Review: Grunn is a delightful horror game that even the wimpiest of players can enjoy

If you’re new to the horror genre or want something more chill, then Grunn is going to be a good starter game. There are jump scares, but due to the repetitive nature of the game, once you see a jump scare, you’re already expecting it on your next playthrough.

This doesn’t change the fact that you’re very much in danger all the time, but it’s a very “on the rails” experience. I say that lovingly. 

Grunn: The horror experience that’s kind of built for everyone

Grunn is certainly an interesting game. I wasn’t really sure how the horror was going to play into it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was on the milder side. That isn’t to say that the initial jumpscares didn’t get me – they did – but Grunn focuses more on the story.

You play as a newly hired gardener taking care of someone’s garden while they’re away. You arrive on a Saturday morning and, if you’ve done all the gardening by Monday, you may be offered another job.

If you’re like me, you’ll start working on the four jobs laid out for you. You need to cut the lawn, pick up the trash, water the plants, and dig up spots that have disturbances. To do all of this, you’re going to need shears (which are kindly placed in your shed), a watering can, and a trowel. 

You’ll quickly learn that the last two things aren’t in the garden. You get a hint that the watering can was likely left at the park, but the trowel is a mystery.

I’ll be honest and admit that I haven’t found all the secrets or even experienced the “true ending” because there’s so much to explore. Grunn runs like a string of dominos – one thing leads to another and so on. And the kicker? There are several ways to achieve something.

For instance, there’s a churchyard next to the garden you’re maintaining. Once you’ve found the key to get in, you’ll find a church. One of the three doors on the outside of the church is missing a doorknob.

There are two ways to get this same knob. The first is by cleaning up the churchyard to 20% and the knob will appear. However, you don’t actually have to do that. There’s a tree in the churchyard with a small hole and inside is the knob. 

Is the knob always there or is it only there at a certain time?

What you’re really paying attention to is the times of day. Some things can only be achieved during a certain time. Another example is the paddle, if you look in the morning behind your shed on Saturday, there’s a paddle. However, if it gets into the afternoon, that paddle is gone and you have to wait until the next day for it to return. 

If it all sounds confusing, don’t worry. There are Polaroids scattered all around that have hints on them to help you figure out where things are or what they do.

The 20% needed for the doorknob I mentioned? The Polaroid actually has 20% written on it. So, while your experience can be guided, you’ll be surprised by what you stumble upon all by yourself.

I found a lot of the things to be pretty intuitive. However, there is a caveat. You can die. In fact, I can guarantee: You will die.

Grunn is a game with many mysteries and 11 different endings. So, if I had to give you one piece of advice, it would be not to waste time gardening. Ironic, I know. Don’t get me wrong, completing all the tasks certainly does something, but because of how often you’ll die, you want to know the ins and outs of the areas before you try and finish the task list.

There’s nothing worse than getting all the grass cut only to die and have to do it all over again, trust me.

There are several areas in the game and they’re all riddled with secrets. You’ll spend a lot of time trying to figure them all out. In some ways, the repetitive nature of doing some of the things over and over can wear on you, but you generally make more progress each time. 

Please wait while progress is loading…

Well, except for that maze bit. If you do it wrong, you’ll be locked in with no way out. Unless you have a specific item, I suppose. But, I didn’t find that particular workaround if there is one.

The point is, I played for hours and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s available here. Whether you want the true ending or you want to complete all the secrets, you’re probably going to have a lot of fun with Grunn.

The scares are jumpscare-based and they do make noise. So, if you’re sensitive to loud noises, definitely keep the sound low.

Personally, I recommend Grunn to everyone – even those who may not enjoy the horror genre. I found the horror aspect to be mild.

If you’d like to get Grunn for yourself, you can get it over on Steam for $12.99. If you’d rather check out one of our other reviews, you can check out the one we did for Let’s Cafe.