Clover Bite unveiled a fresh gameplay trailer for Grime 2 on November 21, 2025, providing the most detailed look yet at the surreal action-adventure metroidvania sequel. The 84-second trailer showcases the game’s signature absorption mechanics where players launch hand-made tendrils to grab enemies, parry attacks, and summon molds in defeated foes’ shapes. Publisher Kwalee confirmed Grime 2 launches on PC via Steam in 2025, building on the original’s acclaimed blend of Metroidvania exploration and soulslike combat with expanded summoning systems and a lived-in world where every culture worships art above all else.
The Formless Returns
Players control a Formless in Grime 2, described as an art mimic with the power to absorb creatures and fashion molds from their essence. This represents a different character than the original Grime’s black hole-headed protagonist, though the core absorption mechanics that defined the first game remain central to the sequel. The Formless exists as a stealer of forms, a being that literally takes the shapes and abilities of everything it consumes in a grotesque cycle of consumption and transformation.
The trailer demonstrates how absorption works in practice. Tendrils made of hands extend from the Formless to grasp enemies at range, pulling them close or using them as shields and projectiles. Successful absorption doesn’t just eliminate threats, it adds their forms to your arsenal of summonable molds. These molds function as both weapons and tools, with different enemy types providing distinct combat options from ranged attacks to heavy melee strikes to environmental interaction abilities.
A World Obsessed With Art
The setting explores a bizarre lived-in world where art dominates every aspect of civilization. The trailer showcases environments constructed from painted nails, ceramic structures, and stranger materials that blur the line between sculpture and architecture. Inhabitants have built entire cultures around artistic expression taken to disturbing extremes, with the world’s obsession manifesting in both beautiful and horrifying ways.
This art-centric theme provides narrative and visual cohesion to Grime 2’s surreal aesthetic. Where the original game explored themes of consumption and growth through its black hole protagonist, the sequel examines how civilizations define themselves through creative expression. The bizarre architecture, enemy designs, and environmental storytelling all reinforce this fixation on art as both religion and way of life for the world’s strange inhabitants.
Enhanced Combat Systems
The gameplay trailer emphasizes how tendrils expand combat possibilities beyond the original Grime’s mechanics. Players can parry incoming attacks by timing tendril grabs correctly, creating opportunities for devastating counterattacks. The parry system rewards precise timing similar to soulslike games, but the tendril mechanics add range and flexibility that traditional parrying lacks. Successfully parrying allows executing enemies, absorbing their essence, and immediately summoning their mold form.
Mold summoning represents the major new feature differentiating Grime 2 from its predecessor. Rather than just absorbing enemies to grow stronger, players actively call upon absorbed forms during combat. One moment you’re fighting directly with tendrils, the next you’ve summoned a massive creature to tank damage or a ranged attacker to apply pressure from distance. This system encourages experimentation with different mold combinations to find synergies that match your playstyle.
The Original Grime’s Legacy
Grime launched August 2, 2021 for PC and Stadia from Israeli independent developer Clover Bite, followed by PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions in December 2022, then Nintendo Switch in January 2024. The game received generally positive reviews praising its unique absorption mechanics, striking art direction, and challenging soulslike combat wrapped in Metroidvania exploration structure.
Critics particularly highlighted how Grime distinguished itself in the crowded Metroidvania genre through its consumption-based progression system. Absorbing enemies increased your stats and power rather than collecting traditional experience points or currency. The black hole protagonist’s design created memorable visual identity while the surreal alien world avoided generic fantasy or sci-fi tropes. Combat demanded careful timing and pattern recognition similar to Dark Souls, but absorption mechanics added a risk-reward layer unique to Grime.
Community reception praised the game’s second half for featuring some of the genre’s best boss encounters, though some players found the opening hours slow-paced. The metroidvania structure rewarded thorough exploration with hidden abilities, upgrade materials, and lore scattered throughout interconnected areas. Grime carved out a dedicated fanbase that eagerly awaited news of a sequel after the game proved Clover Bite could execute on ambitious ideas despite their small team size.
Why Announce in 2023, Release in 2025
Clover Bite first announced Grime 2 on August 23, 2023 via social media, revealing the Formless protagonist and summon mold mechanics. The announcement came two years after the original’s launch, suggesting the team began sequel development relatively soon after completing post-launch support. The long gap between announcement and release reflects the realities of small indie studios creating ambitious metroidvanias, which demand extensive level design, enemy variety, and interconnected world building that takes years to complete properly.
An earlier gameplay trailer premiered during IGN Live on June 7, 2025, providing the first substantial look at combat and environments. That trailer confirmed the PC Steam release for 2025 without specifying a narrower window. The November 21 trailer maintains that vague timing, suggesting Clover Bite isn’t ready to commit to a specific month yet. Late 2025 seems most likely given typical development timelines and the lack of concrete date announcements.
Platform Strategy
Grime 2 currently targets only PC via Steam with no console versions announced. This PC-first approach differs from the original game’s simultaneous PC and Stadia launch, though consoles followed 16 months later. The strategy likely reflects publisher Kwalee and developer Clover Bite wanting to focus resources on perfecting one platform before expanding to others, especially given the small team size.
However, given the original Grime’s eventual multiplatform release, console versions seem inevitable for the sequel. PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch versions will probably arrive months after the PC launch once Clover Bite addresses feedback and optimizes performance. This staggered approach has become standard for indie metroidvanias from small studios lacking resources to simultaneously develop and test across five or six platforms.
The Metroidvania Market Challenge
Grime 2 enters an increasingly saturated metroidvania market where dozens of quality titles compete for attention annually. The genre has exploded in popularity since Hollow Knight demonstrated massive commercial potential for indie metroidvanias in 2017. Now every gaming event features multiple metroidvania announcements, making differentiation more critical than ever for standing out.
Grime 2’s advantages include the original’s positive reputation, the distinctive absorption and summoning mechanics, and Clover Bite’s proven ability to deliver on their vision. The surreal art-obsessed setting provides strong visual identity that avoids tired fantasy or sci-fi aesthetics. However, the game competes against highly anticipated sequels like Hollow Knight Silksong, established franchises, and innovative new IPs all vying for the same metroidvania audience.
Publisher Kwalee’s Role
Kwalee handles publishing duties for Grime 2, bringing substantial resources that the original game lacked during its self-published PC launch. Kwalee’s involvement means better marketing reach, coordinated trailer releases during major gaming events, and potentially smoother console porting processes when those versions enter development. The publisher’s support could prove crucial for Grime 2 achieving mainstream recognition beyond hardcore metroidvania fans.
The partnership also suggests financial security that allows Clover Bite to focus purely on development without constantly worrying about funding. Small indie studios often struggle with cashflow during lengthy development cycles, sometimes forcing early releases of unfinished games or project cancellations when money runs out. Kwalee’s backing should prevent those scenarios while giving Grime 2 the time needed to match or exceed the original’s quality.
Community Reaction
Discussion on Reddit’s Games subreddit shows measured enthusiasm from players familiar with the original. Comments acknowledge Grime starts slow but praise the second half’s fantastic bosses, recommending it specifically for players who appreciate the genre’s best encounters. Some fans expressed confusion about whether the protagonist is the same character or a different Formless, with the art mimic concept suggesting a new entity in the same universe.
The absorption and summoning mechanics generated particular interest for how they expand on the original’s systems. Players discussed potential strategies combining different mold summons, theorizing about whether certain enemy types would provide utility abilities for solving environmental puzzles beyond just combat applications. The art-obsessed world setting also sparked curiosity about how that theme manifests in enemy designs, NPC interactions, and environmental storytelling.
FAQs
When does Grime 2 release?
Grime 2 launches on PC via Steam in 2025. No specific month has been announced, with late 2025 appearing most likely based on the vague timing and lack of concrete date commitment.
What platforms will Grime 2 support?
Currently only PC via Steam is confirmed. Given the original Grime’s multiplatform release, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch versions will likely arrive months after the PC launch.
Who is developing Grime 2?
Clover Bite, the Israeli independent developer behind the original 2021 Grime, is creating the sequel. Publisher Kwalee handles distribution and marketing.
What is a Formless?
The Formless is Grime 2’s protagonist, described as an art mimic who can absorb creatures and summon molds in their shape. It’s a being that steals forms, using tendrils made of hands to grab enemies and fashion them into summoned allies.
Do you play the same character from the first game?
No, Grime 2 features a different protagonist called the Formless. The original Grime starred a black hole-headed character, while the sequel’s art mimic has distinct appearance and expanded abilities including mold summoning.
What type of game is Grime 2?
Grime 2 is a surreal action-adventure metroidvania with soulslike combat. Players explore interconnected areas, absorb enemies to grow stronger, summon molds of defeated foes, and navigate a bizarre world where civilizations obsess over art.
What are mold summons?
Mold summons are the major new mechanic in Grime 2. After absorbing enemies, players can summon molds fashioned from those creatures’ forms. Different enemy types provide distinct combat abilities from ranged attacks to heavy strikes to utility functions.
How does absorption work in Grime 2?
Players launch tendrils made of hands to grab enemies at range. Successful absorption eliminates threats while adding their forms to your mold arsenal. Tendrils also parry attacks when timed correctly, creating execution opportunities.
Conclusion
The November 21 gameplay trailer confirms Grime 2 meaningfully expands on the original’s absorption mechanics while maintaining the surreal atmosphere and challenging soulslike combat that earned the first game its dedicated following. The mold summoning system adds strategic depth that could elevate Grime 2 beyond its predecessor if executed well. Whether Clover Bite can deliver a sequel that lives up to expectations while standing out in the crowded 2025 metroidvania market remains to be seen, but the foundation looks solid for players who appreciate bizarre worlds, grotesque absorption mechanics, and methodical combat that rewards mastery. For fans of the original Grime or anyone seeking metroidvanias with genuinely unique hooks, Grime 2 deserves a wishlist spot when it eventually launches later this year on Steam.