GrimGrimoire OnceMore Review

vanillaware is a Japanese video game developer studio that has an interesting portfolio of games. Although not a large library, each release receives praise and good reviews for its unique style of hand-drawn graphics, along with strong storylines and 2D gameplay. For a while now, they’ve been bringing out some of their classic games, and for which the studio became known, for modern platforms. It is the case of Odin Sphere Leifthrasir of 2015 and Dragon’s Crown Pro in 2018. Now, it’s time to GrimGrimoire OnceMore which was announced last year.

He GrimGrimoire original, it was the second game released for the PS2 in 2007 and automatically became a cult classic. Taking advantage of the fact that games can now reach a wider audience, Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America bring us this remaster of the classic strategy adventure with in-demand graphical and quality-of-life improvements to modern consoles.

Lillet Blan and the Philosopher’s Stone

GrimGrimoire’s storyline is one of the strongest aspects of the game. The story begins when the young apprentice, Lillet Blan, arrives at the magic academy. Silver Star Tower, where she has signed up to become a full-fledged witch. However, as the days go by, she discovers various disturbing events happening within the academy. Among the events mentioned, is that the director of the academy has disappeared and that the school has been invaded by demons. Lillet must use her magical abilities to help her classmates and discover the truth behind the principal’s disappearance.

The story is told through a series of animated cutscenes and text-based dialogue sequences. At the beginning, the first days serve as a tutorial to get to know the controls, in addition to introducing us to the different characters with whom we will have interaction such as teachers and other students. Part of the charm of the game is the great script and the interpretations of the characters that overflow with a lot of charisma. This is due to the staging and the artistic section for which the studio is known.

Inevitably, we have a story that will sound very familiar to productions that we have already seen in both books and movies, and we are referring to the similarities with Harry Potter. However, the game stands out from the work of JK Rowling in the structure of the plot that tells everything through five days that are repeated several times and in which each trip reveals details and information about the ins and outs of the academy.

The game’s writing is excellent, with well-developed characters and a compelling plot. The game also has multiple endings, depending on the choices the player makes during gameplay.

Strategy and Tower Defense

GrimGrimoire’s core mechanic is a combination of real-time strategy and tower defense elements. The game takes place in a kind of tower on a 2D plane that has several floors and our objective is to create defenses through runes either to defeat a rival or resist hordes of enemies for a certain time.

The game takes place in a 2D plane and we must manage, summon and control creatures to defend the academy from the hordes of demons. The game has a tutorial that explains the game mechanics and controls, which are relatively easy to understand. To begin with, we must collect crystals that serve as resources to summon or improve our defenses. These crystals can be collected by different creatures (depending on the magical school they belong to), either elves or ghosts whose difference is the way they move around the map.

The game has four schools of magic or types of units that we can invoke: Witchcraft, Chemistry, Necromancy and Glamour. Units can be fairies/elves, undead/ghosts, dragons, and golems. Each of these units has its strengths and weaknesses, and we must know how to use them strategically to defeat the enemy. These units can be upgraded by collecting mana, which is generated over time or by defeating enemies. In addition, in each game we have a limited number of units and we must know how to distribute them to be victorious.

The key is knowing how to manage each unit, since some are stronger depending on the number of them available. Others are better for defending areas, and others by themselves are quite powerful, but creating them requires a lot of crystals and requires a lot of time as the Dragons. It should be noted that the enemy has the same conditions as us and in general, they will try to eliminate the source of crystals to leave us defenseless.

The game features a day/night cycle, with certain spells and units only available during specific times of the day. The game also has a research system that allows us to unlock new spells and units as we progress through the game.

It really is a complex system that with practice we can master, but it requires a lot of effort and being aware of every corner of the tower. However, improvements include being able to choose units with button combinations to make controls easier.

enchanted upgrades

The first thing we notice is the adaptation of the screen ratio to 16:9 with a better resolution of the graphics. Another inclusion is the new “Great Magic” system which is four types of new magic to use during battles. We have a button to speed up the action and reduce unit creation waiting times.

Other improvements are saves in the middle of combat, adjustments to the Hard difficulty level that make it more challenging than the original version. Also, a Skill Tree was included that we filled with coins that we got by completing objectives in each phase. Coins can be used to reinforce familiars and can be returned. And finally a Gallery Mode to enjoy the illustrations of the game.

magically beautiful

GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a beautiful game with a display of cool hand-drawn illustrations. In each scene the characters are semi-static and will have slight movements. The same happens with the battles, we will see mythical creatures as imagined by Vanillaware. Graphically, its charm lies in the illustrations and the artistic direction in which each scene is a painting on its own. However, it only has a single scenario for the battles, something that is tiring once we are in the enemy fight.

The soundtrack is provided by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who has composed music for other games such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. It has medieval, epic and magical melodies. It has orchestral themes reminiscent of works by Tim Burton, Harry Potter, and other classical pieces. It comes with Japanese and English dubs with English texts. The actors do a very good job, and they are part of what makes the story interesting.

GrimGrimoire’s graphics are beautiful and highly detailed. The game uses hand-drawn 2D illustrations, which gives it a unique and charming look. The character designs are well done, with each character having their own style and personality. The game’s backgrounds are also highly detailed, with multiple layers adding depth to the game’s environments.

Verdict

GrimGrimoire OnceMore mixes strategy with tower defense in a masterful way and takes us to a fantasy world where not everything is as it seems. It has an interesting story that has some unexpected plot twists, in addition to the great performances of the actors behind the characters. Its battle system can be overwhelming, but we can master it with patience. As a remaster it brings us the usual additions of graphic improvements and in the quality of life of the game, just as Vanillaware did with Odin Sphere Leftrasir.

Note: This review was made on the PS5 version and the code was provided thanks to NIS America.