Published by Kwalee and developed by Clover Bite, GRIME II is a Metroidvania-style game and a sequel to the critically acclaimed GRIME from 2021. The original game focused more on body horror, but GRIME II takes a more art-focused narrative and is now lurking its way onto Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Become a stealer of forms as a Formless, an art mimic absorbing creatures and summoning moulds in their shape. Venture into a new and mysterious land in the GRIME universe, where danger and wonder await around every corner. Use your surroundings in tandem with your summoned moulds to overcome deadly enemies and epic bosses, all the while exploring a deep world full of diverse cultures and characters.

Players take control of an unnamed Formless with abilities to absorb defeated enemies, shape them into moulds and use them for special attacks. Moulds can be used to throw enemies, fire projectiles, stun and even turn into summons. More powerful attacks need to be charged, which in the original game was done by parrying enemy attacks, but the sequel allows you to charge by attacking. This helps keep the flow of the game going because not every player will be using parries.

The overall gameplay and combat feel slow at first, but it soon starts to feel natural, and some of the upgrades provide ways to speed things up. There are various upgrades to obtain through game progression. Players can boost their stats and collect a wide variety of weapons, abilities and armour. There are over 30 weapons, 20 armours and over 40 abilities to customise your playstyle with, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. This provides a wide range of attacks to slay your enemies and has something for everyone.

Being a Metroidvania-style game, players will experience nonlinear exploration, backtracking and have to navigate through large, interconnected worlds that unlock after gaining new abilities. Fast tracking is available at every checkpoint you’ve unlocked, so you don’t have to work your way back through areas you’ve already visited. The platforming is simple at first but becomes more challenging as the game progresses, though it’s not nearly as unforgiving as other platformers, and there is a fair bit of puzzle solving too, which isn’t too complicated for the most part.

The most challenging parts of the game are the combat. Again, it’s simple at first, but gradually becomes more challenging. The weapons and abilities you’ll gain will offer plenty of ways to take them down, either getting up close or attacking from afar, but certain enemies will be able to do the same to you.

Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, and the boss fights will indeed keep players on their toes. Battling the bosses works like most other platform games by avoiding attacks that come from all directions and attacking them when the opportunity presents itself, but of course, this is easier said than done.

There are two main difficulty settings with Standard and Story. Standard has you play the game as intended with challenging gameplay, but if that’s too difficult, Story allows you to play the game with less to worry about, but you’ll still have to solve the puzzles, find your way through the large map, and you’ll miss out on some rewards. There are also more options allowing you to set how much damage you take from enemies or deliver to enemies.

Occasionally, the game can feel repetitive over time with all the common enemies you have to battle and backtracking you may need to do, even with easier settings and fast travel. The game can take over 20 hours to complete and is best played in parts, rather than a single playthrough, to reduce the repetitive feeling, unless of course, you’re a dedicated gamer or going for speedruns.

The story is told primarily through text on screen, with some simple in-game cutscenes for the main parts. The world of GRIME is bizarre but draws you in, with a story that seems cryptic but keeps you intrigued. Different areas you visit will have their own unique designs and distinct cultures, and the bosses you fight are representative of each one.

You’ll start off in a dark and unsettling underworld, but will soon see more developed civilisations with beautiful architecture to admire, each with its own stories to tell, all while keeping the horror theme. The music is mainly a deep orchestral sound with a dark theme, with mostly a slow pace, but the tempo picks up for the boss fights.

The original GRIME game created some new and unique elements for the Metroidvania sub-genre with its unique art style and gameplay. GRIME II is a worthy successor that reinvents itself to create a whole new experience to distinguish it from the original game. It features some quality-of-life updates while keeping all the core mechanics and the horror theme with a new art style. GRIME II is a game that needs to be experienced.

Written by: Sammy Hanson