groky - Escape the Puzzle Grid

groky is a minimalist puzzle where every step counts. You guide a small creature across a grid, eat every ghost on the board and reach the exit portal. There are one hundred levels, and the store description promises pure, satisfying puzzle design made with love. It does not need a plot. The clean look and the clear goal are enough.

The rules of the grid

Your creature moves on a grid, and the board contains hazards that you must avoid. The description mentions pitfalls, walls and instant teleporters. There are also puzzle switches that release trapped ghosts, and movement modifiers. Some ghosts, when eaten, stop you in your tracks or redirect your path. That last detail is the clever part. Eating a ghost is not only a task, it is a decision, because it changes how you can move next.

This turns each level into a small planning puzzle. You are not just looking for a route to the exit, you are looking for an order of ghosts that lets you collect them all and still reach the portal.

A tiny new release

The game is made by XSGames and has only a few installs so far, with no rating yet. It is a very new title, and reviews are scarce. On this site we treat such games as discoveries rather than recommendations, and we encourage you to read feedback as it appears.

How to solve a level

Work backward from the exit. This is a classic approach in grid puzzles, because the end of the level is fixed. If you know where you have to finish, you can decide where your last ghost must be eaten.

Identify the ghosts that change your movement. They are the pivots of the level. Plan around them first, and the rest of the route often falls into place.

Plan the whole route before moving. Because each step may change your options, mistakes can be costly. A few seconds of thinking before the first move saves a lot of restarts.

Look for switches early. If a ghost is trapped, you need to activate a mechanism to release it, and you must do that before you can eat it.

A calm game with bite

Minimalist puzzle games have a particular appeal. There is nothing to distract you, so every success feels earned. And because the rules are tiny, you can explain the game to a friend in a sentence, yet still lose an evening to it.

Our verdict for different players

Logic fans who enjoy tidy, rule-based puzzles. If you like games such as Sokoban or small grid puzzles, you will recognise the spirit. If you prefer games with a big story or lots of visual spectacle, this will feel spare. But for focused, clean puzzle solving, it is a good example, and a hundred levels is a generous amount.