Legend of Grimrock: Roguelike Dungeon-Crawler in 3D - Games

[release][img]http://i.imgur.com/Stqoz.jpg[/img][/release] [release][i]Please excuse the somewhat lengthy OP, I got rather carried away...[/i][/release] [release][b]Current Stage: ALPHA as of 02/11/11[/b][/release] [release][h2]Links[/h2] -Developer Blog [url]http://www.grimrock.net/[/url] -FAQ [url]http://www.grimrock.net/frequently-asked-questions/[/url][/release] [release][h2]What is it?[/h2] [i]From the developers blog:[/i] Legend of Grimrock is a fantasy game loaded with underground adventuring, tricky puzzles, combat and role-playing elements. In other words, it’s a dungeon crawl game... ...it will be influenced by oldschool games of the genre but it won’t be a game that would have been possible to make fifteen years ago. It will look great, have loads of atmosphere, sound good and play well. We won’t be making many promises during the development since things will often change down the line, but those aforementioned parameters I can pretty much guarantee. And lastly, we’re hoping on bringing this game for iOS, PC and Mac and possibly some other platforms as well. [/release] [release][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/screen_32.jpg[/img_thumb][/release] [release][h2]Whodunnit?[/h2] Almost Human is a Finnish four-man indie team consisting of; Petri the programmer and self-professed 'helmsman'; Olli the animator and character rigger; Juho the graphical designer and Antti the level-design and audio guy. They came together early 2011 and currently work out of Matinkylä, Espoo, in the bottom floor of an apartment building (next to a stable). [/release] [release][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/chargen1.jpg[/img_thumb][/release] [release][h2]The Characters[/h2] There is now a character creation menu in place, but originally the player was to choose between pre-made characters. This information is a little out of date and it is unclear as yet whether the pre-made characters are to be scrapped or whether both options will be available. Hopefully the latter. [i]From the developers blog:[/i] Every CRPG needs champions and Legend of Grimrock is definitely not an exception: instead of just one player character, you control a party of four prisoners trying to escape the vast labyrinth of tunnels built into Mt. Grimrock, a ruthless, desolate and impossibly high spire of a mountain where criminals are committed to exile until they either perish or prove by escaping to be innocent of their crimes. Needless to say, no-one has ever survived and escaped from Grimrock. We’re planning to create a bunch of interesting characters for you to choose from, each with their own specialities and quirks. For experienced players the selection of a good mix of characters is itself part of the gameplay. We’re going to extend the character roster gradually while developing the game and we thought it was time to introduce a few of them, so say hi to our first four prisoners![/release] [release][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/contar_stoneskull-e1310371599905-150x150.jpg[/img][/release][release]Contar Stoneskull, a legendary fighter from the North Reaches and a child of the nature, his skill with the sword is only surpassed with his compassion towards the poor and unfortunate. He got his name after a mud golem smashed his war helmet into shards with an earth shattering blow. Maybe the gods were with him that day, or he was just exceptionally lucky (Contar is not a particularly religious man) but he survived that day. He is traveling the lands with his wife who is also an adventurer. Contar has high strength and dexterity ratings but he’s not that suitable for spell-casting classes.[/release] [release][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/yennica_whitefeather-e1310371469405-135x150.jpg[/img][/release][release]Yennica Whitefeather, Contar’s wife, is also a skilled fighter, but instead of relying on pure strength like Contar she favors bows and lighter blades. Yennica’s family is wealthy and well respected and she’s actually a member of noble house Valindor which she tries to desperately conceal. Her family despises her after she ran away and got secretly married with the love of her life, Contar whom her dad sees as a filthy barbarian. Because of this Yennica is ashamed of her family and would like to leave that part of her life behind her. Though Yennica never admits it she’s more intelligent than Contar (and therefore more eligible at magic if she ever chooses to learn the Art) and more dexterious which is advantageous with rogue skills.[/release] [release][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mork-e1310371732814-150x150.jpg[/img][/release][release]Mork is an eight feet tall Minotaur from far away Namaer, land of endless plains to the south. Mork hardly ever speaks because he, like other minotaurs, think its better to make his actions speak for himself. Mork is not really his real name, actually Minotaurs do not refer to each other by names, but his human companions call him Mork and he doesn’t mind. His friends sometimes joke in hushed tones but in good spirit about the name resembling ‘Dork’ but they never dare say it to his face because Minotaurs are known for their temper and sudden blasts of rage. Mork has an incredibly high strength rating so he does more damage with his fists than a normal man with a sword, but magic is completely out of his comprehension.[/release] [release][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sancsaron-e1310371766829-150x150.jpg[/img][/release][release]Sancsaron the Wry is a dropout from mage academy of Des because of violent behavior and a devastating incident that caused the death of two young apprentices. He is a dark spirit who cares more for his tomes and scrolls than his so called friends. He dreams of a day when he’s powerful enough to rely on his craft alone. Until that day he has got to act civilized and pretend to be nice so he can use his friends as meat shields. His true purpose in traveling the lands is to find the fabled Orb of Zhandul which is rumored to hold almost limitless god-like magical powers.[/release] [release][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ogre_highres1.jpg[/img_thumb][/release] [release][h2]Magic System[/h2] This is somewhat different from any casting system I've seen before, a basic array of runes can be activated in different orders. Each order giving a different effect. [i]A more in depth explanation from the developers blog:[/i] Spell casting is an integral part of the diet of any healthy fantasy setting and there have been numerous different approaches to it in computer role playing games. To us, the systems where you pick a spell from a list have always felt very mundane: invoking magic should feel like you’re messing around with mystical forces instead of a spreadsheet! Runes are true and tested vessels for arcane power and they certainly make your imagination run wilder than text printed with Arial, size 12, so using them was a pretty obvious choice for us from the get go. And despite them being more abstract than writing, they still have the opportunity of having a logical underlying structure that prevents the spell casting system from turning into a bewildering mess where the player doesn’t have a chance to figure out what he’s actually doing. I’m here to explain a little bit of how we handle that logic and what our runes are. Here’s our spell casting panel that you might have seen earlier: [img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/magic_runes01.jpg[/img] How the runes are laid out in a 3 by 3 grid is already a major part of the logic since the placement of the runes bear a meaning. The pattern has a center rune and that center is surrounded by other runes along the outer edges of the pattern. The outer runes always have an opposite: the opposite of the rune in the lower left hand corner is the rune in the top right corner and so on. But maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself now, it’s probably just better to go through the individual runes first and then we’ll get back to this. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune1_fire.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Fire[/b] Our first rune is fire, one of the elements. Elements are a major group of our runes and there are four elements and all of them reside in the corners of the pattern. You should be aware what fire is but just in case here’s a recap: it’s hot and it burns. This makes it very suitable for destructive powers. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune2_death.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Death[/b] Death is the force of vile deeds, cowardice and destruction and it is a very potent power for causing harm to others. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune3_air.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Air[/b] The element of air not only covers the air that we breathe but also the sky, storms and gases. It is also often used in conjunction with other less buoyant elements to help them float or fly. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune4_spirituality.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Spirituality[/b] This rune represents the immaterial world: the things that have no matter but which still exist. It used for invoking the forces of the mind, thought and spirituality. It is useful in spells that either enhance or disrupt the psyche of beings or to surpass the barriers of mundane senses. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune5_balance.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Balance[/b] This is the central rune and unlike the others it has no opposite. It represents everything, wholeness and unity. The invisible force that binds everything together while keeping them apart. Mortal spellcasters can only exploit a tiny sliver of the vast potential of this force and they usually use it to amplify their spells to affect larger wholes. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune6_physicality.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Physicality[/b] This represents the material world and strong physical forces. It helps otherwise immaterial things attain a more stable physical form or adds to the strength of otherwise weak phenomena. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune7_earth.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Earth[/b] Earth is a strong and stable element and it is useful in bolstering defences or for tapping power from the surrounding masses of rock, moss and plants. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune8_life.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Life[/b] This rune represents health, bravery and creation. It is a common rune in spells that aid, heal and assist. [code][img]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/rune9_water.jpg[/img][/code] [b]Water[/b] Water in its all forms, be it liquid, solid or gaseous, is an easily manipulated medium for mixing with other powers but it can be also be the source of powerful freezing spells. Now the runes opposite to each others should start to make a little more sense: life is opposed by death, earth by air, spirituality by physicality and they are all bound together around the center that represent the wholeness. The spells are formed by selecting different combinations of these concepts. For example a poison cloud is invoked by calling air (for the cloud) and ground (for the toxic spores) and a powerful exploding fireball, the fantasy game classic, is formed from fire, air and physicality. All the spells have a logical underpinning and a clever player might figure out some new spells before even discovering a recipe scroll from the dungeons for it. But to stop the more modern wizards who wield the power of Google from gaining an unreasonable edge, the spells also have skill requirements the character needs to fulfill to cast the spell successfully. [/release] [release][h2]Screenshots & Videos[/h2] [video=youtube;6ZETzIxZjKQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZETzIxZjKQ&feature=player_embedded[/video] [video=youtube;_HnTeQFBIq0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnTeQFBIq0&feature=player_embedded[/video] [img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gui_shot2.png[/img_thumb][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/screen_13.jpg[/img_thumb][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/screen_22.jpg[/img_thumb][img_thumb]http://www.grimrock.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gui_shot1.png[/img_thumb] [/release]

I watched some preview videos of this a while ago. It looks really well put together.

Looks a lot like those old first person CRPG's like Might and Magic, Wizardry and maybe even the old TES games. Except fully rendered in 3D and with a magic system that is for once quite unique.

I still have fond memories of Might & Magic VI, one of the reasons I'm hyped for this, the 4 character/1 first-person view mechanic is the same.

[url]http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/28552/Dungeon+Hack.html[/url] If you want something to hold you over.

Also i hope you can actually get that Orb of Zhandul in game, would be so awesome.

The definition of Roguelike seems to be getting broader and broader every day.

Oh my FUCKING GOD ASAHGKVDHGGWF STOP CALLING EVERYTHING A ROGUELIKE [editline]2nd November 2011[/editline] by the way this game looks pretty awesome, i've had my eye on it for a while, actually.

Yeah, coming back after I'd already made the thread it occurred to me that roguelike wasn't the best description, at least dungeon-crawler can be deemed pretty much 100% accurate though, seeing as the entire game takes place in one.

My definition of a roguelike is everything and it's dog is randomly generated, down to the color of nail polish. And of course dying in horrifying or hilarious circumstances.

[video=youtube;xmSJ1iFx5zA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmSJ1iFx5zA[/video] well it's time to ressurect this thread about classic RPG genre ;)

Oh man this looks fun as hell, and only 11 days till release? Fuck Yeah.

Words cannot express how amazing this looks. Preordered it on GOG.

Let's see, a week ought to be enough time for me to find the money for this. It's looking hugely promising, and I love that it's on GOG.

So it's basically something like Elvira: [video=youtube;KyuERD94ywY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyuERD94ywY[/video]

yes, dungeon RPG like Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder , Ishar and similar series ;)

I am gonna try this game, I liked playing games such as eye of the beholder and Might and Magic as a kid. [url=http://www.gameshampoo.com/magazine/articles/48/legend-of-grimrock-releasing-april-11-now-available-for-pre-order.html]Release and Preorder have just been announced[/url] its coming out Apr 11, cant wait to play this one. This formula of grid based movement which was popular in the 80s - i hope it can make a comeback now

with new UI addition i'm sure it will run also on x86/x64 tablet or anything with touch screen

Less than 12 hours until release. Really excited for this.

Just preordered looks awesome. I heard that they will be releasing a level editor so hopefully tons of user made content will make it in.

The magic system looks very unique, I like it. Hopefully this game will be as amazing as it looks. Pre-ordering.

Just over 4 hours to go. I can't fucking wait.

I just remembered this was coming out today, I haven't been this excited for a game since the Portal 2 potato ARG.

Preordered off the website a few hours ago, waiting for the game to unlock!

Looks fun

Finally it's released and the Steam issues fixed. Downloading right now.

[url=http://gameshampoo.com/magazine/articles/62/legend-of-grimrock-races-and-classes.html]Legend of Grimrock Races and Classes[/url] [url=http://gameshampoo.com/magazine/articles/64/legend-of-grimrock-bestiary.html]Legend of Grimrock Bestiary[/url]

Bought it on GOG yesterday, just finished downloading. Pretty excited.

Played a bit of this today, love it so far. I really hope they keep adding content and release good mod tools, that'd be amazing.

[QUOTE=WolfeClaw;35528034]Finally it's released and the Steam issues fixed. Downloading right now.[/QUOTE] mine still say pre-order on steam, any idea?