Grunn is a normal gardening game set in a mundane village, according to the Steam blurb. It is not at all weird and horrifying, not remotely a glimpse into the abyss. Moments after first arriving off the bus you won’t find yourself trapped in the garden by a bridge with a rotten plank. You won’t accidentally murder a magpie while chopping down tall grass. And you thoroughly won’t be stalked by a nameless tormentor as you go about your gardening work.
Okay, thankfully for everyone I can’t keep that up. Grunn is weird: deliciously, horribly weird, and while I don’t want to spoil too much, I can at least tell you that you’re in for a surprise. The game’s made by Sokpop, after all, the tiny collective whose games like to subvert expectations. Also, the atmosphere is thick and menacing from the off.
So I arrive in Grunn and I head into a garden. I find my way to a shed where there’s a bed to sleep in and a note from the owner of the garden, who’s asked me to tidy the place up by Monday. I need to tidy the grass, water the plants, get rid of molehills and pick up trash. Oh, and sort the hedge. All basic gardening stuff.
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