Minimalist 2D Metroidvania Grizzland is a fun game now out on PlayStation 4. Learn more about it in our Grizzland review!

 

In Grizzland, you will get to explore the Grizzled Planet, a world presented in only five colors. The game is described as a 1-Bit Metroidvania, and by checking out the game’s trailer, as well as the screens in this review, you can definitely see why eastasiasoft would decide to call it that. You will get to find new abilities as you explore the open-world location, gaining things that will help you carry on with your journey. The controls are simple and to the point, since you’ll be moving your character around with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, jumping with the X button and shooting with the Circle button, attacking with the Square button – that is once you get your hands on a sword.

 

You see, just like a lot of the Metroidvania you might have played before, while you start the game with all abilities, a few seconds (yes, seconds), into Grizzland, you will end up losing everything. Because of this, you won’t be able to jump, shoot, or attack, even though a handful of seconds earlier, you were able to do all these things. You will, therefore, need to explore the game so that you can find and recover these abilities in order to complete your journey. Since this is a condensed Metroidvania experience, you will recover your sword a couple of screens away.

 

While exploring each area, you will need to be aware of any enemies or hazards in your path because they will be ready to deal some considerable damage if you’re not careful! You should also pay attention to any suspicious-looking areas because spotting these will allow you to find secret areas and passages that lead you to more items, as well as to notes that will allow you to learn more about what is going on and why you’re exploring this plant.

 

As you collect more abilities, as well as more magic vials, you’ll be able to explore new areas that you couldn’t reach before. For example, once you’ve collected enough magic vials, you’ll be able to heal a tree that has grown weak. Visiting it when you have enough magic vials will make it grow to its former self, and it will be so thankful that it will help and send you into a new area. It’s in this new area that you will end up finding the always helpful double jump, and you can imagine how this ability will aid you on your quest.

 

You will notice that after defeating enemies or destroying the many vases you will find in your journey, you will collect some hearts. Hearts can be exchanged for some of the local currency to be used at the goods store. For every 20 hearts, you will get one unit of the local currency. You can boost your overall health, increase your speed, add some extra damage to your sword, and more, so be sure to collect every single heart you come across so that you can max out your character!

As for the game’s trophies, Grizzland includes a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy at the end of the road. Trophy hunters won’t need to complete the game to unlock all trophies since you’ll end up getting them at around the halfway point. There are trophies for beating a handful of bosses, for finding some of the secret rooms, for locating a handful of notes, for purchasing something from the shop, one in particular for breaking three vases with a single hit, and one for watering a tree for the first time.

 

Grizzland is a fun and condensed 1-Bit Metroidvania that is fun to play on PlayStation 4. It offers a few hours of content for a low $4.99 asking price. It brings an old-school infused experience to Sony’s home console, with an open-world game set at a resolution of 128×96 pixels.

Disclaimer
This Grizzland review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by eastasiasoft.

https://www.eastasiasoft.com/