- #8 August Devlog: Alpha Test Results - 28 August 2026
#8 Devlog: Alpha Test ResultsHello everyone,This month we had our first ever alpha playtest and Henrik has made a great summary of our learnings and where we go from here. Enjoy! About the Alpha VersionWe did an alpha test of GrimKeep during August. We invited around 50 people, who selected primarily on the basis of them being fans of the roguelite and deckbuilder genres. For an intense two weeks, they played GrimKeep with no particular instructions other than "please play our game". We're extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to play and report feedback. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!The test version contained most of the gameplay features and content we think/thought the game needs for launch. The biggest things missing from the game at that point was a larger set of random encounters, and the player directed progression system (more on that below).The game version at t…
- #7 July Devlog: What Happens When You Die? - 23 July 2026
Hello there,In this month’s devlog we’ll cover what happens when you’re defeated and how Death’s Die might grant you a perk.The Cyclical RogueA roguelite is generally more of a system than a game world. What you explore is the optimization of tools, powers, or rules, rather than a narrative and a fictional world. The setting, story, and art is the backdrop, the scenery. The fiddly gamey bits are the actors, the play. Sure, there is an audio-visual journey and a big boss at the end, but the actual experience is finding all those little bits of game design and seeing what it does.It is this distinction that makes it enjoyable to repeat the game from the start, over and over again. GrimKeep can be "beaten" the first time around, with luck and skill. But to enjoy all the combinations of play that can be found, you'll have to play more than once. Most of you probably know this from playing o…
- GrimKeep Gameplay Overview Video - 13 July 2026
Let's check out how you play GrimKeep, a roguelite dicebuilder set in a grimdark world!
- Join the Alpha Playtest! - 7 July 2026
After a lot of hard work, we're finally at a stage where we can let some players through the gates of GrimKeep. We want to invite you to share your feedback and impact the development.If you like roguelites, deckbuilders, and engineering your way through tough challenges, this might be right up your alley.The alpha starts later in July, and selected playtesters will be contacted with more info. Sign up here!Hope to see you there! — The GrimKeep Team
- #6 June Devlog: Anatomy of a Fight - 25 June 2026
Hello again, we're back, again... :P We haven't shared a lot about the GrimKeep gameplay, so let's take a look at the basics. GrimKeep Gameplay You traverse a world via a node map. You'll recognize this style of map from other games in the genre. The majority of nodes on this map will be combats, but there will also be random encounters, various shops, and the much needed recovery of a campfire. (Concept art of the upcoming map iteration)The meat and the beating heart of this game is of course the combats. You, the battle-weary and worn hero, have to face many enemies and defeat them one at a time. As you progress towards the central castle of this corrupted, fallen city, the monsters grow increasingly difficult. You will have to build up your power with the items you find along the way. Do it well enough, and your power grows at a rate to match the enemies, and you will be able to reac…
- DEVLOG 5 - 3 November 2025
A few words about style and inspiration We like comic books! One thing we've heard a lot about GrimKeep is "That reminds me of \". If you're working in any visual arts field, you're probably used to this. Brains are pattern matching machines, and when presented with stimuli, it will spit out the closest or sometimes most recent match it has. Sometimes to hilariously off-the-mark comparisons!So, what was the inspiration for the art style in GrimKeep? The truth is that the end result is an amalgamation of many things. Let's break it down: Most obvious - the drawing styleOnce we had settled that it needed to be a 2.5D game, we intended to explore various styles, but one of the first tests was based on older fantasy comics like "Savage Sword of Conan" and others from that era. The brightest shining artist from that group, is John Buscema, although many greats have illustrated comics in that…
- Character Art - 20 October 2025
In GrimKeep you will encounter several enemies with different sizes and abilities. In this video we focus on Taurus, an enemy designed specifically to introduce the "Charge Up" ability, where he skips a turn but his next attack will deal a huge blow.
- Character Art - 10 October 2025
There will be several playable characters in GrimKeep, each with their own abilities and playstyle. They’re loosely based on characters from the old Grimm fairytales reimagined through a darker, Lovecraftian lens. Check out our take on Rapunzel.
- Character Art - 8 October 2025
GrimKeep will have a shop you can find along the way where you'll be able to pay for items with both gold 🪙 and blood🩸 But the question that lingers is…How did the shopkeeper get there?How did he survive the countless enemies along the path?And most of all ... why does he need my blood? Hope you enjoy the video, and let us know what you’d like to see next!
- DEVLOG #04 - 23 September 2025
We’re back! Sorry for the radio silence 😅 Before summer vacation, our goal was to build a “vertical slice” of GrimKeep, basically a small, playable demo that shows every key part of the game, like a cake slice that lets you see all the layers. It’s enough to feel how the game really plays so we can test things and see what needs tweaking. To make that happen, we paused socials and devlogs to put all our energy into development. We’re a small team, so even small tasks have to be carefully prioritized.How did it go?We delivered an internal vertical slice! It was tight, we cut a few small features and barely had time to test and balance everything, but we got it in people’s hands.About 30 folks at Resolution Games played it, and in August we interviewed most of them. The feedback was encouraging, especially from fans of deckbuilder roguelites. We also got lots of useful suggestions. One b…
- DEVLOG #03 - 2 June 2025
Let’s talk about the cast of GrimKeep! In this update, we’re diving into the kinds of characters you’ll meet: heroes, villains, and the unfortunate folks in between. In GrimKeep, there’s a clear divide between the good guys and the bad guys. No grey morality or narrative twists to wrestle with, just a classic, grim showdown between light and dark. That doesn’t mean our characters are shallow, though. Each one carries weight, both in story and gameplay. We’re breaking this down into three main categories: Player Characters Non-Player Characters (NPCs) Enemies For each, we’ll touch on both lore and mechanics. Player Characters Lore Our playable heroes are reimaginings of famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale characters, now older, wearier, and shaped by years of hardship since their original tales ended. They might go by new names, and many carry the emotional or physical scars of what’s happe…
- DEVLOG #02 - 12 May 2025
Developing the art of GrimKeep Early stages Initially the GrimKeep project existed only as a concept of game mechanics; the idea of using dice and yatzy/poker combos as a start and a core, and building on it with "items". The simplicity of the dice would be a super-approachable start for everyone, with minimal need for tutorials. The items would build depth and variation over time and allow us to create endless combinations and cool synergies. There was also a feeling that it was a fantasy game in general, but before any art was produced, it wasn't really decided. The first prototype was just boxes, programmer art, and pictures of characters borrowed from our other games. Goals It's a well kept secret that for smaller scale productions, art choices are not just about what would be cool. One of the more difficult questions is about budget. The cost of art is a bit like asking "how long i…
- DEVLOG #01 - 24 April 2025
Hi and welcome to the first ever GrimKeep Devlog! It’s been wondrous seeing the first reactions to this game of Dice and Darkness that we’re making. The biggest question has been “What’s a ‘dice-builder’?”, which we’ll try to answer here. But first, a brief introduction and backstory! The Idea At Resolution, we have an event called Gameplay Shares where anyone is welcome to pitch an idea or talk about something they are passionate about. In one of these events we presented the idea of a dice game with simple Yatch combos at its core with collectible items that are influenced by those dice combos. The idea resonated with a lot of us, and a few weeks later, we started on a prototype, and the idea just keeps growing stronger in our minds! The Team The GrimKeep, team consists of only two people! But also not really. At Resolution we have an extensive team of specialists that can be called i…
