Legend of Grimrock

Those who remember old school role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons will love Legend of Grimrock. The creepy dungeons, deadly monsters, and magic spells all evoke memories of long evenings spent around a table rolling dice and tallying hit points. The game comes as close as one can get to replicating those old adventures that took place in the theater of the mind. There is a decent storyline for players to enjoy. As the game begins, the band of heroes finds themselves in hot water. They have been charged with treason against the king and thrown into the depths of a dungeon. From there, the players must battle their way through the dungeon. The goal is to reach the exit. Like old role playing games, the storyline here gives way to the action. The battles with monsters are what players crave. This game offers plenty of that. The setting is also very cool. Graphics and sound work together to give the dungeon a sense of foreboding. Creeping along the musty corridors and searching out hidden treasure can lead to quite a few jump scares. Players must choose from three classes when creating their hero. Fighter, mages, and rogues are available. Some added variety is possible with racial customizations, and there are bonus traits attached to different races. One of the neat features is that players can choose monsters like a minotaur as their character. This is an improvement over table top role playing games. The fighting action is fast-paced, and casting spells requires some dexterity. A pattern has to be inserted over the image of a character. Once the pattern is successfully completed, a spell can be cast with one click. There are also puzzles to solve throughout the game. This is one part of the game that might cause players some frustration. Legend of Grimrock doesn't have a lot of frills. For what it is, however, the game succeeds on many levels. It can be very addictive, and beating the game can take enough time that players feel like they are getting value.