American McGee’s Grimm: King Midas

About the Game

American McGee’s Grimm: King Midas is the 11th episode of American McGee’s Grimm and was released on November 13, 2008 for Windows. Developed by Spicy Horse and originally published through GameTap, the series consists of 23 standalone episodes that reinterpret traditional fairy tales and myths in darker and more satirical forms.

The episode is based on the Greek myth of King Midas. Its story incorporates elements from the traditional tale, including Midas, Apollo and Marsyas, before focusing on the famous golden touch. As with the other Grimm episodes, the original story is transformed into a deliberately dark and grotesque parody.

Gameplay follows the basic mechanics of Grimm. The player controls Grimm from a third-person perspective, moving through environments while spreading his dark influence. Objects and characters are transformed as Grimm passes near them, filling the Dark-O-Meter and progressively increasing the range and strength of his abilities. Some characters attempt to restore the environment, creating an additional obstacle during each episode.

In King Midas, the transformation mechanic is adapted around gold. Objects and NPCs touched by Grimm become golden, while the increased weight of the transformed objects affects the environment. Leaves can fall to the ground and boats can sink, making the golden transformation an actual part of the level design rather than simply a visual effect.

The episode takes place across a series of locations inspired by Ancient Greece and Greek mythology, including the Greek plains, the Muses’ music court, Midas’ kingdom, the barber’s location, Midas’ backyard, the town port, the River Patoclames, Hades and Olympus.

The main objective is to corrupt and transform the environment rather than solve conventional adventure-game puzzles. Players spread Grimm’s influence across each area while navigating platform sections and searching for hidden objects and tokens. Completing a full conversion of the level provides an additional challenge beyond simply reaching the end of the episode.

Each Grimm episode is designed as a short standalone experience, generally lasting around 30 minutes, although completionist playthroughs can take considerably longer. King Midas follows the same structure and functions as an individual chapter within Season 2.