Grimm's Hollow

Today I’m going to do something pretty damn easy.  Easier than usual, I mean, because let’s face it, just spewing passionate opinions about very minor and unimportant details of video games is not  exactly a strenuous activity to begin with.  Today, however, it’s even more facile than ever, because I’m going to recommend something that is totally free.

Although, I suppose that in the gaming industry, even that which is free usually comes with caveats, sometimes even dangerous ones.  After all, free-to-play models are notoriously laced with predatory microtransactions, which can subtly and all too easily lead you to spend more on the “free” game than you would have a fully priced title.  So let’s have no ambiguity:

Grimm’s Hollow is a small, entirely free Indie RPG.  There’s no microtransactions or anything else; this is just a game which doesn’t cost anything.  You CAN pay something for it if you want, but you can also just have it.  You CAN pay something for the soundtrack if you want, but you can also just have that, too.  While I’m sure that the game’s creator has made a little money from voluntary donations of this nature, it’s clear that the intent of Grimm’s Hollow is to share a story with the world, not specifically to profit from that story.  Which is nice!  I’m not going to begrudge any creator the right and necessity to charge a reasonable fee for their work, of course, but I can’t deny that there’s a special pleasure in knowing that there are those in the world who, presumably having enough money already not to need a new source of income, are content to share their labors out of love and without asking for more.

Of course, just being free isn’t by itself a particularly strong cause for endorsement.  You can play Connect 4 online for free, too, but I’m not likely to type up a rant about that any time soon, save possibly for a diatribe on how badly I suck at it.  Even that which costs you nothing in dollars must still be worth its cost in time, after all.

And Grimm’s Hollow most certainly is worth your time, and then some.  Granted, that’s an easy accomplishment, in this case, for this RPG is only 2 - 3 hours long, short even by Indie standards.  But Grimm’s Hollow overshoots that bar like someone hopping a fence by using a space shuttle.  Endearing in that simple, friendly Undertale/Steven Universe way, the game gently draws you into its cute-spooky aesthetic and concept just long enough to make you properly comfortable.  And then it starts laying on a hearty helping of that sweet, sweet emotional weight and turmoil, as it deftly tells a small but weighty story of the love of family, and the way loss can tear us apart, both overtly and subtly.  It’s a moving tale, and what it accomplishes in a mere couple of hours is easily the equal or even better of what most other games manage with more than 5 times that duration.  So yeah, this one’s definitely worth the time to play, no question in my mind.

And honestly, that’s kind of all I really know to say about it.  I know that with most Indie RPGs, I launch into a description of the specific virtue that not only makes them solid titles overall, but also that makes them stand out from all others...but it’s hard to do that here, because being a cute, weighty little tale of emotional significance is the sum of what Grimm’s Hollow accomplishes, which isn’t unique, and its approach is likewise of a style I’ve seen before in titles like Rakuen and Undertale.  But that’s not a bad thing; if anything, it pleases me, because seeing well-crafted, passionate appeals to the pathos of the human condition is my jam, and there’s a very engaging, disarming quality to the simple, friendly narrative approaches of these modern RPGs that I appreciate and welcome as a new narrative standard.

Bottom line, Grimm’s Hollow is a heartfelt, sincere creative work, as Indie RPGs so happily often are.  It provides a touching story of the unconditional (and conditional) love of family, and of the damage that loss can inflict upon us, which will leave you feeling bittersweet satisfaction at its end.  And Grimm’s Hollow gives this tale to its player freely, costing not a cent and confining itself to merely the span of time that some movies occupy.  It’s a high quality story that demands nothing in return from its audience save their enjoyment, so there’s no reason in the world for me to do anything but strongly, happily recommend Grimm’s Hollow to any gamer on a budget, without much free time, or simply in the mood for something cute, innocent, and heartfelt.