Anyone comparing the sequel to its predecessor can see that while the gameplay is virtually identical, the developers have added more of what made the first game such a successful indie game. There are more environments, more puzzles and traps, more monsters, more classes, more treasures, more game all around. Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, but it also keeps video games engaging. There are some holdovers from the first game that feel a bit out of place. For example, the scream that characters make when they die remains the same, as do a number of other sound effects. A few of the monsters make return appearances, like the giant crabs and green slimes. I could even swear that some of the wall textures are reused from the first game. However, none of those things are really terrible or game breaking.  

Legend of Grimrock 2 offers a really fantastic amount of customization. There is even an option to skip character customization altogether if it isn’t your thing. There are tons of unique classes that players can choose from when beginning their adventure, like the farmer class, which levels by eating food instead of fighting monsters. Each character can choose one class, two unique traits, and assign two skill points during character creation. After the game has begun, players can’t go back and switch their class or character perks. However, each character gains a skill point with every level and those points can be used to specialize characters into unique niches depending on the needs of the party. While I enjoyed playing around with different mixtures for my party, I found that having two high health, high defense characters in the frontline and two ranged damage dealers in the back row worked best. I eventually settled on minotaur barbarian, a dual-wielding lizardman knight, a human battle mage, and a ratling alchemist proficient with firearms. I think that last part bears repeating: I created a humanoid rat man that makes bombs and shoots guns.

Beyond character creation, players can make Legend of Grimrock 2 more difficult by enabling a number of optional restraints. Old-School Mode eliminates auto-mapping and forces players to either hone their memory or grab graph paper and a pencil to make their own maps. Ironman Mode restricts saving to the healing crystals scattered throughout the world. Single-Use Crystals permanently deactivates healing crystals after they’ve healed your party. I found most of these modes to be cripplingly difficult, with the exception of Ironman Mode. Beware if you’re the masochistic type and unfamiliar with this style of game; don’t ruin the experience for yourself.