Legend of Grimrock 2 might be in alpha, but don't expect an Early Access version

News
By published

It's a sad and strange state of affairs when a developer not releasing an Early Access version of their game feels like the exception rather than the norm - but here we are. Despite Legend of Grimrock 2 being in "strong alpha" - i.e. the game is playable from start to end in some form - Almost Human Games are not going to plonk this early version on Steam, and charge people to play it before it's done. You will be able to put down a pre-order at some point, however, giving the devs your money without getting anything immediate in return. Wait, what? (I imagine pre-orders will begin when the game is a little closer to being done, and there's almost no risk of development being halted by a sudden meteor or a desire for a shiny speedboat or anything like that.) Almost Human explained their reasoning to RPS , and because this opening paragraph is already lengthier than some novels, I've stashed it after the break.

Call me old-fashioned - I am riding a Penny Farthing and inhaling snuff as I type this - but I'd rather wait for a game like Grimrock to be all glossy and finished before I embark upon the long and presumably arduous journey through its grid-based fantasy world. Forgoing Steam Early Access feels like the right decision to me.

If you're wondering how Grimrock 2 differs from its predecessor, think outdoor bits, improved monster AI, a more flexible skill system and more . The game's still on track for a 2014 release.

Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.