Grime II

[h1] Like a highschool crush, you know they're not perfect, but they're just perfect enough in your heart to make you lose sleep[/h1] What a bloody ride this was. I did not know about Grime 1 and just bought this because it was on special and looked very promising. This game is [b]so freaking gas[/b] I love it! After 100% completion, I have to say that it's so perfect in its imperfection and I think the devs know this. The art style is gnarly, a bit of a mess, not pixel perfect, not tryhard. This game features, amongst other things: - Stunningly intuitive combat and navigation - Generous hitboxes and collision mechanics (for the player [b]AND[/b] the environment 😂) - Obscenely fluid and addictive combat, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by this - The music in [spoiler]Starmire[/spoiler], HELLO?!?! So much longing and emotion, wtf?! - A surprising amount of weapons, armors and customization - Build flexibility in a metroidvania!!!?? - A weirdly and intriguingly philosophical story - No BS, just throwing straight hands - [...] and one of the most enjoyable aspects of all combat games: a parry that's not b%*^h-made that you can level and enhance. Nothing is un-parryable. It is [b]crisp[/b] to a fault. Absolute *chef's kiss*. - For the completionists: if you enjoy exploration, 100% of achievements can be unlocked organically, without a guide, and in 1 playthrough. This is a godsend. Also, one thing I have to praise the dev team for: Usually, precision-platforming/parkouring in a metroidvania game feels like a punishment, a tedious task you have to get through in order to access the good stuff. But in Grime II, all parkour feels like a reward. I think this is due to the fact that all traversal abilities are so seamlessly integrated into the game's natural progression, and their evolution/upgrades make logical sense. All my applause for this part. Will definitely be following this studio more closely. [h3]Objectively maybe a 7.5/10, but a 11/10 in my heart![/h3]

Amazing stuff! Highly unique setting, clever mechanics that get used in a variety of contexts (for example, the tether you use to pull yourself up to things is also used to stop certain enemy attacks) and cool map design that lets you reach areas from different directions. It's not *quite* as impactful as the first game was to me, but then, I'm not sure how they'd pull that off.

Keeping it as spoiler free as possible, I liked this game a lot. I think if you enjoyed the first you'll probably enjoy this one as well.