It’s a good sign when I finish a demo and immediately boot up the game again, but that’s what just happened to me when playing Grimoire of Blanks. I scraped past the first boss, and then immediately dived back in to play with a different kind of power: blood magic.
That said, it doesn’t make the strongest first impression. The overall presentation is very low-key and a bit basic, if I’m honest. Even the backgrounds don’t change up much as you explore the game’s dungeons, and I had to switch the text out to make it easier to parse. It’s acceptable, but if I were going to urge developer Esteran Games to push future development in a certain direction, the next thing I think it needs is some upgraded visuals. Not for show; I think that better, clearer graphics would genuinely benefit the gameplay.
I wouldn’t be writing this if that was the story of Grimoire of Blanks, but this pixel-art deckbuilder is much cleverer than its low-fi presentation might lead you to believe. The core hook of the game is really clever, and not some gimmick. In this fantasy roguelike deckbuilder, you must complete the spells on your cards with select magic words to create different effects.
This one gameplay twist makes Grimoire of Blanks an extremely engaging experience. You’ve got to really think about the words in your hand, the spells on your cards, and the enemies that you’re facing. It makes for a fascinating mix of considerations as you piece together each turn from the disparate elements before you.
You have three spells to cast per turn, and some of the spells you can make will help you across the whole contest, while others’ effects are limited to a single turn. Most of the time you’ll be working out how to hurt your enemies, but shielding your wizard is important if you want to stay alive past the first couple of rounds.
In some respects, Grimoire of Blanks follows the Slay the Spire script quite closely, which I think makes the underlying experience more accessible; however, the core mechanic of combining words and spell cards is a really clever one that elevates the experience.
Another interesting feature is the campaign map, which has you choosing which seal to activate before each turn. You can shop, complete events, or choose your next battle. Instead of following a linear path through a map made up of nodes, you fill in the seals until you activate the boss.
All of these ideas point to a dev who is thinking a little differently about their creative challenges, and so far, the design choices they have made are resonating with me (even if cards, characters, and environments are aching for greater differentiation).
I’ve only beaten the first boss once, and I tore myself away from my blood mage playthrough because my to-do list is massive and there’s tons of news to write. That said, Grimoire of Blanks is out very soon, on November 6th, when it is due to land on Steam PC (Lin, Win), so I don’t have long to wait before diving back in.
