Grime 2 Review: The Endless Hunger of a Painted World

Here’s Abhinand presenting Gameffine’s Grime 2 review.

When Grime launched in 2021, it carved out a niche within the crowded Metroidvania landscape through its sheer commitment to the unsettling. It was a game defined by macabre artwork, satisfying combat, and some of the best-designed Metroidvania levels ever. In 2026, Clover Bite has returned with Grime 2, a sequel that doesn’t just iterate on its predecessor but fundamentally reimagines its mechanics.

While the first game saw us playing as a creature with a black hole for a head, Grime 2 introduces us to “The Formless.” This transition from a rigid, consuming singularity to a fluid, mimicking entity is the core philosophy that drives every design decision in this 30-plus-hour epic. Grime 2 is a well-designed exploration of artistic integrity, obsession, and the terror of creation, set within a world that is as beautiful as it is revolting. It is an ambitious sequel, successfully pivoting from the “parry-or-die” gameplay of the original toward a more expressive, customizable experience.

The Mold System and Expressive Combat

The most radical departure from the original Grime is the “Mold” system. In the first game, absorbing enemies granted passive traits. In Grime 2, the Formless literally steals the shapes of its foes. By weakening an enemy and “grabbing” them with your tendrils, you gain their mold. These can be slotted into your D-pad (up to four at a time) and summoned as active abilities.

This shifts the combat loop from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for a parry window, you are summoning a “Halfmade” to tank a hit or a “Squelching Crawler” to deal area-of-effect poison damage. The skill ceiling here is immense. During my playthrough, I found that mixing and matching these Molds allowed for builds that felt genuinely unique, ranging from “summoner” archetypes to high-risk glass cannons. The D-pad mapping makes these summons feel like an extension of your own movement, a tactile sensation that is somewhat lost when translating these quick-switch actions to a keyboard.

The Force Meter and the “Empowered” State

Clover Bite has also overhauled the stamina system, now known as the Force Meter. Unlike traditional Soulslikes where an empty stamina bar leaves you helpless, Grime 2 allows you to keep attacking even when your Force is depleted. However, there is a catch: if you stay above a certain threshold on the bar, your attacks enter an Empowered State, dealing significantly higher damage and impact.

This creates a fascinating rhythm to combat. You have to decide between burning your meter for a quick burst of speed and aggression or playing more tactically to maintain that high-damage threshold. It rewards precision without being as restrictive as its predecessor.

The Traversal

Traversal has seen a massive upgrade with the introduction of the multi-use grappling hook. While the first game felt somewhat heavy and grounded, Grime 2 is incredibly vertical. The Formless can launch tendrils to swing across gaps, pull enemies toward them, or propel themselves off environmental hazards.

Some of the late-game platforming gauntlets, particularly the optional ones in the Cerebral Spires are pretty difficult, requiring multiple levels of combinations of air-dashes, grapples, and even mold changes. It is here that the recommendation for a controller becomes most apparent. The grappling hook requires 360-degree aiming that feels natural and fluid on an analog stick but can feel jerky and restrictive on a mouse or keyboard setup. The “flick” mechanics used to launch yourself off surfaces are clearly tuned for the tactile resistance of a gamepad, making the high-speed platforming feel more like a dance and less like a struggle with the controls.

Story, World, and Characters

The narrative of Grime 2 is far more poignant than I expected. You begin as an egg born from the “Rippler of Waves,” flung into a primordial ooze that feels both sacred and profane. The world of Grime 2 has moved away from the rock-and-stone aesthetic of the first game, leaning into a macabre expressionist style.

The motif of hands is everywhere. Shrines are hands. Fast-travel points are hands. Even the environmental puzzles often involve interacting with giant, grotesque appendages. The writing is sharp and often surprisingly witty, despite the bleak setting. You’ll encounter residents of this world who are obsessed with their own creation, often struggling with the feeling that nothing they produce is ever “enough.” It’s a meta-commentary on game development and art itself that resonates deeply.

The world-building is environmental storytelling at its finest. Areas like Mudfalls tell a silent story of failed Halfmades—creatures that never quite achieved their final form. It’s a haunting, beautiful world that invites you to lose yourself in its lore fragments and cryptic dialogue options.

Visual Identity

Visually, Grime 2 is a marvel to behold. The clever use of lighting, vibrant greens in toxic zones, and harsh, aggressive reds in boss arenas sets an ambience that is consistently moody. The animation of the Formless is particularly noteworthy; its movements are fluid and liquid-like, contrasting perfectly with the rigid, heavy impact of the weapons.

Soundscapes

The soundtrack, composed once again by Alex Roe, is a pure gem. It shifts from haunting, ambient melodies in the caves to grand, orchestral swells during boss fights. The sound effects are “squelchy” in the best way possible, adding a layer of tactile grossness to every hit and absorption.

Technical Performance and Peripheral of Choice

On PC, Grime 2 is a powerhouse of visual fidelity and stable performance. Running on high-end hardware, the game maintains a crisp frame rate even during the most particle-heavy boss encounters. The transitions between the vast, multi-layered maps are seamless, showcasing the level of polish Clover Bite has applied to the PC build.

While the game offers full keyboard and mouse support, it is highly suggested to play with a controller. The game’s haptic feedback implementation adds a surprising amount of depth to the “Force Meter” management, providing a subtle vibration when you enter or exit the Empowered State. The layout is clearly designed with a gamepad in mind; navigating the intricate menus and quickly swapping between four active molds in the heat of a boss fight feels significantly more intuitive with triggers and bumpers than with hotkeys.

Real Talk

Grime 2 is a confident and ambitious sequel that manages the rare feat of being more of the original while also being something entirely new. Just make sure you have a good controller plugged in before you dive into the ooze; you’ll need the precision.

FINAL SCORE: 94/100

Grime 2 Review: The Endless Hunger of a Painted World

Check out Gameffine's Grime 2 review. Grime 2 is a surreal action-adventure metroidvania developed by Clover Bite and published by Kwalee.

Price: 27.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: Microsoft Windows

Application Category: Video Game

Editor's Rating:
9.4