Griefhelm Review
A worthy knight
It never stops surprising me how far a single person’s passion can take them in gaming. We all know that indie games often have humble beginnings, but few stand out more than those created by one single developer. From Axiom Verge to Iconoclasts, we’ve seen incredible games cultivated by lone programmers and Griefhelm is next among them. Developed by Johnny Dale Lonack, he describes it as a cross between Nidhogg and Mount & Blade. Taking that 2D fighting approach into a medieval setting, it absolutely nails the landing.
Griefhelm’s story is admittedly rather vague, only shown across brief campaign segments from our chivalrous knight’s perspective as he fights his way across this strange world, cursing his foes and seeking to be found worthy. In the eyes of whom, we don’t know, but there’s a mystery which slowly unravels as you proceed. Encountering numerous enemy factions, our knight travels from cold mountain peaks to dingy crypts in his quest, an experience backed by some lovely visuals and a suitably moody soundtrack.
Oh, you died, shame…
The campaign employs several roguelike elements, providing a new map on each playthrough should you die with different nodes to visit. Rather than permadeath from one kill, Griefhelm utilises a lives-based system, and once they’re gone, your campaign restarts. Every run has branching options across the map with different foes and rewards, letting you weigh up the better route. Winning battles obtains new lives, weapons, armour and single-use perks, the latter giving bonuses like extra health, so that’s worth reviewing.
Within this campaign, you have three main types of battles to keep life varied, and each can be played individually from the Encounters mode. First up is Horde, fending off several enemy waves until they’re all defeated. Second is Tug of War, where players must reach the opposite end of the map before defeating a final enemy. Finally, there’s Skirmish, bringing us your typical “last man standing” affair and that can be done in teams, occupied by an AI assistant when playing alone.
Online multiplayer wasn’t accessible during this review, but Griefhelm allows for up to four players in a game, including local play. The campaign is better suited to solo, considering its focus on one knight’s journey, but individual Encounters work better with friends, letting you represent several factions and adjust rules to better suit your group. Tournament options are also available for Tug of War and Team Skirmish modes, quickly becoming quite competitive and highly entertaining.
Point the stabby end at them
Armed with a sword and basic armour, combat is simple to learn but surprisingly punishing. You can ready your sword stance at three different levels: high, medium or low. Swing from these positions to land hits and, dependent on their armour, enemies can fall in a single stab or take numerous swipes. Just remember that your knight is similarly vulnerable and defensive manoeuvres are key to survival. This is best done through parrying attacks, matching your opponent’s weapon stance to block their swings.
It’s an uphill battle to start with and, as fair warning now, be prepared to die a lot initially. With enough practice, you can learn enemy movements but don’t be afraid to push back if necessary. Nothing good comes from charging an enemy if they kill you with a single swing. Once you figure out combat, slicing through enemy hordes with precision becomes undeniably satisfying and thoroughly engaging. This is difficult at first but ends up feeling rather balanced, never becoming a pushover, and I found myself wanting to play more.
There’s a lot to love when it comes to Griefhelm and whilst that initial difficulty will be off-putting to some, I recommend you persevere. Whilst combat doesn’t hold a huge amount of depth, the variety in gameplay modes was appreciated and it features some challenging 2D combat, nice aesthetics and enjoyable multiplayer. The inability to save campaign progress is frustrating, but overall, the game took me by surprise, and I very much recommend it.
[Reviewed on PC]