[Review] Grimm's Hollow

[Bandolero -]

INTRODUCTION

This review of Grimm’s Hollow will set a personal achievement. Normally, when I prepare to write down a formal review, the subject has set in my mind for at least a day or more. While I believe that critiquing is best done when the topic is fresh, there remains an urgency to let the emotions settle. My personal schedule will not permit me this leniency this time around. In order to get this article out the day of Halloween, I have to do it within an hour of finishing the game. With an RPG like this, residual emotions may run the risk of tampering my personal preferences.

 

This time of year is one that many count down the days to. Halloween remains one of the most impactful holidays in the United States, resulting in millions of communities allowing kids in costumes to go around the neighborhood from early to late evening demanding candy with a magic phrase. Even as an adult, the opportunity to cosplay and participate in scary activities makes October 31st a memorable day of festivities. For me, I don’t generally dress up or even do anything too out of the ordinary. What I do like to do is partake in spookier-than-normal games and what have you. Wouldn’t you know, Grimm’s Hollow comes out of nowhere and releases the night before Halloween, providing an eventful pre-Halloween treat. What it ended up focusing on gave new meaning to what many consider the traditional Halloween frights.

Grimm’s Hollow is available on Steam for free.

 

STORY

While I’ve been wrong about a creator’s intentions before, this game feels like it wishes to tell a story more than it wants to enrich the RPG formula. The “Story Rich” moniker, excessive amounts of dialogue, and presentation of characters and narrative significance reminds me greatly of Undertale. Similar as it may be, Grimm’s Hollow is its own entity, wishing to provoke and elaborate on a story that’s a tad more straightforward.

Something that can be noted right away is the game’s desire to appear cute. Humor is incorporated quite often early on, and periodically throughout the events that transpire. Much of it isn’t funny, but at least it isn’t so distracting that one couldn’t take it seriously. Some of this may be a result of the title character, Lavender, and the spunk she brings as a lead. While her age is only implied, her presence evokes a maternal maturity found in those a tad older. Inquisitive, caring, and immensely stubborn, her independence makes for an endearing perspective. There are some things that a silent protagonist cannot provide, and this is an example of a well-written lead character. The game is as much her journey as it is ours.

What I didn’t come to expect from Grimm’s Hollow is just how serious the story gets, which makes it risky to review. Efforts have been made in the past to generalize a story based on vague emotional buffers to avoid spoilers, and this may be another case. On paper, the story is simple: a girl dies and awakens in the afterlife, with a sudden realization that she needs to find her brother. Upon doing so, the goal shifts and the focus of the story alters its trajectory. “One-track” would be a good way of elaborating on the narrative, with the twists and loops only done to hamper the expected arrival time. In the big picture, there’s only a single goal and the entire game is confined to seeing it through. To some, that lack of nuance could be a dealbreaker.

For what it’s worth, this linear path isn’t so painful. Of what does occur, I was invested enough to care for the characters involved. Characters have clear goals and personalities that embody their place in the game. And while I may simply be too excitable, I’d argue there’s symbolic representation to the events of the game. Specific characters and their ambitions, the type of enemies one faces, the areas one goes through, and the trials that Lavender faces—all feel strangely calculated. Messages lying in wait could make for repeated dissections. As could the heartfelt messages of loss and forgiveness, too, but nevertheless.

GAMEPLAY

One other reason I feel story was more interesting to the developer is that the gameplay aspects are not deep. As an RPG, this is a very run-of-the-mill interpretation of the genre, with some real-time strategy as a spice. One can level up various statistics, learn new moves, and build up experience-like points to use as currency for shops or a talent tree system. Battles consist of normal attacks, special moves, items, and fleeing. One has a timer bar that one must wait to fill before doing anything, as is the same for enemies. Does this all sound familiar? It should if you’ve played any RPG ever. This review could paint Grimm’s Hollow into a very bare-boned gameplay experience, but in all honesty, I was fine with it. It’s a matter of expectations. This game is free, and spans only two hours. Don’t expect Chrono Trigger.

If you’re an RPG veteran, this probably isn’t the game for you. Should the incredibly simple and straightforward game mechanics not bother you, there’s fun to be had here. Battles take up about 60% of the game’s two-hour-ish runtime, so one need be fond of it quickly. The assortment of enemies one faces provides ample challenge to experiment with new techniques and strategies. Some enemies multiply, others poison, while a few are just all-around awful. My advice to anyone trying this out, though, is to advance through the talent tree immediately. I died a handful of times within the first twenty minutes because of neglecting the talent tree. The initial stages of the game kind of throw instructions at you and expect the player to pick it up as they go.