Grime is a new souls-like sidescrolling adventure game where you control a faceless hero who consumes enemies' souls. Though there are reoccurring mechanics that we've seen before in the souls-like genre, Grime invents new ideas at the same time. Mass, Ardor, and Absorbing are all part of your journey toward the end of the game. But how can you get to the end of the game if you don't even know where you are on the map?
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The map can be confusing at first. It's almost nonexistent, even when you're actively exploring and finding new areas. You have to find specific objects that will unlock the map for you and allow you to travel back and forth easier. Here's the gist of what you need to understand about checkpoints and uncovering the map in Grime.
What Are Surrogates In Grime
- Checkpoint
- Level up
You'll randomly find a large, purple stone called a Surrogate. By interacting with it, your character enters it. Here is where you can level up your general stats and unlock the abilities you've found by absorbing enemies. A Surrogate acts as a checkpoint and a resting station. Finding more is crucial so that you don't have to walk a long distance back to your location every time you die.
When you interact with a Surrogate, you have your regular stats, like Health and Strength, that can be upgraded, and below those are traits or abilities you can grow or unlock. These traits are found and unlocked by absorbing enough of one type of enemy. Each enemy has a related trait. By opening your inventory and going into the mobs tab, you can see how many more mobs you need to absorb of that enemy.
This checkpoint station is called a Surrogate because they relate it to a womb. When the player character enters this stone for the first time it makes reference to how familiar it feels, much like that of a womb. Grime's art style focuses a lot on body horror, typically with stone and rocks. We can assume all creatures in the game are born of rock and soul.
Finding Beacons In Grime
- Reveal map
Though Surrogates are your checkpoints and place of rest, what you really need to find are beacons to complete the map. Beacons are pointy shards you can find in the world. They are the same color as Surrogates. By interacting with these shards, parts of the map will be revealed to you.
You'll have to explore and die over and over again until you've looted the entire map and make it to the next area. Finding beacons will help you understand where you are, where you've already been, and where you need to go. You'll also find icons on the map of all Surrogates, Nervepasses and more.
Overview of Revealing Grime Map
Surrogates are your checkpoints and beacons reveal the map to you. Each important thing that you would want to identify when looking at a map in a game, you need to find for yourself. Apart from a checkpoint, you may also need a fast travel station and point of death. These are also things you need to find that will be added to the map. Finding every Nervepass, beacon, and Surrogate isn't necessary for completing the game. What it does do is make mobility and exploration easier and less tedious.
Using a Nervepass
As horrific and creepy as finding a Nervepass is, these are basically just fast travel points. Once more of the world is explored, you'll be able to find and use multiple Nervepass' to travel between different locations and backtrack. There is also an achievement for going through every Nervepass in the game.
Lost Vessels
Like with Dark Souls and other similar games, when you die you lose some of your souls or items you've accumulated. You can get them back if you go to the place where you died. On your revealed map, you'll see a spiral icon called a Lost Vessel. This is where you died. When you reach this location, you'll find a frozen version of your character. You must break or attack it to get back what you've lost.
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