This game was not built with the intention of being “Like” this game or “That genre”. We did not look at the genre first and try to build an off shoot of an already existing game in that space. It was only about 8 months into Grym’s development before I even decided to look up the hard definitions of rogue-likes and rogue-lites. Upon reading them we said to ourselves “well I guess it IS a rogue-lite then” based on several foundational design pillars and mechanics. But it is quite different in it’s own way. It does not feel like other rogue-lites or soulslike games because it never tried to be from the start. The majority of the world is procedurally served to the player, just not in small little dungeon rooms. There is heavy costs and slide back on death, but not complete erasure. There are aRPG like stats and progression similar to what you would find in a souls game, but the overall tone and difficulty is softened to a more enjoyable degree. We do not aim to take all the fun and challenge out of the game however. There will still be boss fights that will have you on the edge of your seat, but that wont be the case for all of them.
It is an interesting needle to thread. The aim for originality between creating something knowable and familiar with established interests and formats. I do not want the game world or design to be boxed in completely by the expectations of other games. It’s better to see it for yourself an decide what YOU think Grym: Knights in the Garden is. Maybe some of these points will help:
It has a centralized hub, the “Central Church” which you start from and is safe from monsters. You can bank some of your items here, and engage with the ranking members for questing and conversation. There are multiple areas to unlock in the church as you rise up the ranks as well.
There is a starting town, with multiple vendors and crafting stations which you can use when you gain favor with the towns folk. Eventually we would like to add functionality for reserved player owned house space and plenty of cosmetics and upgrades within those houses. We would also like to add a stable/holding areas for pets. We would like to make it so that town is not always in top shape, but must be bolstered through the players resource and material efforts.
The wilderness around the hub is served randomly each new day. It is full with collectible wild resources, and several animals to hunt or avoid (not all of them are passive). The player must acquire and unlock recipes as they go, from various sources. There is a wide variety of items to craft, from weapons and armor, to specific potions and meals.
The players must keep their wits about them at night, as demons potentially lurk around any tree. They can gain favor and rewards for clearing out these beasts, but not every fight will be a sure thing. The further you push into corrupted demonic lands, the greater your foes and challenges will be.
Lastly but not least by any stretch, the shrines must be visited and paid with valuable shards to unlock sacred abilities. This is the way of the Pilgrimage, and this circuit is integral to completing the main quest lines.
Besides all that, we aim not to take everything too seriously and still throw in plenty of quirky charm. There will be plenty of curious and comical content and story telling to balance the scales.
Until next time
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