This one is really tough, similar to all other maps by Hallunioid. Don’t play it unless you’re a Grimrock master. Reminds me of early Wizardry titles, which were almost impossible to beat. Still, these maps are somehow fascinating.
Upside: - A vast number of huge and lovely crafted maps to explore. - Loads of secrets, bad ass fights and lore to find. - Even if you visit a map for the 20st time, you’ll find some new unvisited areas to explore.
Dowside: - No plot: There’s no introduction, no final to reach (at least I don’t know of any) or any way you need to follow. - Dead ends. You easily end up stuck without chance to proceed. Sometimes you enter a whole new area, kill dozens of monsters, just to realise one hour later that the only way out is closed, because you killed that one monster that closes the door when killed. Of course you won’t know that before. Hopefully you’ll have a save state outside that room, so you can try again and find out which monster closed the door. - Forced to risks: There’s many areas where you have to fall down, sometimes you need to fall down 4-5 floors to reach the next area. - Unlogical structure: The order of maps is totally random. While a floor trap always brings you down one level, stairs can bring you from level 1 to 8 or from 5 to 14. - Unlogical riddles: Sometimes doors on floor X open or close as soon you visit floor Y. There’s no sense behind this, it’s just happening. You’ll only find out with running through levels again and again, just to see if somewhere a new way has opened (which can also be appealing, as you’ll always find something new) - One-timers: There’s some riddles that can only be solved once. Like putting a fire element on a socket which then creates a force field. You won’t know that you need to cage a certain monster in that force field, possibly to open the only exit of that level. But putting the element down again won’t activate the force field again, so you’re stuck. For these riddles some hints or tricks would be fine, but there’s none. - Saving often won’t help: If you’re saving often you should save to at least 10 different states. Otherwise you may end up saving in a room you’re stuck, way before you know that you’re stuck.
So all in all the maps are still fascinating, with so many lovely details and the fights are epic. There’s absolutely no plot, so you shouldn’t play them with the approach to reach any final. Don’t know if there’s a final or target at all. Even if, chances that you make it couldn’t be lower. Simply because some ways only open once. So if you want to play it, play it because you enjoy epic fights and finding lore.
2 comments
Upside:
- A vast number of huge and lovely crafted maps to explore.
- Loads of secrets, bad ass fights and lore to find.
- Even if you visit a map for the 20st time, you’ll find some new unvisited areas to explore.
Dowside:
- No plot: There’s no introduction, no final to reach (at least I don’t know of any) or any way you need to follow.
- Dead ends. You easily end up stuck without chance to proceed. Sometimes you enter a whole new area, kill dozens of monsters, just to realise one hour later that the only way out is closed, because you killed that one monster that closes the door when killed. Of course you won’t know that before. Hopefully you’ll have a save state outside that room, so you can try again and find out which monster closed the door.
- Forced to risks: There’s many areas where you have to fall down, sometimes you need to fall down 4-5 floors to reach the next area.
- Unlogical structure: The order of maps is totally random. While a floor trap always brings you down one level, stairs can bring you from level 1 to 8 or from 5 to 14.
- Unlogical riddles: Sometimes doors on floor X open or close as soon you visit floor Y. There’s no sense behind this, it’s just happening. You’ll only find out with running through levels again and again, just to see if somewhere a new way has opened (which can also be appealing, as you’ll always find something new)
- One-timers: There’s some riddles that can only be solved once. Like putting a fire element on a socket which then creates a force field. You won’t know that you need to cage a certain monster in that force field, possibly to open the only exit of that level. But putting the element down again won’t activate the force field again, so you’re stuck. For these riddles some hints or tricks would be fine, but there’s none.
- Saving often won’t help: If you’re saving often you should save to at least 10 different states. Otherwise you may end up saving in a room you’re stuck, way before you know that you’re stuck.
So all in all the maps are still fascinating, with so many lovely details and the fights are epic. There’s absolutely no plot, so you shouldn’t play them with the approach to reach any final. Don’t know if there’s a final or target at all. Even if, chances that you make it couldn’t be lower. Simply because some ways only open once. So if you want to play it, play it because you enjoy epic fights and finding lore.
I expect Hrothgar...