GRIME, a new video game released by Israeli game studio Clover Bite, has finally hit digital distribution services worldwide, and the reviews have so far been positive.
Released on August 2, the game is a 2D Metroidvania, a subgenere focused on exploring, puzzles and multiple weapons. Pioneered by popular franchises Metroid and Castlevania, the subgenre is one of the most popular in gaming, particularly among indie games meant for the PC market like GRIME.
The game takes place in a surreal cavernous world, with the player controlling a humanoid statue dubbed by multiple in-game characters as the "chiseled one.""An unusual material collapses in on itself, the world shudders and contracts, and suddenly you are squeezed into existence," the game's description reads.
"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."
Overall, it bears its influences on its sleeve, taking keys from Metroidvania titles as well as RPG and stamina mechanics reminiscent of the popular Dark Souls franchise.But GRIME also utilizes an absorption mechanic mentioned in its description that, while reminiscent of the classic Kirby games, seems fairly unique in its own right.
The game has so far been a success with critics, getting great reviews from PC Gamer and Israeli gaming outlet VGames.
"We knew that after releasing the game it won't really spell the end of our work on it. We will be expected to keep supporting the game, improving and polishing in acknowledgment of player feedback," said the game's director and producer, Yarden Weissbrot.
The game was made through funding from Haifa’s Tiltan School of Design and Visual Communication, and its developers, who see making the game as a dream come true, hope it can lead to bigger and better things for Israel's gaming industry.
“If GRIME ends up being successful, along with other promising indie games developed in Israel... we hope that it could develop a foundation for something like that,” Clover Bite studio director Yarden Weissbrodt told The Tel Aviv Review of Books. “Something Israeli gamers could be proud of and for new talented developers to aspire to.”
GRIME is available on digital distribution platforms Steam, GOG and Epic Games and is currently on sale for 10% off, at just NIS 73.80.