‘GRIME’ Presenting Bizarre Aesthetic On August 2

GRIME was first revealed with an enigmatic intro during Guerrilla Collective Day 2, and it is now confirmed to be released on August 2 and available on PC (via Epic Games Store, Steam, GOG and Humble) and Stadia.

GRIME is a 2D Action-Adventure RPG set in a world of grotesque horror and sensual aesthetics. In the game, you play a stony body with a black-hole head, traversing across unearthly civilizations in which alien-like creatures maliciously hover.

For the artistic choice, the developer Clover Bite revealed to Destructoid that he was targeting “something religiously inspired after falling in love with Peter Mohrbacher’s Angelarium and Wayne Barlowe’s Hell art and books.” Although the design is meant to be unsettling, Bite guaranteed that the bizarre flow would remain consistent and convincing throughout the game. “It should be something that would make sense to have organically been born from the logic of the world, rather than something that could end up feeling forced for the sake of a reaction.”

You’ll face those menaces with a range of mechanics. Besides basic attacks, you can perform aerobatic skills, smashing those creatures up into the air and crushing them down. There’s also a parrying system to actively defend. Moreover, you are equipped with a unique, ever-evolving arsenal. By absorbing your foes’ remains, your living weapons inherent their distinctive powers and unlock new “traits.” These traits “can range from being able to absorb enemies from a distance, or have your dashes leave an echo that damages enemies,” Bite acknowledged. “[They can] even change your basic heal from a quickly triggered regeneration, to a powerful charged burst.”

For the boss fights, aim to tear them apart to consume their pieces; their remains give you “game-changing” abilities. There’s also a skill tree for you to arrange your abilities. By experimenting with different combinations through your skill tree, you can explore your own gameplay styles and find out one that provides you with the best gaming experience.

Bite was rather frank in regards to the game’s difficulty, saying that “GRIME is definitely more challenging than most games,” especially the bosses near the end of the game. The best way to surmount this game would be the additional powers from leveling and consuming challenging prey.

The game would be unlocked after four weeks. You can add it to your wishlist for notifications of GRIME’s official release on August 2.