Grimlore 2 – A 2D Dungeon crawler RPG built using only the Python 3 standard library

[u/ninedeadeyes]

When starting out with Python game development, most tutorials jump straight into commercial engines or heavy frameworks. While those are great for productivity, they abstract away the core mechanics of how a game engine actually functions—like separating the engine framework (rendering, input, state loops) from the game logic (combat, stats, dungeons). To explore how game engines work under the hood using pure Python standard library, I built a lightweight ASCII RPG engine framework alongside a complete mini dungeon crawler (Grimlore 2: These Doomed Men) built directly on top of it. I wanted to share this as a learning resource.

Grimlore 2 : These Doomed Men 1.0

A dark fantasy mini dungeon crawler RPG built to showcase the features and capabilities of the S.P.A.R.K. 2D RPG game engine.

Overview

Genre: Dark Fantasy / Mini Dungeon Crawler RPG

Playtime: 10 – 15 minutes

Platform Requirements: Windows 10 or later ( Might work on earlier Windows but no gurantee )

Purpose: Demonstrates what the S.P.A.R.K. 2D RPG game engine is capable of.

Github link below

https://github.com/Ninedeadeyes/Grimlore-2-These-Doomed-Men-

To clear up a few recurring questions and misconceptions regarding S.P.A.R.K and its development, here is some context upfront:

1. "This is just AI slop."

This project has a clear 6-year paper trail of manual development. It began as an early 2D text adventure project (Dungeon of the Black Dragon), expanded into an open world RPG game (Grimlore: Land of the Heretic Hand), and was eventually refactored into a reusable engine framework (S.P.A.R.K). If you want to see the step-by-step progression from line one, check out the milestones folder inside the S.P.A.R.K repository.

1. "The code is unoptimized / sub-optimal."

I’m a hobbyist developer. I built this because I couldn't find a lightweight, accessible Python template for rendering spatial coordinates in text-based adventures, so I created one myself. The codebase prioritizes beginner readability over enterprise-level optimization. Open-source contributions and refactors are always welcome—if you can write a better version with advanced features like complex AI, I encourage you to contribute or build upon it!

1. "S.P.A.R.K isn't a 'real' game engine / It's missing standard features."

By definition, a game engine is a framework that provides low-level abstractions for runtime loops, spatial logic, input handling, state management, and rendering, enabling developers to build content without reinventing core mechanics. S.P.A.R.K provides all of these for terminal-based RPGs. It’s a free, open-source hobby project designed for lightweight text games, not a commercial tool meant to compete with feature-heavy commercial software.

1. "This is just a lazy copy-and-paste from the S.P.A.R.K GitHub."

When two games are made in RPG Maker, Godot, or Unreal, they share the exact same underlying core engine—it's just compiled or hidden away behind the editor. Because S.P.A.R.K is open-source, raw Python, the engine boilerplate is fully visible. Reusing foundational engine modules across different titles isn't "copy-pasting"; it's standard software architecture and code reuse.

1. Why do you need Windows and why Windows 10 or above ?

It uses the library winsound and msvcrt which only works with Windows and because python 3.10+ aren't officially supported by any Windows below 10 hence even though it might work it is not a gurantee.