Grendel
“Grr. Hello hand. Grendel here now.”
- 2types: Grendel and Eryx Grendel
- Up to 8on your desktop at once
- 17animations, mostly grumpy
- Offlinenever touches the internet
What it's like
In Creatures 2, Grendels were the ones stealing the Norns’ toys and spreading germs. On your desktop they’re a bit better behaved – a bit. They stomp about, growl, kick, drum, tap their feet impatiently, sit and sulk, and snore through the small hours.
Grendels speak simple, grumpy Grendel. There are no Yes/No buttons: they say what they think, and the bubble goes away on its own.
The first time it starts, you pick your Grendel – classic or Eryx – or press Surprise me. Swap any time with “Change this one…”.
Things Grendel says
A few lines from the real thing. Grendel chat every minute or two; the bubble closes itself once there's been time to read it.
Grr. Hello hand. Grendel here now.
Button red. Grendel push. What happen?
Grendel like dark. Dark quiet.
Grendel want food. Hand get food?
Grendel very lonely.
This my place! Grr!
Grendel and grendel. Norn run now.
Moves & moods
Drawn by the real pal – these are straight out of the app. Here's what each one is and when it happens.
Standing about
Glaring. Glancing left and right.
Walking
Stomping about the screen, mostly along the bottom.
Talking
Grunts in the Creatures 2 Grendel voice while the bubble types out.
Grumpy
Its favourite. Growls – and sometimes when poked.
Kick
Kicks at things. Often.
Drum
Bangs out a beat.
Toe tap
Impatient.
Wave
Occasionally. Grudgingly.
Hello
When it arrives, and when it meets another Grendel.
Sit
Sits and sulks.
Sleep
Late at night (11pm–6am), and sometimes on a 20-minute timer. Snores.
Sneeze
Now and then.
Shiver
Brrr.
Poked
Laughs when you click it.
Dropped
“Ow” – and it'll remember that.
Side view
Faces the way it's going.
From behind
Off up the screen.
Grendels make the game's own noises: they grunt in Grendel when they talk, growl when grumpy, laugh when poked, say “ow” when dropped, shiver and snore. Mute them with the 🔊 on any Grendel, pick a volume, or set quiet hours from the Sound menu.
Poke it, drag it, try to close it
Poke it
Click a Grendel and it laughs (or growls) and says something. Poke it four times in a row and it gets cross.
Stop! Grendel angry!
No poke! No!
Pick it up and drop it
Drag it anywhere. It says “ow” when it lands, and holds a grudge.
Grr! Hand drop Grendel!
Hmph. New place. Okay place.
Add another
Up to eight Grendels at once – classic and Eryx, mixed however you like. They notice each other, walk over and (grudgingly) say hello.
Grr. Other grendel. Hmph.
You find norn toy? Give.
Send one home
The × on a Grendel sends that one home. Close the last one and you get the plea first. “Bye, Grendel” closes it.
Hand send Grendel away? 😠 Grendel be good. Grendel not hit. Much.
Bye. Grendel take toy with.
The “are you sure?” plea
It's the most 2003 thing about the pals, and our favourite. Quit from the menu bar or tray, press ⌘Q or AltF4, click the × that appears when you hover over them – whatever you do, Grendel slides in from the side of the screen and asks you to reconsider.
It's a joke, not a trap. The close button is right there, and it works first time. Pressing Esc or the keep button means “fine, stay”. And if your computer is shutting down or logging out, there's no plea at all – it gets out of the way.
Every Grendel you can have
The Grendel from the game, and the Eryx Grendel from the Creatures community.
From the Creatures games (1)
- Grendel
Fan-made breeds (1)
- Eryx Grendel Made by Studz
The Eryx Grendel was made by James himself back in the day, under his Creatures community name, Studz.
What Grendel connects to
Nothing. Ever.
Grendels never connect to the internet. They have no feeds to read and nothing to fetch – they work exactly the same with your Wi-Fi off. They don't open web pages either; the only link anywhere is the WhiteFish Creative website in the About box, and only if you click it.
Download Grendel
Pick the file for your computer. No account, no email address, nothing to sign up for.
Pal pack for PalPlayer
One small file that works on Mac, Windows and Linux. Install PalPlayer once, then double-click the pack to add Grendel – every pal you add after that is a quick download too.
Or the standalone app
Grendel on its own – no PalPlayer needed. A bigger download, because each standalone pal brings its own copy of everything it needs to run.
macOS
Signed & notarised by WhiteFish Creative LimitedOpen the .dmg and drag Grendel into Applications. It opens with no warnings. Not sure which Mac you have? Apple menu → About This Mac: “Chip: Apple M…” means Apple silicon.
Windows
Not code-signed on Windows (yet)Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). Nothing to install – just run the .exe. SmartScreen may say it “protected your PC”, because the file isn't signed – click More info → Run anyway. Why?
Version 1.0.0 · Free · No account needed · How to uninstall
Creatures, Norns, Grendels and Ettins are from Creatures 1 & 2 by CyberLife Technology / Creature Labs. Fan-made breeds by their creators, credited on each pal's page.