Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Take your first, singular look at the greenery of Legend of Grimrock 2]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/take-your-first-singular-look-at-the-greenery-of-legend-of-grim/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/take-your-first-singular-look-at-the-greenery-of-legend-of-grim/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/take-your-first-singular-look-at-the-greenery-of-legend-of-grim/#comments Take your first, singular look at Legends of Grimrock 2Developer Almost Human released the first screenshot of Legend of Grimrock 2 this week, and it's a lot greener, less dungeon-y then expected. In announcing the follow-up to the 2012 action-RPG last month, Almost Human's Petri Häkkinen mentioned a "big engine update," and that looks to have gone into something very outdoorsy. Check out a larger 1080p sample here.

Last week, Häkkinen revealed some of the rejected ideas for Legend of Grimrock 2, namely a roguelike amalgamated with the first game's ethos, and, more pertinently, a much more exploration-based game in the outside of the Northern Realms. Grimrock's world. However, Häkkinen noted that Almost Human believes the charm of Grimrock is "compactness, tight focus and emphasis on fun core gameplay."

Based on that, it sounds like Grimrock 2 isn't going to deviate too far from the first game's style, but it looks like it may offer a bit more fresh air.

JoystiqTake your first, singular look at the greenery of Legend of Grimrock 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almost-humanlegend-of-grimrock-2pcThu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Legend of Grimrock 2 is official]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/legend-of-grimrock-2-is-official/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/legend-of-grimrock-2-is-official/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/legend-of-grimrock-2-is-official/#comments Legend of Grimrock 2 Remember the project that Legend of Grimrock developer Almost Human teased last month? It turns out that the project is indeed Legend of Grimrock 2, although that wasn't originally the plan. The developer has already created a great deal of new content, wrote Petri Häkkinen on the Almost Human blog, and it was originally intended for an expansion.

"We still have a lot of ideas we'd like to explore, lots and lots of new content already done (originally made for a DLC/expansion) and a big engine update in the works," he said, adding that approaching the next project as DLC "would have limited too much what we can do."

The announcement is light on details, though we can assume another retro-inspired dungeon crawl is in the works.

JoystiqLegend of Grimrock 2 is official originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almost-humanlegend-of-grimrock-2pcThu, 21 Feb 2013 15:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Legend of Grimrock caps off 2012 with 600K copies sold]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/18/legend-of-grimrock-caps-off-2012-with-600-000-copies-sold/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/18/legend-of-grimrock-caps-off-2012-with-600-000-copies-sold/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/18/legend-of-grimrock-caps-off-2012-with-600-000-copies-sold/#comments Legend of Grimrock, the first-person dungeon crawler with a modern twist, had a very good 2012. Developer Almost Human has revealed that Legend of Grimrock sold over 600,000 copies last year. "We would've been happy with just one tenth of the sales numbers," the developer writes on the Grimrock blog, "so needless to say we're very happy and the future of our company is secured for a long time."

Almost Human isn't resting on its laurels though, offering fans a sneak peak of what's next via two new images. They appear to be either an expansion for Legend of Grimrock or a new project in the same vein. See both images up close and personal in the gallery below.

Gallery: Legend of Grimrock (New Project Teaser)

JoystiqLegend of Grimrock caps off 2012 with 600K copies sold originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almost-humanlegend-of-grimrockmacpcFri, 18 Jan 2013 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Crawl Legend of Grimrock's dungeons for $7.49 on GoG.com]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/crawl-legend-of-grimrocks-dungeons-for-7-49-on-gog-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/crawl-legend-of-grimrocks-dungeons-for-7-49-on-gog-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/crawl-legend-of-grimrocks-dungeons-for-7-49-on-gog-com/#comments Been waiting for the perfect time to dip into the blend of old-school and modern RPG goodness that is Legend of Grimrock? The wait appears to be over, as GoG.com currently has the game on sale for a measly, paltry, insignificant $7.49. The deal is only valid until July 11, 5:59am Eastern time, so get crackin' if your life is in need of some soul-crushing, first-person dungeon crawling.

JoystiqCrawl Legend of Grimrock's dungeons for $7.49 on GoG.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Almost-Humanalmost-human-gameslegend-of-grimrockpcTue, 10 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Legend of Grimrock review: Less is more]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/legend-of-grimrock-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/legend-of-grimrock-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/legend-of-grimrock-review/#comments I think I have video game amnesia. Nowadays, I play something, watch the credits roll, and then involuntarily purge it from my memories. Admittedly, that's a bit odd, seeing as today's games are chock-full of lavish setpieces and retina-searing "water-cooler moments." Meanwhile, my childhood memories of the lo-fi Game Boy Dragon Quest games are still crystal clear. Legend of Grimrock reminded me why.

Much like those 8-bit bites of role-playing bliss, Grimrock leaves nearly everything to the imagination. Who are these four prisoners, what did they do to deserve this frequently fatal, square-by-square dungeon crawl, and why is one of them a minotaur? While there is a minimal overarching plot, I got to fill in those blanks moment-by-moment and really own my experience. With no overly chatty character nor long-winded cut-scene in sight, character motivations and interactions were mine to imagine.

In all things - plot, combat, and even the act of simply moving forward - Grimrock is refreshingly minimal, an extremely satisfying whole cobbled together from your every little "aha" puzzle-solving moment and "ahhh!" near-death experience.

Gallery: Legend of Grimrock

Continue reading Legend of Grimrock review: Less is more

JoystiqLegend of Grimrock review: Less is more originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almost-humanlegend-of-grimrockpcFri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Legend of Grimrock has already recouped development costs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/legend-of-grimrock-has-already-recouped-development-costs/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/legend-of-grimrock-has-already-recouped-development-costs/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/legend-of-grimrock-has-already-recouped-development-costs/#comments ImageThe recent independent release, Legend of Grimrock, is fast proving that first-person dungeon crawlers are far from dead. After less than a week on digital shelves, the role-playing game has already recouped its development costs "many times over," developer Almost Human Games told Gamasutra, who added that the studio now "seems pretty secure."

It's good news for Almost Human and, more importantly, bodes well for Myth of Bleakstone, our hastily assembled attempt to cash in on the upcoming resurgence of first-person dungeon crawlers.

JoystiqLegend of Grimrock has already recouped development costs originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almost-humanalmost-human-gameslegend-of-grimrockpcTue, 17 Apr 2012 01:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Indie studio Almost Human is more human than most]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/indie-studio-almost-human-is-more-human-than-most/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/indie-studio-almost-human-is-more-human-than-most/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/27/indie-studio-almost-human-is-more-human-than-most/#comments Yesterday morning, Juho Salila went to work as usual, expecting to streamline the graphics and build a few monsters for Legend of Grimrock, Almost Human's imminent dungeon crawler. He sat down, booted up his computer, and noticed the Grimrock site had crashed multiple times throughout the night due to traffic overload, and his inbox was inundated with new emails.

Hours earlier, Reddit user meandertal had posted this screencap from the Almost Human blog, highlighting a fan's question about the inclusion of on-screen arrows in Grimrock. That wasn't currently an option, programmer Petri Häkkinen said, asking the fan why he wanted to know. "I'm disabled and use a mouth stick for typing," he responded, saying he'd adapt to the existing controls and couldn't wait to play the game.

Two and a half hours later, Häkkinen posted this:

The fan was blown away -- and so were the Redditors who read meandertal's post.

"When we got our inbox open, we almost couldn't believe our eyes; it was just pouring with encouraging emails," Salila told Joystiq. "All these people writing in saying thanks and wishing us good luck, just like in the mountain of comments on Reddit.

"For us it was a rather simple thing to implement, but we couldn't imagine that it could mean so much to somebody else. It kind of gives you perspective on life itself."

Continue reading Indie studio Almost Human is more human than most

JoystiqIndie studio Almost Human is more human than most originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Almost-Humandisabilitydisabledgood-guy-indie-deviosipadiphoneJuho-SalilaLegends-of-GrimrockmacmobilepcPetri-HäkkinenredditFri, 27 Jan 2012 17:40:00 EST