"Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar" is a title befitting an epic role-playing game (RPG) akin to "Dungeons and Dragons" and "World of Darkness." Drawing inspiration from these games, it is a virtual turn-based video game that aims to bring to life the multiple adventure scenarios for a more interactive experience — as opposed to solely relying on pure arithmetic and imagination. After 20 years of development, does the game deliver?

The game began development in 1997 after its inception in 1994 by Golden Era Games. This would explain the rather outdated concept of the game, and the pixel-like 2D graphics and classic style user interface. The music is presented with 8-bit sound effects which is reminiscent of video games of the 90's. Given these features, "Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar" is definitely intended to target video game aficionados who prefer old school RPGs.

As for the game play, it is very similar to text-based games, rife with a deep and engaging story line and a well-written script. Reviews even state that the game requires players to take down notes in order to solve the puzzles the game has in store. Lead author Cleveland Mark Blakemore wanted to create something that will truly challenge people's minds. This will certainly entice players who crave for a more intellectual gaming experience.

"Grimoire" promises to provide over 600 hours of gameplay. A game with this much content is almost assuredly going to have bugs, and Blakemore released in a statement on Steam that these issues are being addressed, and has even fixed some of these issues in just two hours upon release.

Blakemore also suggested that the outdated appearance of the game does not diminish the quality of the overall content. He added that players should play the game for a considerable amount of time before they give out a truly informed opinion.

"Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar" is now available on Steam.