[h2]I fully and wholeheartedly recommend this game.[/h2]
For some background on the kind of person who might be really into Grimshire: I grew up reading Redwall and other "animal stories" as a kid, although I particularly appreciated Redwall because I felt like it didn't shy away from difficult topics.
I also grew up playing a huge range of video games, but some of my favorite cozy types were Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and later Stardew Valley (not a shock).
This game is totally a blend of these loves, and I appreciate that it does the "cozy sim cute animal" thing while still ripping your heart out with the story and characters.
[b]So, on to things I particularly like about this game:[/b]
- Very story heavy, especially for this genre of game. It pulls punches I was not expecting and totally took me by surprise! You really fall in love with the cast. I can't underscore this particular point enough.
- Extensive customization for your character, and the art is fantastic. I prefer the way that this game has larger character sprites instead of small sprites, and the character portraits are fantastic and very emotive.
- Changing seasons are GRADUAL!!! I feel like I so rarely see that in this genre, but I might be misremembering. I adore it though, every day feels like a new day with something fresh to enjoy.
- I just love the mechanic of having to supply the town with preserved food. I think it's a really fun twist on other cozy farming sims that incentivizes me much more than currency/upgrades/gifting npcs ever has in any other game.
- Critters are a fantastic way to address animals having livestock. They're cute and creative and fun to collect! [spoiler]And when you have to butcher them it's agonizing ;_; In a good way, I get attached to them and it makes the sacrifice significant.[/spoiler]
[b]Tons of QoL:[/b]
- There's a tool wheel, and the tools to not take up inventory slots, they are always with you unless upgrading or not attained yet.
- Character tab shows whether you've talked to or gifted any given character, also lists their likes/dislikes (as you unlock them), and where they are.
- Map tab will show you EXACTLY where any given character is at any time.
- Can buy/sell at any shop without the merchant npc being present.
- Icon to show if an item has not been donated yet.
- Auto tool for common tasks (no matter what you have equipped, if you right click a tree it will work on chopping it down if you have the axe as an example).
- Recipes require mostly "general" items; ie, any nut, any vegetable, any fruit, etc.
- There's an actual reason to eat crafted food, as first eat will give you permanent +1 stam, and they have unique buffs.
- Passing out at midnight only takes half your stamina for the next day, no item loss.
- Chopping trees isn't stressful, apart from avoiding cutting down fruiting or soon to fruit trees, as new trees will just grow back in their place on their own with no effort on your part. The only exception is your farm, where you have to intentionally plant seeds if you want trees after cutting them down.
[b]Negatives:[/b]
I don't personally feel like there are really all that many negatives apart from being on the edge of my seat for year 2 which will probably be a while, but of course the game is in early access so some of the balancing seems a little off/could use some tweaking on numbers. But it's pretty damn polished for early access, even on that front. As an example, I feel like you need a loooot of iron, and much less of other types of ore.
[i]Side notes if relevant, I played on the suggested difficulty level for my first playthrough, and I tend to leave my game open when multitasking so the amount of hours played is incorrect, probably closer to 50ish hours total for one thorough playthrough of what's out so far.[/i]
One final mild spoiler (for ~first season, if you're paying attention) that fully just showed me that these devs really care about their world and their story: [spoiler]Lila Wilder is a goat barmaid with an injured leg. You learn about this slowly through dialogue hints, but if you pay attention, you can see she both walks slower than other characters, and has a significant bob in her steps showing a limp. I just adore details like this. Maybe to some people it's a little thing, but to me it's how you do the little things that show how you do everything.[/spoiler]
[h3]Anyways, go buy this game and have fun!![/h3]
