Grimoire of Monsters is a co-op action roguelike for PC that puts one player in the role of the Grimoire Master while the others form a party of heroes fighting to survive. Up to four players can join, with most focusing on survival and spellcasting while one controls the opposing forces. The setup creates direct opposition between the team's builds and the chaos introduced by the Grimoire Master.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on runs where the party gathers spells and upgrades to create powerful combinations. Heroes come from a roster with distinct playstyles, allowing teams to mix abilities for stronger synergies. Players revive fallen teammates during intense waves and push through enemy groups toward larger boss encounters. The Grimoire Master operates separately by deploying monster waves, adding battlefield hazards, and altering the environment to disrupt the party. This role includes blocking sight lines, dividing the group, and assuming control of bosses at critical points to shift the fight's momentum. Every session changes based on how the Grimoire Master applies pressure and when the party manages to stabilize.
Combat emphasizes quick spell pickup and combo building on the party side against the escalating threats from the opposing player. Runs reward coordinated revival and positioning while the Grimoire Master decides the timing of calm periods versus overwhelming assaults. The result is a back-and-forth where the party's growing power meets constant interference.
Game Modes
The game supports two primary ways to experience the action. In the standard party mode, all participants work together as heroes against waves of enemies and bosses. The Grimoire Master mode flips the perspective so one player becomes the source of the monsters and environmental changes. These roles run simultaneously in the same session, turning each run into a contest between spell builds and direct opposition. Local play uses a shared screen, with phones serving as additional controllers for easy drop-in participation. Remote sessions rely on Steam Remote Play Together, requiring only the host to own the game while others join through the service. Bots can fill any remaining spots when fewer than four players are available.
Multiplayer and Accessibility
Grimoire of Monsters emphasizes group play without requiring extra hardware for local sessions. The shared-screen design keeps everyone on the same view, and phone controllers remove barriers for additional players at home. Online options extend this to distant friends through the Remote Play feature, maintaining the same core experience. The inclusion of bots ensures runs remain viable even with incomplete groups, preserving the roguelike progression regardless of exact player count.
Is It Worth Playing?
Grimoire of Monsters suits players who enjoy asymmetric co-op where one participant actively opposes the rest. The roguelike structure of repeated runs with spell and upgrade choices pairs with the live Grimoire Master role to create varied sessions each time. Those who prefer standard co-op against AI may find the opposing player element adds tension, while groups looking for direct competition within a survival framework will see repeated value in experimenting with hero combinations and counter-strategies. Availability on PC supports both local and remote play without additional purchases for joiners in many cases. The game targets fans of action roguelikes who want a twist on the usual wave-based survival formula through player-driven opposition.
