Deviating from the script, Grimm informs the player that the Count deserves more of a challenge than a single unanimated corpse -- why not throw open the doors of a few mausoleums, animate the dead, and watch the Count wage battle against them? After filling his dark meter to a certain point, the player guides Grimm to the mausoleums, which spring open to reveal mummified bodies that shamble over to the Count, who frantically shoots them as they draw nearer and nearer. After all the tombs have been opened, a cutscene depicts the Count (shown as a vampire thanks to Grimm's dark aura) performing slow-motion kung fu moves against the undead while occasionally blasting away with his dual pistols.

Such alterations are a fantastic way to keep the player interested in what will happen next, rather than having him follow a pre-destined course that ends at a result he was expecting. In addition, the dark theater that players are rewarded with upon completing each Grimm episode is much more entertaining due to the player feeling that he played a more active role in its conception.


To aid in the creation of these parallel plotlines, Spicy Horse has equipped Grimm with an expanded arsenal of tricks. Once an NPC has been darkened, Grimm can butt-stomp it to ensure that no "light" NPCs can wander by and undo Grimm's hard work. The Sausage Butt-Stomp power-up send an extra shockwave roiling forth directly ahead of Grimm, giving the trouble-maker a bit of extra reach for out-of-the-way objects or NPCs, such as those positioned across pits or streams. Secret coins are still scattered throughout each stage, but instead of acting as mere trinkets to collect or ignore, the coins deduct time from Grimm's ever-increasing timer. Such a boon should ensure that players obsessed with speed runs will search out each and every coin, which, as a result of their new usefulness, have been hidden in cleverer locations.

Everything that made Grimm fun has returned, and everything that didn't appears to have been trimmed away. As someone who often deliberated between yay and nay when it came to Grimm's first season, I can say with confidence that The Master Thief provides a promising glimpse of what awaits us when Season Two begins later this month.

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Speaking exclusively to Big Download, publisher GameTap has revealed the full line-up for the next season of developer Spicy Horse's American McGee's Grimm. Beginning on October 30, the next season of Grimm features expanded mechanics that allow for a deeper gameplay experience than that of Season One. The title of each new episode, as well as its respective release date, can be found below.

10/30 – The Master Thief
11/06 – The Singing Bone
11/13 – King Midas
11/20 – Cinderella
11/27 – The Golden Goose
12/04 – Iron John
12/11 – The Pied Piper
12/18 – A Christmas Carol