Fantasy-themed real-time strategy coated with classic vanillaware charm.
First released on PS2, GrimGrimoire is a real-time strategy (RTS) game from Vanillaware, makers of Dragon’s Crown and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and Nippon Ichi Software (NIS), makers of the Disgaea series. The re-release of Once More features a new skill tree and a revamped user interface, along with remastered graphics that truly enhance the already compelling storybook look that Vanillaware is famous for. Guide a young magician through dozens of missions as she attempts to uncover the mysteries of the Silver Stars and Towers she is studying. The narrative can be a little hard to follow at times, but the controls of this console RTS are solid and the gameplay loops offer a satisfying fantasy-focused take on the genre.
You play as Lille Blanc, a young and energetic girl dressed in a traditional mage outfit. During her first few days at her new school, she meets various professors, whose classes she learns the details of Grim Grimoire’s gameplay. Levels are represented by books on a bookshelf, with cutscenes and individual missions separated by different colors. The 25 trial stages have their own row on the shelf, but these aren’t required to see the main her story through to completion. Strong voice acting and script underpin the narrative elements of the experience, though the quirky names thrown in along the way can be a little disconcerting.
The 2D nature of GrimGrimoire’s real-time strategy can make the gameplay seem fairly straightforward, but the variety of units and abilities to train and master make nearly every stage a fun challenge. Units are summoned from runes and act like portals that can be upgraded to spawn more units and strengthen them. The 12 runes are grouped into four magical categories, including elves, fairies, and glammers that can summon unicorns. In most stages, he starts with one or two runes and a handful of units from each family, but additional runes can be built to really change his power. Nothing is free, of course. All units, runes, and upgrades cost mana. This must be harvested from crystals by sending worker units there and converting crystals to the mine type. RTS trapping is very easy and anyone who has played it will quickly understand how it works. The addition of the Grand Magic spell to Oncemore allows you to summon flames to deal damage in a wide area or run a spell that rewinds time, but the use of this ability is limited.
Most missions require you to destroy all of your opponent’s runes or survive for a certain amount of time. Press and hold ZR to fast forward, and the speed of this feature can also be adjusted in the game settings. From the start, he has three difficulty modes, Easy, Medium, and Hard, and you can choose your favorite mode before each mission. Completing the game unlocks his fourth difficulty, which is even harder. Certain skill tree perks are only available on certain difficulty settings.
Skill trees are one of the most obvious additions to the OnceMore version. You can upgrade units and their associated runes using coins earned from missions. For example, for the Hadesgate rune of the Necromancy branch, Ghost and Phantom units can be upgraded to increase their attack and speed, lower their mana cost, or even grant them new abilities. The best part about skill trees is that you can refund purchased upgrades. So you can play with different loadouts and take back coins to spend on any rune you like. The display on these screens could be a bit clearer and the font larger, but the way you can use the optional trial stage to earn more coins and unlock more upgrades is GrimGrimoire We do a lot to make it a more player-friendly experience.
The hand-drawn visuals are very good in terms of cutscenes and character/creature designs, but the stages themselves are a disappointment in comparison. They basically look the same, with the same stairs, black background and pillars. With so many different enemies to deal with, it adds variety to the gameplay itself, but you can certainly take advantage of the variety on the playing field as well.
GrimGrimoire OnceMore (with feel) is a textbook example of how to maintain a fun experience and modernize it for modern audiences. works for The stages do get a little repetitive as you progress through the main story, but these bones are enough to justify the purchase for fans of Vanillaware’s previous work, or anyone looking for a satisfying RTS with a fantasy paint job. There is enough meat for
