Grimoire is a two-player spell-based fighting game created for Valveís Half-Life 2 Deathmatch. Players assume the roles of dueling sorcerers, trading magical attacks, counterattacks, and combos across highly interactive arenas. Some spells are more suited to attacks, some to defense; some are better at close range, others better at a distance; some are powerful alone, while a few show their true strengths when combined with other magic.
Every spell in Grimoire can be countered by at least one other spell. The Lightning spell, for example, calls down a bolt on an opponent's location, but a skilled player can turn the Lightning against his opponent by using the Teleport spell to swap places before the bolt hits. But Teleport could, in turn, be countered by placing a Runetrap at the swap location.
The intuitive controls and simple-but-deep mechanics give Grimoire the feel of an arcade-style fighter. Players must choose which spells to castóas well as when and where to cast themóto emerge victorious.