Flowers become skeletal hands, logs become carcasses, and dainty sailors become pirates. These are some examples of transformations from Grimm. While all transformations involve items, characters, and locations going from light to dark, some transformations are more active than others. An example is this windmill:
In its “light” state it behaves as might be expected. Such behavior is described in our design documents like so:
Light Version: Windmill blades turn lazily. Some thoughtful person designed them so their tips are softly rounded, and safely distanced from passing craniums. Yawn. The charming reddish chap is back, along with his business partner. They stand behind a particularly rich looking mill. All pretty normal except for the terrified girl sobbing in the center of a hand-drawn pentagram. Oh, and she’s got no hands.
This is a typical scene description from an Episode Design Document. These documents lay out, area by area, everything Player will encounter and interact with inside an episode of Grimm. Descriptions for the dark version of the world highlight the major contrasts between the two world states:
Grimm Version: These windmills were clearly designed by a homicidal idiot. Their sharpened, metal blade tips cut into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and rock. Dust blinded villagers stumble through the milieu, occasionally doing the meaty-bit-mambo with the whirling death blades. Forecast calls for scattered body part showers and light blood fog. The reddish chap once again reveals his true form – Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, etc, etc. The thoughtfully rich house becomes a decadent homage to greed and desire. The girl spouts blood from her meaty arm sockets. And everywhere Grimm goes, villagers find their hands replaced with gore fountains.
Mmmm… gore fountains. To see this scene in action is truly a thing of joy. Especially if you derive joy from the sight of farm animals and villagers being haplessly swept into massive metal blades and chopped into flying gibs.
Alright, it’s Chinese New Year eve here. I’m going to go blow things up. Hopefully I won’t get gibbed!
