Try not to die while gardening in Grunn, which I’m just hearing is out now

Have you heard of Grunn? It’s the gardening game from Sokpop Collective and Tom van den Boogaart, where you do some light gardening and try not to succumb to the lurking horrors beneath. I hadn’t heard of it either, but it looks cool, and it’s out now.

With the exception of – or perhaps illustrated by – the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake, big-budget horror games are in a rough place. Not completely gone, mind you, but a lot of what we get these days are remakes from better eras of horror titles. And yet, horror in video games is the best it’s ever been, and that’s because of the indie and alternative markets. A lot of small or solo developers are dipping their toes into the horror pie, and they have some unique and daring ideas for how to do it right.

Grunn fits into a few specific niches. First, it’s lo-fi, employing a low-poly art style with bright colors and analog effects. Second, it has the grounded, cozy element of working in a garden. Then it twists things… oh, my gosh.

While I was typing out the description, a game crossed my mind: Bernband, an older (2014) shortform indie title that was entirely about drinking in the atmosphere of its world. It left an impact on me and the way I think about world design in video games. With the thought crossing my mind, I quickly opened a tab to find it and see if the developer had ever released the follow-up they were working on. Didn’t see much on Gamejolt, so I clicked through to their YouTube channel and into their recent videos. Right on the top is Grunn. Tom van den Boogaart is Tum, the creator of Bernband.

It’s not just a coincidence. This is the benefit of following small publishers; their specific fingerprints get all over their creation. Bernband and Grunn are entirely different games, but something about their art style, their philosophy, and their approach linked them together in their mind. Now I understand why Grunn outwardly appealed to me.

Now I’m more curious. Because it’s not just gardening and lurking horrors, you also get to explore the town around the house that you’re gardening at and can talk to the locals. You’re encouraged to do so in order to find tools and, I’m guessing, the horrible truths start leaking in from there.

So, I’m guessing that town is pretty atmospheric, right? Weirdly so? Payday is coming up. It’s apparently 4-6 hours, and my schedule is tight, but I will make it happen.

Grunn is available for PC today via Steam and Itch.