Apply the minutiae of your daily tasks to the mechanics of Grindstone, and you’ve got a recipe for a satisfying lifestyle as far as we’re concerned. This methodical puzzle game has a delightful focus on the excitement of building momentum and a beautifully balanced sense of risk and reward. It’s also about killing monsters, which is an element that mostly does not directly translate to your real life, but they could be a metaphor, if you like.
Basically, you’ll be presented with an all-too-familiar grid of colourful monsters called "creeps", and must trace a path through similar-toned beasties in order to build up a combo and move around the screen. You can go in the cardinal directions as well as diagonally and it's often possible to trace much longer paths of monsters than it initially appears, thanks to elements such as the introduction of larger, stronger creatures as well as other modifiers such as path-blocking boulders.
The effortlessness of building chains and the way the game flows mean that even as an essentially turn-based title, the action constantly feels dynamic, punchy and exciting. Strong art and animation contribute to this, but while it's well-drawn and a good fit, we couldn't help but find its character designs a touch familiar – a very en vogue sort of cartoon style, like you'd see on Cartoon Network. We're not wild about some of the music, either – one track called to mind the appalling PS2 title Crash of the Titans, which is never fun to be reminded of. Still, it all works, it's contemporary and it's never anything other than perfectly clear what you're doing.
Ending a turn next to a monster in a... let's say irate mindset will see you taking damage, and as each level goes on you'll find more and more creeps taking (frankly, understandable) umbrage to your slaughter of their kin. As the screens get increasingly dangerous, you're incentivised to stick around and take out more and more monsters in order to acquire special items, such as keys to open chests or crowns worn by powerful, kingly opponents. It's a smart application of risk and reward, as once you've achieved each level's completion goal – defeating a certain number or certain type of enemy, for example – the most expedient move is simply to leave via the now-open exit. But that won't net you those bonuses, which you'll be using between stages to produce items from blueprints, craft useful bonuses and refill your waning health, which doesn't restore automatically.
As you can likely tell, then, there's much more going on here than it will appear at first. Never wavering from its appealing simplicity, Grindstone's introduction of new elements drastically changes your approach to its challenges, and eventually, you'll need to make more and more use of the advantages offered to you. There are alternate outfits to be unlocked, which confer in-game bonuses, but most crucial are the aforementioned items. The ability to teleport to any space or execute a powerful spin attack can change the tide of a battle, but these boons won't recharge until the stage ends – some of them will even require you to expend resources in order to regain them.
These resources are the, er, source of the only real issue that we had with Grindstone; there are a fair number of them and they can feel a little redundant – a firm reminder of the mobile origins of the game. Of course, there's nothing wrong with mobile games, but it's generally pleasant when the seams are a little less visible. We're not wildly keen on the gating of progress behind collecting certain items, either; while the requirements are extremely far from unreasonably demanding, it still feels like it runs against the otherwise freewheeling and friendly nature of the proceedings to suddenly drop a gate in the player's way and state "by the way, those optional objectives? They weren't entirely optional after all".
It's a very minor issue, though, as Grindstone absolutely nails the most important thing about any game of this nature – the central mechanic of chaining enemies never, ever stops being fun. Factoring in the titular grindstones that allow you to switch colours mid-combo, there's so much to consider that no single turn is a no-brainer. Yes, occasionally there'll be situations where very few meaningful moves are possible, but you'll spend these planning ahead as you become more familiar with your arsenal and get better and more efficient at laying waste to wave after wave of creeps.
There are plenty of levels, each with side objectives for additional replay value. The inclusion of boss battles which change up the gameplay further are also very welcome, but even without this well-tuned variety, Grindstone would still be an outstanding effort. It's such an accessible game; simultaneously challenging and incredibly friendly – booting the game lets you jump straight back into your last session, even mid-level, for example.
Conclusion
Compelling to a fault, with a hypnotic and exhilarating central conceit, Grindstone is a tiny bit special. Hopefully, it won't be dismissed by players for being a mobile port, or being mistaken for a "match-three" game akin to Candy Crush – it's not. A full-featured, elegantly designed experience, Capybara's action-puzzle-tactics game is a tiny marvel and we'd strongly recommend it to any and all Switch owners. Ever-so-slight resource exhaustion is the only thing letting it down, but it's easily forgiven when smashing seven shades of shawarma out of creeps is so flipping fun. We say it's time to reverse that well-worn idiom and put your yes to the Grindstone.
Comments 28
I like this game more on a phone than on the Switch.
@AbejaGrande I'd play this on phone if I could find it.
Might and Magic was my most played and most addicting game on the DS. I most have played close to a couple of hundred games on that system. This has similar-ish vibes.
I have already downloaded this but I am playing other games at the moment. I suspect this'll be my next game.
Cheers for the review.
A friend recommended this from when it was exclusive to Apple Arcade. The genre isn’t normally my cup of tea, but I’ve been playing for the past week and am surprised how many hours I’ve put into it. VERY ADDICTIVE. Disagree with reviewer about the music. I love it
I don't know if I agree with the art criticism. The design is clever and handmade. I'm just delighted that indie developers are finally jettisoning the played out 8-bit/16-bit art style that was becoming boilerplate for anything not AAA.
For anyone saying "looks like a phone game, too expensive," I would really encourage people to hold back on this sentiment. Fully featured puzzle games with a premium price tag are FINE and shouldn't be stigmatized. From Dr. Mario on the NES to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords to Mr. Driller to the sublime Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (also from Capy), a well designed puzzle mechanic in a completely realized game is a perfectly valid genre.
If "looks like a phone game" becomes a scarlet letter for these titles and sales suffer because of it, we will lose something that has given me a lot of happiness over the years.
I've had a lot of fun playing this. I also like this review and agree with it's general message while liking the Adventure Time style art. I also happen to really like all the music I've heard in the game. It's one of the things that makes me want to start the game up, actually. Everyone will have their own opinions on details, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone not enjoying this sweet puzzle game. I also really appreciate that it runs at 60fps and I haven't noticed any dropped frames. I'd love to play Heroes of Might and Magic at 60fps on Switch!
@Kalmaro on Apple Arcade....
@rockodoodle Ah, well I'm on Android so I guess I'm out of luck.
Loved everything about it, music is great too! A well presented and balanced puzzle is always money well spend!
@Kalmaro Apple is doing some cool things with Arcade. I recently got an iPad. This has been a pleasant surprise.
Absolutely love this game.
A 9 from me. Best puzzler I've played in years, and being on Switch gives me a good reason not to bother with Apple Arcade.
I just picked up Hades.
First ten minutes, I was like:
This game really isn't that interesting
After about an hour:
Screw you Meg
Now:
Every other game just got backlogged.
I've put over 10 hours into it, and I still feel excited when I boot it up to play it.
Not an Apple Arcade user, so Switch was my first time playing it.
@Muddy_4_Ever I think as long as pixel art is detailed and well animated I'll be happy. Games like Hyper Light Drifter, Resolutiion, or Children of Mortal are all fantastic examples of the style being done right in this generation.
If anything, it's RPG Maker games that we need to put on the pyre.
Review doesn’t get at why I would want this versus phone version? HOW DOES IT PLAY ON PRO CONTROLLER docked?
@Kalmaro It was one of the Apple Arcade games. I don't know if it's been put up for sale yet, but that's how I played it on my phone.
I think the "It looks like a phone game" sentiment mainly comes from this being on iPhone for a while before release. Yes puzzle games lend themselves to phones, but i feel that the constant reminders everywhere, that this was on Apple Arcade, really get this view stuck in your mind.
Fun fact: When i started playing Dead Cells on my phone, i couldn't play it on Switch for a while anymore. Why? Because it felt like a phone game now. That's why i really feel it is mostly an association-thing.
Either way, this game is absolutely amazing and apart from my regularly scheduled Rocket League, this is all i've been playing for the past couple of days. It is simply incredible. Super satisfying, great gameplay loops, wonderful presentation (looove the music so much!) and just an incredibly addictive puzzle game overall. Get this game!
Loved this on the phone. Was pretty close to 100% completion when I gave up Apple Arcade. Any game that can scratch that Dungeon Raid itch is fine by me. I’d probably rate this higher if not for Dungeon Raid. Imagine this gameplay with a rogue-like twist featuring a variety of races and classes and dozens of spells, items and skills to unlock and upgrade along the way. One of the greatest loses on the mobile battlefield.
Fun game, best enjoyed in short bursts though! Recommended!
I like the idea of this game, but I find the art style off putting.
@Zaphod42 spot on! I still lament Dungeon Raid and this is the best effort yet that comes close to the fun DR offered without being a mere clone. I don’t have Apple Arcade and after playing Grindstone on Switch, am extremely happy it has found a home here. Easy to play, hard to master. A perfect hallmark of a well made game.
I’m not sure why the author takes issue with the animation? This is literally the design style of Capybara games. Check out the art assets of Super Time Force Ultra if you don’t believe me. It’s another Capy gem.
All I can say is in closing is this game is strongly recommended to everyone.
@Muddy_4_Ever Hey there, just wanted to chime in that while I'm not personally a big fan of the art, that has nothing to do with it being a "mobile game" and I apologise if I've implied that in my review. I'm not at all fond of the very much untrue misconception that mobile games are bad, or have no value.
@StuartGipp No worries! What art style and what puzzle mechanics land with a person is totally subjective. I was referring to posters who view anything other than a AAA epic as "cheap." I didn't figure that was the case here.
I was looking forward to this because I don't have or want Apple Arcade. I like fresh puzzle RPG games, enjoying it so far.
I wanna try it but I just can’t take that artstyle.
The art-style criticism sound very subjective in my opinion but other than that, good review.
for what it’s worth, i completed this game on ios, and the thing that got both myself and my son hooked was the music. I think capy nailed it. Cans on and crank it up. sounds incredible.
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