Grotto

Release Date: October 26, 2021

Adventure, FPP, fantasy, indie games, experimental/artistic, singleplayer

7.2

OpenCritic

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Grotto is an unusual adventure game, in which we play the role of a fortune-teller who advises fellow tribesmen and predicts the future from the constellation of stars and dice. The game allows you to shape the fate of individuals and influence the life of the whole community.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Grotto is an original adventure game, allowing you to take on the role of a fortune-teller, whose predictions shape the fate of both individuals and the entire community. The game was developed by an independent studio Brainwash Gang, known for Nongunz.

What's interesting, the project was originally created as a management simulator, requiring the player to manage resources and plan the development of the settlement. With time, however, one of its mechanics, associated with the stars and constellations, became the main theme on which they decided to build the entire gameplay.

Plot

Grotto takes us on a journey to a fantastic world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. The main character of the game is a fortune-teller, who lives in the cave. Every day he is visited by members of the tribe, who ask him for advice on how to cope with their problems or ask about their future. Their fate is in our hands, shaped by our divination and what the stars and dice show us (or rather, what we want to see in them).

Mechanics

In Grotto we observe the action from a first person perspective (FPP). The game takes place entirely in a cave where the main character lives. When a member of our tribe visits us, we have to listen to him and then look at the stars, whose light falls into the cave through a hole in its vault. By drawing lines through the luminous points in the sky, we draw specific constellations. At the same time we have to keep in mind that each constellation has a different meaning, and the figures we see in the sky will influence the fate of a particular person, and sometimes the whole community. The same applies to the throw of the dice on a special board, which allows us to contact the dead or similarly predict the future.

Technical aspects

The graphic design of Grotto combines 2D and 3D elements. The whole was kept in a dark style bringing to mind Darkest Dungeon series.

Videos and Screens

[1:00] Grotto trailer #1

7.2

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 51% of Critics. There are 6 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Screen Rant: 3.5 / 5 by Jacob Zeranko

Despite that, it would be wrong to say that Grotto doesn't succeed in telling a fantastic story and representing its core theme through its gameplay, frustrating as it may be. For anyone that has yet to play this game but is interested in its philosophy and ideas, definitely give it a shot because even though the gameplay didn't resonate in this review, it did for a great number of players and is a risk worth taking.

Full Review

Softpedia: 8.5 / 10 by Cosmin Vasile

Grotto is an interesting experience that might lose many of its players around halfway through the first play-through. The idea of telling a small number of characters what to do, from the small to the big questions, is an intriguing one. The universe that the developers create is intriguing. I like the way the game moves towards a deeper plot and begins to show the player something deeper than the first few interactions.

Full Review

GameGrin: 7 / 10 by Mike Crewe

A unique narrative adventure, Grotto is visually striking and full of magical charm, but a lack of definitive choices may put some players off this intriguing tale.

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