RWBY is one of the most popular anime out right now and it has garnered enough attention and fandom that it has branched into its own video game. RWBY: Grimm Eclipse was released on Steam back in 2015 and a little over a year later, the hack-and-slash game has made its way to console.
Rooster Teeth Games has taken that year to improve Grimm Eclipse to get it ready for its Xbox One and PS4 releases and I’d say it is a success.
Grimm Eclipse takes a lot from the Dynasty Warriors series in that it’s a traditional hack-and-slash game. The controls are simple, players chain combos using weak and strong attacks in a high-action fashion that mirrors the show. There are different combos each character can perform and players will have fun testing them out.
The camera angles and movement bothers me to a certain extent. With many of these hack-and-slash games, the camera is always moving around and can be disorienting. There is a button to center the camera, but it doesn’t work as well as manually moving the camera using the right analog. I did get used to how it works but newcomers may want to be aware of that.
Learning to counter is the most important aspect of Grimm Eclipse. Players have to wait until they are told to counter to disrupt enemy attacks and leave them open for a counterstrike. If you’re too early or late, you’ll be in for a load of hurt.
It took me a while to master and made my first few hours of my solo-run gameplay very difficult, but after a while I was easily taking on four Grimm at once, performing a combo on one and then countering another. While this style of play is exciting and fun at first, it can get repetitive at times.
However, Grimm Eclipse does mitigate that repetitiveness by allowing players to switch up characters after every level or game over. With four characters at launch (eight if you purchase the expansion, which you should) there is a lot of variety to keep things fresh.
Each character feels different and the game lends itself to a variety of play styles. If you like air combos, then Blake is for you. Nora and Yang are the up-close bruisers, while Jean gives support buffs. There’s even a skill tree, of sorts, that lets you power-up your character each time you level up, motivating you to use each character and grind them up to gain all of their special attacks and power-ups.
One great aspect of the game is that all of the experience you gain in online or single player carries over. I can go online and play to learn the ropes and gain a lot of experience to help me on my single-player run. It’s a small perk but one that rewards players for trying out both modes.
Speaking of online in Grimm Eclipse , the game offers up to four players to take on the campaign or battle in Horde Mode. You can start your own lobby or jump in on a game already in progress. This game is at its most fun when playing in a group. That’s not to say your solo runs can’t be, but there’s so much going on and each level seems so vast, running around in a team just gives an entirely different experience. Horde Mode is another fun way to test your mettle. Taking on waves and waves of enemies until your team falls is a classic way to play and gives players something else to do after the main campaign of Grimm Eclipse is over.
There is no local multiplayer in Grimm Eclipse. While it’s a downer, the way the game plays doesn’t really facilitate a split screen.
Overall, Grimm Eclipse is a fun action game, whether you're a fan of the show or not. If you enjoyed the show, you’ll love the authentic voice actors and puntastic dialogue. Its high-energy action mirrors the style of the series and each character feels and plays different, lending itself to hours and hours of gameplay. Joining others online is a lot of fun and is really how this game is best enjoyed, while playing solo offers up new challenges for those looking for it.
The best part about Grimm Eclipse is the price. This game offers up a full game for just $19.99 and we urge to spend the extra couple of bucks to get the JNPR expansion bundle ($22.99) to get the most out of this game.
