Grime

About Grime

Grime is a 2.5D Metroidvania action RPG developed by Clover Bite and published by Akupara Games. It launched on August 2, 2021, across PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Series X|S, and Stadia. You play as an amorphous entity that materializes when reality collapses around you. The story takes place in a surreal landscape obsessed with anatomy where you must survive by crushing enemies with living weapons. These weapons change shape based on what you eat. The game blends platforming with deep RPG systems in an alien setting that feels like biological horror wrapped in a puzzle box. You start small and grow stronger by consuming the very creatures hunting you.

Gameplay

Sessions involve sprinting through organic levels while switching between different weapon forms to hit weak spots on enemies. You parry attacks, dash through air, and slam foes into the ground to trigger absorption animations. A black hole effect pulls debris into your vessel after a kill, granting permanent stat boosts or new abilities. The control scheme feels tight because movement speed changes depending on your current loadout. You explore interconnected maps filled with weeping caves and desert zones covered in faces. Combat requires timing since enemies can overwhelm you if you stay static. Upgrades are not linear; you choose which traits to enhance based on how you prefer to fight. This flexibility means two players might approach the same boss completely differently.

What Players Think

The PlayPile community rates this title highly with an IGDB score of 87.2 out of 100 based on 25 ratings. Players spend an average of 20 hours finishing the main campaign, though completion rates suggest many get stuck on specific bosses. The mood leans toward intense focus rather than casual relaxation. Achievement data shows 47 total unlocks with a low average unlock rate of just 23%. Only 3.20% of players have earned the rarest achievement "Touch of Otherwhere," indicating steep difficulty spikes in later chapters. Review snippets often mention the unique combat loop as the main draw, while others cite the learning curve for parrying mechanics. The price sits at a historical low of $8.50 on GameBillet, which matches the current cheapest offer.

PlayPile's Take

Grime is worth your time if you want a challenging action RPG with weird art direction and deep customization. It costs around $8.50 right now, so the entry price is low for the content provided. You will spend most of your 47 available achievements chasing that elusive 3% unlock rate or just trying to survive the later areas. This is not a game for people who want a relaxing afternoon. The difficulty curve is steep and the controls demand precision. If you can handle unforgiving mechanics and weird body horror themes, you will find plenty of replay value in how your weapon choices shape every encounter.

Storyline

Destroy... Absorb... Grow... GRIME is a fast and unforgiving Action-Adventure RPG in which you crush your foes with living weapons that mutate form and function, and then consume their remains with a black hole to strengthen your vessel as you break apart a world of anatomical horror and intrigue. An unusual material collapses in on itself, the world shudders and contracts, and suddenly you are squeezed into existence. What awaits you is a world unknown, alien in its own familiarity, and you must survive what terrors you face. Explore your surreal surroundings, absorb the many enemies you encounter, and use their own traits against them as you let yourself become far more than you once were. GRIME lets you play to your preference, upgrading only those traits you feel most suited to your unique style. You’ll find there is more than one way to break open an enemy as you move through a variety of evocative environments, meet their inhabitants, and discover the source of their madness. Uncover mysterious secrets in weeping caves and face-covered deserts. Meet otherworldly characters in distinct civilizations across an organic, interconnected world - all rendered in unearthly 3D. Face foes born of the world itself, and swallow them whole.