Grimstone Valley

NOTE: Please keep in mind that Grimstone Valley is currently in development. The attached zip is an alpha build.

CW: Body horror, violence/blood, occultism

A pit forms in your stomach as you descend into the mine shaft. You know you aren’t alone down here. The coiled mass of tendrils extending from your right shoulder flexes in anticipation. You scan your environment for potential weapons: a few crates, an oil lantern… a powder keg? Before you can register that thought, a warped pickaxe swipes at you from the dark. As it passes, you glimpse your attacker: a grotesque creature unfolding from the shadows.

You lash out with your alien arm, wrapping it around the powder keg and yanking it into the monster before it can lunge again. A thundering bang erupts as the creature is sent flying into the wall with a distorted crunch. You breathe a sigh of relief as the echoes fade. But you can only rest for a moment; there’s far worse to come.

Grimstone Valley is a third-person supernatural action game set in the wild west. When overreaching rail tycoons ally with a doomsday cult in a grab for power, the region of Grimstone Valley is beset by alien corruption. Cultists are granted grotesque new forms, monsters are summoned from beyond the pale, and sleepy frontier towns are torn asunder.

You play as a rancher who was kidnapped by the cult and nearly sacrificed, but survived. In the aftermath, the rancher developed a powerful connection to whatever the cult is drawing on – a coiled cluster of tendrils extruding from her right shoulder in the vague shape of an arm. The tendrils grant superhuman strength and dexterity, allowing you to launch monsters and objects alike. Armed with your wits and the unknown depths of the tendrils’ power, you stand between the people of Grimstone Valley and certain doom.

Mouse and Keyboard Strongly Recommended!

MOUSE/KEYBOARD CONTROLS:

• Move - WASD
• Dodge - L Shift
• Interact/Advance Dialogue - E
• Pause Game - ESC
• Aim Tendril - Hold LMB
• Throw Tendril - Release LMB
• Aim Object - Mouse
• Pull Object - Hold LMB
• Throw Object - Release LMB
• Retract Tendril - RMB

CONTROLLER CONTROLS:

• Move - L Stick
• Dodge - B/East Face Button
• Interact/Advance Dialogue - X/West Face Button
• Pause Game - Start
• Aim Tendril - R Stick & Hold R Trigger
• Throw Tendril - Release R Trigger
• Aim Object - R Stick
• Pull Object - R Stick & Hold R Trigger
• Throw Object - Release R Trigger
• Retract Tendril - L Trigger

KNOWN BUGS:

UI

• Main menu art is currently not wide enough for ultra-wide resolutions.
• Controls Menu and Credits button are both placeholder and don't do anything.
• Exiting menus requires you to use the Back Button, no support for esc/B on controller to close menus at the moment.
• Scroll bars and the yippee button aren't fully supported by controller.

Enemies

• Enemies will occasionally get stuck/twitchy on geometry.
• Bleed particles will spawn during melee enemy death animations.
• Bleed particles may not always spawn on ranged enemies.
• Melee enemies often get stuck on porches/curbs.
• all boss enemies' visuals and audio are WIP.

Level

• Lighting is outdated in the town, causing shadow artifacts and incorrectly lit items.
• The falling cliff will reappear when reloading certain checkpoints. This version of the cliff does not have collision and the player will fall through it.
• Ambience in the Mine prototype is much louder than all other levels.
• The Railyard prototype has no portal to return to the hub, needs to be done manually through the pause menu.