In anticipation of an upcoming Twilight 2000 RPG campaign which I will be chronicling here on Haunted MTL, I am reviewing the game The Grizzled for January…
Let’s face it, War kills.
And you and your friends want to come out on the other side of World War I together. So you have to help each other out until Armistice is called. Play cooperatively and strategize to make that possible. Or fail and have a monument erected in your honor for what all that’s worth since you’re dead and gone so you won’t be around to see it…
The game is played as a series of missions that you and your hapless best buddies are thrust into. The Leader, who changes every mission and is marked by the 3D token, declares how many cards are to be dealt on their mission. Cards are then dealt from the Armistice deck. The goal is to play as many cards from your hands as possible while still succeeding at the mission. If you make it through, the Leader gains a speech as you prepare for the next mission. Three matches in play at once and you fail, and those cards are integrated back into the Armistice deck. The total number of cards that aren’t played from the players’ hands are moved from the Memorial deck to the Armistice deck to start the beginning of the next mission. You have to work diligently and wisely to whittle away at the Armistice deck before the Memorial deck runs out or someone dies or else the whole team loses.
If all of this seems overly complicated, War is hard, like a rock to scissors.
It leaves a lot of bent metal and sharp pointy edges in its wake. But you get the hang of it as you go, gaining hard knocks along the way that make War even harder. And those traps will spring the most inopportune draws at the most inopportune times… Because some days really are deadlier than nightshade, and the shells whistling through the gas attack during the coldest darkest rainiest night will be written into your worst nightmares forevermore.
War is also brutal.
You have to stick together and support each other so you don’t go down. You learn to signal your friends in whatever ways you can so you can all live to see another day. You hint at what speeches could help or whose luck to use or who needs support most. Because you’re all in this together and you have to collaborate to make it out alive.
I give The Grizzled 4.5 Cthulus.
This is one of our favorite games and one we tend to get out when we aren’t sure what to play. It has a good run time and everyone gets involved in helping each other out and taking the Leader role so it doesn’t get weighted heavily towards any one player unless the cards stack up against them. Once you get the hang of it, it’s challenging but can be won as opposed to some of those more stacked decks where it is virtually impossible to succeed.
(4.5 / 5)
Designed by Fabien Riffaud and Juan Rodriguez with beautiful art by Tignous, you can find the original French version of the game on their website here. There is also an expansion. An English version of the game, expansion and a campaign boxed set are available through CMON and can be found on Amazon. I have only played the original game but am looking forward to checking out the campaign boxed set soon.
Jennifer Weigel is a multi-disciplinary mixed media conceptual artist residing in Kansas USA. Weigel utilizes a wide range of media to convey her ideas, including assemblage, drawing, fibers, installation, jewelry, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, video and writing. You can find more of her work at:
https://www.jenniferweigelart.com/
I love cooperative games. Especially among family & friends I know are very competitive. I have reviewed two other cooperative games here on Haunted MTL as well: Horrified & Sub Terra. Feel free to check them out here.
WORLD OF HORROR is a cosmic horror roguelite game developed by Paweł Koźmiński and published by Ysbryd Games. The game is available on macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. This review will cover the Steam (Windows) version of the game.
You must explore the strange goings on around Shiokawa, Japan. It appears that eldritch forces have influenced the town in incomprehensible ways. So, attempt to comprehend these forces and maintain your sanity to save the town. Plan your investigations, choose between cases, and fight for your life.
There are a few game modes but three difficulty spikes. The easiest is a specific case with some random events. This mode teaches you the basic mechanics of the game. The harder difficulties give you access to an apartment and choices on which case you investigate. Completing objectives earns you customization options for the customized mode.
What I Like About WORLD OF HORROR
Running on GameMaker Studios, the pixelated aesthetic shows influences from Lovecraft and Junji Ito, though the latter more so than the former. WORLD OF HORROR haunts its viewers with its aesthetic, allowing the pixels to evoke those horror legends.
Random generation remains a key feature of the game, with various options and choices giving a massive variety. Your character also has some limited customization to access perks and further development. I will bring up some weaknesses later, but it is surprisingly vast. Adding to this variety, WORLD OF HORROR provides mod accessibility.
The combat allows for a great deal of thought and planning. You select your character’s actions within an action bar and perform the tasks (or combos) to beat an opponent. This JRPG style provides variety in action that makes it engaging and unique.
Last update on 2025-01-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The random generation and variety make each playthrough different. You might acquire a devastating katana in one playthrough only to bleed out unceremoniously in another.
While not a terrifying gaming experience, WORLD OF HORROR strives to provide an eerie and intense experience. At this, the game is a success. The weird and unnerving collide to invest the player in this strange world.
Tired Tropes and Triggers
Body horror deserves a mention, but the aesthetic and pixels doesn’t particularly evoke realism. Regardless, many designs evoke body horror.
Aside from this, here are some points of consideration. First, WORLD OF HORROR uses JRPG turn-based combat, which seems a point of division among some gamers. However, there are enough interesting mechanics and complexities beyond clicking an action and waiting your turn.
Last update on 2025-01-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Second, WORLD OF HORROR isn’t a cult detective. You’re experiencing events and choosing how your character responds. Some sage wisdom I heard for WORLD OF HORROR is to focus on the whole campaign instead of a single case. Failing a case isn’t a game over, so prioritize your character’s longevity.
What I Dislike About WORLD OF HORROR
Only a few issues hindered my experience. Some scenarios replay on a single case, let alone a playthrough, which becomes repetitive. Some scenarios have multiple solutions to add variety or require perks to access new options, but that’s not always true. This issue makes the randomization taxing at times.
This next issue is likely a bug or an oversight. After losing my reason (sanity), I found myself still able to investigate despite the game claiming that means death. An unrelated event finished me off, but I can’t help but assume this is a bug.
Final Thoughts
WORLD OF HORROR has its quirks but earns massive replay value and surprising depth. It’s a unique and ambitious indie title worth the price. If Junji Ito’s style or cosmic horror is your particular brand of horror, WORLD OF HORROR delivers an experience you’ll likely enjoy. Though this combination synergizes well, few games combine these elements successfully. (4.5 / 5)
These games aren’t just about rolling dice – they’re about immersing yourself in the blood-curdling atmosphere of beloved horror films. With unique survival (and kill!) horror mechanics and cooperative gameplay, you’ll feel the terror coursing through your veins with every move!
But wait, there’s more! With the Kickstarter to House of 1000 Corpses shipping soon, we have an in-depth review coming up for that game, Halloween II–AND…Chucky. BOOMMM!!!
MarkD
February 1, 2022 at 4:26 pm
Honestly it’s nice to see a cooperative board game. Too many plays of Settlers of Catan have the family torn asunder in strife. This one sounds fun!
Jennifer Weigel
February 1, 2022 at 6:50 pm
I love cooperative games. Especially among family & friends I know are very competitive. I have reviewed two other cooperative games here on Haunted MTL as well: Horrified & Sub Terra. Feel free to check them out here.
https://hauntedmtl.com/gaming/horrified-universal-studios-monsters-are-on-the-loose/
https://hauntedmtl.com/gaming/were-going-down-on-a-sub-terra-review/