Legend of Grimrock 2

A forum for discussing the modern clone "Legend of Grimrock", by Almost Human.

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Gambit37
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Re: Legend of Grimrock 2

Post by Gambit37 »

I've not found a rocket launcher, but I do have a pistol and musket of some sort. They don't seem to do much damage though.
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Kenshiro
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Re: Legend of Grimrock 2

Post by Kenshiro »

isamuu wrote:Is it true you can now use guns and rocket launchers in the game?
There are old-style firearms, yes. Flintlock pistols and the like.
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Gambit37
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Re: Legend of Grimrock 2

Post by Gambit37 »

So did anyone finish LoG2? I confess I didn't, and likely won't. I'm near the end, but can't be arsed to finish it now.

On the plus side, it's very pretty, has some nice innovations and has much better presentation than LoG1. Spells are easier to cast, the multiple height buildings work well and being able to go underwater is fun. The massive selection of new creatures were great also, and presented some real challenges.

The downsides included too much backtracking, too much emphasis on mechanics over gameplay (or story) and to be honest it was over-long. It might suit the younger gamer with lots of time on their hands, but these days I prefer shorter more focused games and I think games like LoG2 are no longer where I want to invest my limited game time.

I did tinker with the editor and while it's great for straightforward dungeons, it requires much too complex a skill set for getting custom content into it (the full complement of 3D modelling, animation and texturing is required to build new unique stuff). I no longer have that sort of "disposable" time to invest in such things, so it looks like LoG editing will remain a path untravelled for me.

I think the dev team should consider a non-grid game for their next outing; they are talented designers, modellers, animators and developers, but are hamstrung somewhat by choosing to stay with a grid-based engine. There's only so much you can do with that sort of engine and when you start pushing it to the limit, some of the silly contrivances of tile-based gameplay (and questionable design decisions - ladder handling for example) begin to really show through the cracks of misty-eyed nostalgia.

I think this sequel proves why games were keen to leave grid-based gameplay behind in the 80s: tile-based gaming becomes unconvincing when you leave the confines of an underground dungeon and you can very easily see why it was rapidly left behind in favour of free movement in a 3D space. In particular, outside spaces simply do not work effectively and feel artificially restrictive when set in a grid, something that seems much less apparent in a dark dungeon. I'm pretty sure game designers 20+ years ago realised this and it explains why FPSs were embraced with open arms. LoG1 and 2 are great examples of nostalgic gameplay, but I really hope LoG3 doesn't stay there and will make its own progress, either into FPS or maybe something else entirely...?
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Kenshiro
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Re: Legend of Grimrock 2

Post by Kenshiro »

I finished it. There's an extra boss if you want to continue after getting the ending, provided you found
Spoiler
the fifth orb.
I loved the game immensely, I liked it even more than the first. I felt like the combat was improved because of the ways enemies would also try to kite you and hesitate to step into your attack range at times, it felt a lot more tactical and reflex-based than the first game where you could endlessly dance around killing everything. Some of the puzzles were a little to abstract but it felt like you really had to think so this small complaint is probably for the sake of some other players, because I personally didn't mind it.

I played it alongside a friend of mine who had never played a grid-based dungeon crawler before, not even the first Legend of Grimrock. We took things in different orders, CONSTANTLY found secrets the other didn't, and pretty much both clocked a little over 30 hours in our playthrough. It was really fun playing through the game like that, chatting on Steam when our playtimes lined up. It almost felt like when I was a kid in the 90's again, because neither of us checked the forums for hints (okay, except for that one time in the graveyard) so anything we learned was from each other getting excited over cool item finds and secret rooms the other missed. We played at pretty much the same pace, I only finished the game a day before him because he had to work.

I want to see more from the studio, but I feel like the grid-based system works just fine and it's one of the quirks that makes old school dungeon crawlers so endearing to me, whether or not this system was a product of limitation at the time. That being said, I'd be excited to see what they can do outside the confines of this system.
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Erik Bauer
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Re: Legend of Grimrock 2

Post by Erik Bauer »

I'm through it right now, exploring the Ruins. I'm immensely enjoying it, I think it's a very big step forward from the first Grimrock and it's giving me the same joy and excitement that I felt playng through Dungeon Master for the first times when I was a teenager.
At first I was doubtful, because I feard it would have been a misstep, just like DM2 was, due to the fact both share outside environments, fortunately it was not the case.
I think LOG2 is one of the best games I've played in the last years.
Don't let a closed door stop you
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