock solid successor, but it cannot completely cope with certain signs of wear and tear.

In view of the imminent release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, such a claim may be taken as blasphemy, but I am willing to be burned at the stake. A tiny Finnish studio, where not even ten people work, served the game unique in many ways for the second time. At a time when our offspring are associated only with Skyrim and The Witchers , Almost Human proposes a nostalgic journey to the time when the word "exploration" meant traversing claustrophobic dungeons with the obligatory right angle on every plane. Do such experiments exist in the 21st century? Yes, and the capital Legend of Grimrock II is the best example of this.

The storyline is the driving force behind most erpegs. In this regard, Legend of Grimrock II looks as poor as the "number one", which of course is a deliberate choice of developers - it is not the story that is the game's greatest attraction. So we get a story as simple as the construction of a flail: as a result of the interference of secret forces, a ship sailing peacefully crashes on the rocks near an unknown island, and only four prisoners who were under the sleeper at the time of the catastrophe were saved. After landing on the shore and freeing ourselves from the cage, we start exploring the area without a specific purpose (apart from the experience, of course). Only then, when we get our hands on the messages left by the mysterious guardian of this land, and a strange hooded figure will appear on our way many times, we will realize that the whole journey here and there is going to some specific finale.

While the residual plot may leave something to be desired, it is difficult to fault the gameplay itself, especially since Grimrock underwent a significant metamorphosis over the course of these several months. We will notice the first changes after starting the struggle, when we see an open space. Although wandering around claustrophobic dungeons is an essential point of the trip also in this installment, the Finns have located a large part of the location under the open sky. Of course, a specific way of traveling, reminiscent of the solutions used in ancient dungeon crawlers, was maintained. The area has been divided into squares that our daredevils can traverse only in a straight line. The game does not offer smooth rotation of the team around its axis - you can only turn 90 degrees. A full-fledged classic that will quickly remind fans of the Eye of the Beholder and Dungeon Master series of how erpegs were made ages ago.

The second major novelty is the open world. At the very beginning of the adventure, it is not yet visible, but as you discover more areas, it will quickly become clear that we can travel freely between them. It has nothing to do with quasi-sandboxes like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, however . Legend of Grimrock II does not allow you to turn on your heel and go to hell - access to many locations is blocked in various ways, so before you enter unexplored areas, you must first find a way to open them. Clues suggesting solutions to the piling up challenges are scattered throughout the island, but are generally presented in a rather confusing way, which complicates the task more than facilitates it. A perfect example is a statue from a cemetery, which in a short sentence gives us an idea of how to get close to one of the temples. There is no case and no alternative solutions to the problem. If we do not follow the guidelines provided and we do not implement them in the way invented by the authors, we will never visit this location, and therefore we will not finish the game.

Unfortunately, the combat system also has its drawbacks, which were not so visible in the original, but in the "two" they are a serious drawback. Most of the opponents are extremely passive and do not want to use their strengths to crush our daredevils. We will find out about it in open locations, where by properly maneuvering the team, you can avoid any damage. When I first met ogres in the second Grimrock , I killed them without any problems, even though my daredevils were no match for them in any way. In dungeons, the mobility advantage of the team is decreasing, because the rooms contain much less space - it is also difficult to maneuver in complicated corridor layouts if we do not remember their layouts. However, this does not change the fact that also here it is quite easy to defeat much stronger rivals, if we patiently retreat to the back and stuff them from a safe distance. The greatest difficulty is with the monsters only in groups and in situations where the skirmish takes place in tight, closed rooms. These are really the only moments in the game where you can sweat a lot during the fight, and the result will depend not only on our skills, but also on a bit of luck.

Grimrock II pays great attention to character development. It is impossible to create universal heroes here, such attempts will end tragically sooner or later, and mistakes made cannot be corrected. Daredevils develop slowly, and on the next levels of experience, you can improve a selected ability by just one point. The eternal equipment problem doesn't help either. The best weapons are hidden in secrets or in compartments protected with golden keys, so you have to double and triple to find and open them. In few games the right choice of weapons is as important as it is here. If we do not systematically increase the team's combat strength, both by developing characters and applying them an increasingly interesting arsenal, the exploration of new locations will become practically impossible.

The second Grimrock is a product much better than the original in many different respects. More difficult puzzles, various locations, an open world, challenges piling up at almost every step - you simply cannot fall in love with this game. Progress here is very satisfactory, and difficulties in solving problems encourage us to make further attempts. I am also glad that the authors have invested in the option of a quick save of the game - I mentioned its lack in the review of the original. If it was still possible to move the team from the map level, which I still miss, I would be delighted.

However, it must be remembered that Grimrock II is not a product for everyone. I have the impression that it will be appreciated most by older game fans who are looking for a solid mental effort in electronic entertainment. Witchers and Dragon Age enthusiasts will bounce off the Finnish work like bullets from the backs of stone golems, although they should also give this game a chance, because it may turn out that by accident they will discover something more on the island than a mysterious sorcerer's locked stronghold. We are talking about love for archaic erpegs, which after many years can make the same great impression as Eye of the Beholder 23 years ago. The discussed product is the best proof of this.