GB Feature: Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar Review

Having followed the development of Cleveland Mark Blakemore’s Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar for more years that we care to admit to, it wouldn’t be right for us to simply move on after the CRPG’s final release and its recent (and substantial) V2 update. As fate would have it, it didn’t take us more than two decades to pen a full review, as you can read the three-page critique today. A sampling:

At its core, Grimoire is a grid and turn-based first-person dungeon crawler inspired by such games like Wizardry, Might and Magic, and Eye of the Beholder. Your party of up to eight adventurers explores the game’s world one square at a time, delves into trap and puzzle-filled dungeons, fights all sorts of deadly beasts and nefarious evildoers, pockets countless ancient artifacts, rides on turtles, and saves the world.

All this takes place in Hyperborea, a mythical land situated at the center of the cosmos. Placing his game at the center of creation, allowed Cleve to easily combine the tried and true fantasy tropes like dwarves, wizards and fairies, with a good deal of out there elements like flying interdimensional babies, alien bounty hunters, and ancient mythologies.

With a setting like this, it makes perfect sense that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. You will often encounter humorous events, the game’s narrator will amuse you with witty observations, and you’ll even stumble onto occasional literary references.