It's very much spoiler alert so I put it all in this giant spoiler tag.
SpoilerShow
SETTING OUT
For my party setup I decide to go for two fighters in the front to form a good brick wall. Aemund (human, Armor and Axes) and Faror (lizardman, Armor and Swords). On my back row I have Mayesan the female minotaur rogue (assassination and daggers) and Yeca, a phallic-looking insectoid mage (Earth Magic and Spellcraft). Why Earth Magic? People bad-mouthed it a lot so I figured I'd try it out for once, despite really being more of a fire guy.
LEVEL 1
A note in level one says something like "Gladly these things are almost blind" which is an odd sentence.
It was perhaps a little cryptic to know you had to place 4 food items on the table, but I guessed maybe it was a certain amount and kept stacking more until it opened. Fights are easy, but setup so squaredancing isn't as easy as in the official dungeon. I was a bit apprehensive at trying Normal or Hard due to the warning in the dungeon description, so I went with Easy. But then, this is just the beginning.
Thoroughly impressed by the tileset. It looks very professional. Atmospheric sounds are well picked for setting an eerie atmosphere within the mine. Took me a while to realise the "mine cart entrance" was even a puzzle. But once I did I thought it was pretty cool. Pitfall puzzle had me stumped for a bit, but then I figured it out. Margin for error on
crossing those trapdoors nearly non-existant, so actually executing it wasn't easy. I think you could cut the player some slack here.
I was a bit taken aback at first with how quickly your characters advance. But since the dungeon is much smaller than the official one, it does make sense. So after contemplating it a little I find I'm very much OK with that. Aemund also appreciated the new axe type weapon he got his hands on as it helped him excavate the monsters.
LEVEL 2
Early on I ran around for a very long time not being able to progress. Dropping down to level 3 revealed two pressure plates and two hidden buttons, most of which had seemingly no use. In frustration, I quit for the day.
It turned out there were two pressure plates across the chasms on level 2 where you need to throw items on to open a gate. Trouble was these plates were nigh invisible in the darkness. It was only when I randomly threw something across in desperation I noticed them. When the note I threw hit the pressure plate, I saw it moving.
Unfortunately, all the running around level 2 and 3, searching for a way to progress left my food supplies dangerously low.I think I was also down to exactly 0 cave nettles after fighting off the spiders, making the fights somewhat scary - the last thing I wanted here was to waste time moving back to a crystal as food supplies were running low. The fights themselves are easy in a sense, but their lingering effects cause pain.
One thing I really liked this level was the big chasm. Pretty cool in the way that it's different from just a regular pit in appearance. It was also prety cool looking up from below. Although the edges when looking up do look too uniform. I wonder if it would be possible to have some variation here.
I believe Faror was pleased to get his scaly hands on a gladius here.
LEVEL 3
Pretty much out of food at this point as I experience my first party with starving characters. I'm finding I prioritize what little food I find to the party members I deem most critical. Even basic inventory management has become a luxury at this point. The ogre fight had an interesting setup, but taking him down took quite a while with only a fighter and the mage not starving. The warning for defeating the ogre was great as it prevented you from getting slaughtered unfairly. Still a scary sequence with the big guy breathing down your neck.
I get stuck at the clock puzzle. Looking up the solution I know I would never have figured it out by myself, although through trial and error I might. I think it has too many uncertainties to it. Do you have to cast shadow on the time? Or do you mark the time with the torch? Do you have to fill the holders with torches or move a single torch from one to the next? Which of the holders represent which time? I read later that there supposedly are markers on the ground. I never noticed those, however.
Leap of Faith puzzle was pretty obvious, but maybe it was meant to be. I think puzzles like this and the sun dial one demonstrate how difficult it is to make puzzles. When you know the solution, any puzzle can seem easy. My own dungeon, now spanning 12 levels, has lots of puzzles. I'd be very surprised if lots of people don't find many of those too easy or too hard.
I noticed there was no secret triggering when you enter the iron door. Not sure if that's the case with the other iron doors - I might not have been paying attention with the others.
Finding lots of tomes throughout the dungeon so far. Looks like I'll get to develop my characters fully despite the dungeon's length. Nice to see stuff from the Tome Library being used, too.
LEVEL 4
Yeca's starving, but he's the least useful party member so far. Perhaps his punishment for choosing Earth? He got so scared when he spotted his first molten slime thingy he forgot his hunger anyway. Very nice skin on those (aesthetically speaking). Digging the volcanic vibes. Starting to check the corners for Cyberdemons.
Disco puzzle was easy to understand, but took a while to map out on graph paper. I then just followed my map and came upon a secret Aemund in particular liked along the way. The actual path could have been shorter, as it got a bit tedious.
Got 2 pieces of food at this point. Mayesan is carrying it so Yeca doesn't try anything. Aemund gets stung by a giant mosquito bursting out of a hive. He doesn't like it. Mayesan collects her third skull. Fighting these bugs in the mines reminds me of some other game. Lands of Lore perhaps? That comparison can only be a good thing. I find Energy Potions gives Yeca some options despite starvation.
Faror recently began focusing on athletics for the reduced food consumption. Normally when your muscle mass increases, you need to eat more to maintain it. Not so in Grimrock! Anyway, found some food soon after, and suddenly nobody was starving anymore. Quite a switch!
Four times four and I will open this door? I almost immediately thought about weight, probably because I've been thinking of a weight-based puzzle myself. Fortunately I had plenty of rocks and other junk in my inventory. Found a strange circle in a wall where I could put in a gem. It wasn't immediately obvious if it did anything, so I removed it. A little later I found a secret without realising it. Mayeson believed they were connected, but Faror didn't. Also found a skill book behind the iron door, so now both Aemund and Faror have reduced food consumption.
LEVEL 5
Organ puzzle was very cool. Wasn't sure if I really wanted to open that mouth, though. Turns out the mines' climax came after. I didn't have any problems figuring out what to do, but during the execution of it, Mayeson unfortunately got done in. The battle wasn't as epic as the fight against the cube in the official dungeon, but it was a lot more fair. I didn't find the constant savescumming I needed to do against the one-shotting cube very satisfying. All in all a great climax. My guys were around levels 8-9 by the end.
I thought the outro was especially impressive!
GENERAL COMMENTS
One thing that annoyed me throughout the dungeon were the secret buttons. Normally when I press a switch I move about the area, listening for doors opening. If I don't locate it, I go back and toggle the switch then move out again. Switches seemed to only work once, so that made hunting for secrets confusing.
Monster difficulty and item progression felt very natural. I also liked you put an iron door on each level, like in the official dungeon. Hiding ornate keys I thought was a good way of doing them, too.
Overall I very much enjoyed exploring the mines. The tileset is very impressive and there were some cool puzzles as well. Gameplay also felt varied. It wasn't just monsterbashing all the time, but a good mix of puzzles and fighting. It was also cool to see some really unique stuff like the gas venting and the ballista. I also had a bit of surplus food by
the end.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more mods and assets from you!
FINAL PLAY STATISTICS
Play time: 3:45:25
Monsters Killed: 145
Items Found: 325
Secrets Found: 9/15
Treasures Found: 0/0
Toorum's Notes Found: 0/0
Skulls found: 3
Iron Doors Opened: 0/0 (dafuq? I opened lots)
Tiles Moved: 7977
Times Fallen Into Pits: 13 (savescumming at the pit puzzle in the beginning helped keep this way down)
Melee Attacks Performed: 1535
Ranged Attacks Performed: 58
Unarmed Attacks Performed: 2 (Mayzen helped out a bit early on)
Spells cast: 118
Potions Mixed: 23
For my party setup I decide to go for two fighters in the front to form a good brick wall. Aemund (human, Armor and Axes) and Faror (lizardman, Armor and Swords). On my back row I have Mayesan the female minotaur rogue (assassination and daggers) and Yeca, a phallic-looking insectoid mage (Earth Magic and Spellcraft). Why Earth Magic? People bad-mouthed it a lot so I figured I'd try it out for once, despite really being more of a fire guy.
LEVEL 1
A note in level one says something like "Gladly these things are almost blind" which is an odd sentence.
It was perhaps a little cryptic to know you had to place 4 food items on the table, but I guessed maybe it was a certain amount and kept stacking more until it opened. Fights are easy, but setup so squaredancing isn't as easy as in the official dungeon. I was a bit apprehensive at trying Normal or Hard due to the warning in the dungeon description, so I went with Easy. But then, this is just the beginning.
Thoroughly impressed by the tileset. It looks very professional. Atmospheric sounds are well picked for setting an eerie atmosphere within the mine. Took me a while to realise the "mine cart entrance" was even a puzzle. But once I did I thought it was pretty cool. Pitfall puzzle had me stumped for a bit, but then I figured it out. Margin for error on
crossing those trapdoors nearly non-existant, so actually executing it wasn't easy. I think you could cut the player some slack here.
I was a bit taken aback at first with how quickly your characters advance. But since the dungeon is much smaller than the official one, it does make sense. So after contemplating it a little I find I'm very much OK with that. Aemund also appreciated the new axe type weapon he got his hands on as it helped him excavate the monsters.
LEVEL 2
Early on I ran around for a very long time not being able to progress. Dropping down to level 3 revealed two pressure plates and two hidden buttons, most of which had seemingly no use. In frustration, I quit for the day.
It turned out there were two pressure plates across the chasms on level 2 where you need to throw items on to open a gate. Trouble was these plates were nigh invisible in the darkness. It was only when I randomly threw something across in desperation I noticed them. When the note I threw hit the pressure plate, I saw it moving.
Unfortunately, all the running around level 2 and 3, searching for a way to progress left my food supplies dangerously low.I think I was also down to exactly 0 cave nettles after fighting off the spiders, making the fights somewhat scary - the last thing I wanted here was to waste time moving back to a crystal as food supplies were running low. The fights themselves are easy in a sense, but their lingering effects cause pain.
One thing I really liked this level was the big chasm. Pretty cool in the way that it's different from just a regular pit in appearance. It was also prety cool looking up from below. Although the edges when looking up do look too uniform. I wonder if it would be possible to have some variation here.
I believe Faror was pleased to get his scaly hands on a gladius here.
LEVEL 3
Pretty much out of food at this point as I experience my first party with starving characters. I'm finding I prioritize what little food I find to the party members I deem most critical. Even basic inventory management has become a luxury at this point. The ogre fight had an interesting setup, but taking him down took quite a while with only a fighter and the mage not starving. The warning for defeating the ogre was great as it prevented you from getting slaughtered unfairly. Still a scary sequence with the big guy breathing down your neck.
I get stuck at the clock puzzle. Looking up the solution I know I would never have figured it out by myself, although through trial and error I might. I think it has too many uncertainties to it. Do you have to cast shadow on the time? Or do you mark the time with the torch? Do you have to fill the holders with torches or move a single torch from one to the next? Which of the holders represent which time? I read later that there supposedly are markers on the ground. I never noticed those, however.
Leap of Faith puzzle was pretty obvious, but maybe it was meant to be. I think puzzles like this and the sun dial one demonstrate how difficult it is to make puzzles. When you know the solution, any puzzle can seem easy. My own dungeon, now spanning 12 levels, has lots of puzzles. I'd be very surprised if lots of people don't find many of those too easy or too hard.
I noticed there was no secret triggering when you enter the iron door. Not sure if that's the case with the other iron doors - I might not have been paying attention with the others.
Finding lots of tomes throughout the dungeon so far. Looks like I'll get to develop my characters fully despite the dungeon's length. Nice to see stuff from the Tome Library being used, too.
LEVEL 4
Yeca's starving, but he's the least useful party member so far. Perhaps his punishment for choosing Earth? He got so scared when he spotted his first molten slime thingy he forgot his hunger anyway. Very nice skin on those (aesthetically speaking). Digging the volcanic vibes. Starting to check the corners for Cyberdemons.
Disco puzzle was easy to understand, but took a while to map out on graph paper. I then just followed my map and came upon a secret Aemund in particular liked along the way. The actual path could have been shorter, as it got a bit tedious.
Got 2 pieces of food at this point. Mayesan is carrying it so Yeca doesn't try anything. Aemund gets stung by a giant mosquito bursting out of a hive. He doesn't like it. Mayesan collects her third skull. Fighting these bugs in the mines reminds me of some other game. Lands of Lore perhaps? That comparison can only be a good thing. I find Energy Potions gives Yeca some options despite starvation.
Faror recently began focusing on athletics for the reduced food consumption. Normally when your muscle mass increases, you need to eat more to maintain it. Not so in Grimrock! Anyway, found some food soon after, and suddenly nobody was starving anymore. Quite a switch!
Four times four and I will open this door? I almost immediately thought about weight, probably because I've been thinking of a weight-based puzzle myself. Fortunately I had plenty of rocks and other junk in my inventory. Found a strange circle in a wall where I could put in a gem. It wasn't immediately obvious if it did anything, so I removed it. A little later I found a secret without realising it. Mayeson believed they were connected, but Faror didn't. Also found a skill book behind the iron door, so now both Aemund and Faror have reduced food consumption.
LEVEL 5
Organ puzzle was very cool. Wasn't sure if I really wanted to open that mouth, though. Turns out the mines' climax came after. I didn't have any problems figuring out what to do, but during the execution of it, Mayeson unfortunately got done in. The battle wasn't as epic as the fight against the cube in the official dungeon, but it was a lot more fair. I didn't find the constant savescumming I needed to do against the one-shotting cube very satisfying. All in all a great climax. My guys were around levels 8-9 by the end.
I thought the outro was especially impressive!
GENERAL COMMENTS
One thing that annoyed me throughout the dungeon were the secret buttons. Normally when I press a switch I move about the area, listening for doors opening. If I don't locate it, I go back and toggle the switch then move out again. Switches seemed to only work once, so that made hunting for secrets confusing.
Monster difficulty and item progression felt very natural. I also liked you put an iron door on each level, like in the official dungeon. Hiding ornate keys I thought was a good way of doing them, too.
Overall I very much enjoyed exploring the mines. The tileset is very impressive and there were some cool puzzles as well. Gameplay also felt varied. It wasn't just monsterbashing all the time, but a good mix of puzzles and fighting. It was also cool to see some really unique stuff like the gas venting and the ballista. I also had a bit of surplus food by
the end.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more mods and assets from you!
FINAL PLAY STATISTICS
Play time: 3:45:25
Monsters Killed: 145
Items Found: 325
Secrets Found: 9/15
Treasures Found: 0/0
Toorum's Notes Found: 0/0
Skulls found: 3
Iron Doors Opened: 0/0 (dafuq? I opened lots)
Tiles Moved: 7977
Times Fallen Into Pits: 13 (savescumming at the pit puzzle in the beginning helped keep this way down)
Melee Attacks Performed: 1535
Ranged Attacks Performed: 58
Unarmed Attacks Performed: 2 (Mayzen helped out a bit early on)
Spells cast: 118
Potions Mixed: 23
and I'm still able to die in the poisonous room! (of course at lvl 30 uggardians and slimes aren't an issue anymore, but poison resistance is still low, go figure).