The Grinder

The Grinder, developed by High Voltage Software, is a dark FPP shooter, which focuses on online fights. The game takes a lot of inspiration from Left 4 Dead by Valve. High Voltage Software is known for two games on Nintendo Wii - The Conduit and Gladiator A.D.

The Grinder is set in an alternative world, where people constantly fight for life with various kinds of monsters - vampires, werewolves and the undead. The reason for these fights is, of course, the desire to increase the occupied territory. In The Grinder, we try to eliminate all the hellish creatures.

We play as one of the four members of the biologically modified A-Team (Hector, Doc, AJ and Miko), which deals with the extermination of monsters. Missions are commissioned by Book who hides a secret. The story was kept in an atmosphere of horror, although there were also some humorous elements. The game has been divided into several dozen demanding levels, the dominant feature of which is the non-linearity (several paths leading to the "finish").

Each of the heroes has several distinctive features. They can use different skills (e.g. speed) and different types of weapons (the Japanese killer Miko has access to a deadly katana, among other things). As we progress through the game, we improve weapon and character statistics. The Grinder includes a very simplified development system, modelled on the solutions known from cRPGs. The game offers various types of weapons - both traditional (pistols, SMG, rifles), as well as those a bit more futuristic.

One of the most important elements of the High Voltage Software game is the online mode for four people. It offers not only standard deathmatch fights but also co-operation. As part of the campaign, we can complete both the campaign prepared for a single player, as well as a number of additional missions. The online mode is designed in such a way that it shouldn't cause problems to the players.

The Grinder graphic design was created on the basis of the improved Quantum3 engine (it also works on The Conduit and Gladiator A.D.). The authors claim that the engine is capable of handling up to 65 models of opponents at the same time.

Last updated on 10 February 2010