Grunn Preview: Never Trust a Garden Gnome

Ah, yes. A normal gardening game. Nothing suspicious here. No jump scares or unsettling strangers or never ending creepy hallways. Just gardening. Flowers. Grass. Garden gnomes. That kind of thing. 

Grunn from Developer Sokpop games is, as stated, a totally normal gardening game. You play as a gardener who gets hired to do some maintenance work over the weekend in the Dutch countryside. Everyone hates working on the weekend, but there’s nothing strange about it, right? Well, that’s until you get the house and realize that things are a bit off. 

When you first begin Grunn’s Steam Next Fest demo, you’re dropped off at the house you’re meant to be starting work on. The grass in particular is quite overgrown so you’ll have to get started trimming things as soon as you find a pair of shears in the back shed. The interesting thing is that there’s a lot of locked doors and gates around and there doesn’t seem to be a proper way to leave the area. Plus, apparently, going out after dark is completely forbidden. Why might that be? Well, you’ve got until Monday to figure it out and the creepy man following you around doesn’t seem to want to help at all.

The most fun part of Grunn is the exploration. You never know what’s going to be behind the next door that you manage to unlock. It could be a helpful item, a cryptic note or simply a feeling of crippling dread. Yay!

So much about Grunn, including its Steam page, is mysterious and doesn’t do anything to spoil the adventure ahead. But don’t worry. If you get stuck while you’re gardening you’ll discover notes, polaroids and clues to help you along. You’ll also gather more tools to complete puzzles and progress. 

Grunn features a fantastically unique art style that adds both a playful and sinister quality to everything that happens. You’ll explore a scenic village, trim up the grass, destroy some things and ultimately, try not to die get your customer's garden in tip top shape! Set to release in 2024, Grunn boasts multiple endings and if the ending that I got during the demo indicates what’s in store for the full release, Grunn is absolutely one to look out for. 

Preview by Becca Smith