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    GrimGrimoire OnceMore Review – A Bewitching Remaster

    Uncovering the secrets of the Silver Star Tower.

    Vanillaware is beloved for its stylish 2D titles that bring artwork to life, and the studio has developed many cult-classic titles like Odin Sphere, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and Muramasa. Before its most successful titles, Vanillaware developed and released real-time strategy game GrimGrimoire in 2007 for the PlayStation 2 with publisher Nippon Ichi Software. This relatively overlooked title was considered to be a commercial disappointment in Japan, but GrimGrimoire has an opportunity to shine nearly 16 years later as GrimGrimoire OnceMore

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a signature Vanillaware title with incredible artwork, unique characters that invoke curiosity, and compelling visual and audio design. Additionally number of gameplay improvements make GrimGrimoire OnceMore a more approachable strategy game compared to its original version. Lillet Blan’s magical journey in the Tower of Silver Star is a memorable one with several challenges for the player. Like the Philosopher’s Stone itself, GrimGrimoire OnceMore could be consider rough around the edges, but it certainly lives up to it’s potential. 

    The Girl and the Magical Tower (Story Spoilers Ahead)

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore begins with Lillet Blan, a young witch-in-training, entering magic school at the Silver Star Tower. During her first five days at the Tower, Lillet meets her professors and fellow students while getting acclimated to her new setting. As each day progresses, Lillet becomes wary of certain professors like Advocat and Opalneria due to their strange and potentially dangerous motives. Gammel Dore, the head wizard at the magic school, believes Lillet is overly cautious since such characters are commonplace in the realm of magic. Lillet’s worries appear to be well-warranted as the fifth night approaches, however.

    On the fifth night, the Tower is under attack by the spirit of Calvaros, a wizard that once tried to use the Philosopher’s Stone for his own desires. Lillet quickly discovers that the professors have all been slain by Calvaros, and she manages to avoid her own death when the clock strikes midnight. Lillet is brought back to the first day of school, and she begins to work toward preventing the school’s destruction by Calvaros and his potential associates. In the process, Lillet becomes a stronger magician while learning more about the school’s inhabitants and the situation at hand.

    The Facets of GrimGrimoire

    In GrimGrimoire OnceMore, players have access to the main story and additional trials at the Bookshelf. The pause menu may be accessed at any time, allowing the player to read up on useful tips, upgrade magic, save/load data, and even view beautiful illustrations by the talent at Vanillaware. Each scene and battle may be entered by selecting a book from the bookshelf, and a meter on the top right-hand corner displays overall game progress. If desired, the difficulty setting may be changed at any time while at the Bookshelf. Progress will be retained despite a change in difficulty as well. Normal difficulty is a great setting to start at since the tutorial battles in GrimGrimoire OnceMore are already really insightful.

    Within a visible range, Lillet may conjure runes onto the Tower map to summon Familiars into battle. Runes and Familiars belong to one of four styles of magic: Glamour, Necromancy, Sorcery, and Alchemy. Each style of magic has their own strengths and weaknesses to consider during battle. For instance, Alchemy is strong against Glamour, and Sorcery is weak to Necromancy. After summoning Familiars with Mana, the player may select them by pressing the d-pad buttons or holding Y and hovering over them with the analog stick. Time may be paused to give the player an opportunity to plan out Lillet’s commands or hastened to speed up progress during a battle. Objectives for most battles include destroying all enemy runes or defending runes for a specific amount of time.

    Drawing Toward Mastery

    At the start of GrimGrimoire OnceMore, Lillet may summon Glamour Familiars like Elves and Fairies to gain Mana and battle other Familiars respectively. The player gains access to more magic from the four schools by progressing through the main story and obtaining grimoires. Completing main story battles, missions, and trials awards coins that may be used to purchase Rune and Familiar upgrades from various skill trees in the Study menu. Those wanting to acquire all upgrades must switch to Hard difficulty, however. 

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore features all-new Grand Magic spells that may drastically turn the tide of battle. For example, Mana Burst completely wipes out a wide of area of enemies, and Resurrection heals many wounded Familiars within sight. Four Grand Magic spells are available in Lillet’s arsenal, but only one spell may be used in battle. Further, Grand Magic is unavailable in trial battles, so players will primarily use these spells during the main story. Rune upgrades are a main priority for tackling the game’s most difficult trials after all. 

    Enchanted Remaster

    GrimGrimoire looks better than ever with eye-catching visuals and artwork. The remaster emphasizes the incredible amount of artwork since every single battle awards an illustration. Moreover, the controls of GrimGrimoire OnceMore are refined, allowing players to multi-task and control several units at once. Players may easily examine the entire battlefield at any time due to zoom feature and the 16:9 aspect ratio in the remaster. In the original release, the game’s view was limited to a 4:3 aspect ratio. 

    Alongside the addition of Grand Magic, the Hard difficulty of GrimGrimoire OnceMore has been tweaked to provide a greater challenge. I recommend switching to Hard in the latter half of the playthrough since the late-game stages become rather easy after unlocking most upgrades on Normal. As mentioned briefly, players may now use a fast-forward function in battle and save/load the game at any time, rounding out the overall experience quite nicely in this remaster. GrimGrimoire OnceMore runs perfectly on Nintendo Switch with no technical issues or bugs encountered throughout the entire playthrough.

    Conquering the Tower

    After completing the main story of GrimGrimoire OnceMore, clear data may be loaded to play some post-game content. Hell difficulty is unlocked for those seeking the ultimate RTS challenge. In addition, several “parallel” trials are available to complete, offering a new take on certain story battles. This provides another opportunity for players to finish any trials they may have skipped, acquire all upgrades, and aim for 100% completion. The main story is roughly 13 hours long, and fully completing GrimGrimoire OnceMore takes around 25 hours or so. 

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore’s Normal difficulty became trivial by the end of the playthrough, but this is due to the strength of the upgrades. For instance, Demon and Morning Star Familiars became really overpowered after obtaining all of its upgrades, allowing it to combat most Familiars in the game despite their own weaknesses. On the other hand, Hard and Hell difficulties require some measure of caution since enemies are very powerful and will target weaknesses effectively. A true game of strategy is underfoot on these difficult settings.

    A Solid Vanillaware Experience

    From a devious cast of characters to memorable visuals and a unique combat system, GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a solid Vanillaware game all the way through. The game’s difficulty and control scheme may be a point of contention for some players, but GrimGrimoire OnceMore offers plenty of opportunities for learning and practicing mechanics. GrimGrimoire OnceMore is another example of Vanillaware’s diverse range in the gaming industry, and this remaster has a fair chance to prove itself. 

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore is short, sweet, and a refreshing change of pace that’s reminiscent of RPGs from the beloved PlayStation 2 / Xbox / Nintendo GameCube era. The remaster is nearly flawless on Nintendo Switch, and players will be delighted with its presentation on a Nintendo Switch OLED screen especially. GrimGrimoire OnceMore exudes the charm and aesthetic that’s made Vanillaware a renowned studio, and I already can’t wait for more. 

    Disclaimer: Publisher NIS America sent a review copy of GrimGrimoire OnceMore for Nintendo Switch to Final Weapon. 

    SUMMARY

    GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a great remaster that brings players back into a magical world crafted by Nippon Ichi Software and Vanillaware. This real-time strategy game features a vibrant artstyle, unique gameplay, and a compelling cast of characters.
    Soul Kiwami
    Soul Kiwami
    Raul Ochoa, a.k.a. Soul Kiwami, is the Managing Editor of Final Weapon and a Games Writer at Game Rant with four years of writing and editing experience. Raul is passionate about the Japanese gaming industry, and he's a huge fan of Nintendo Switch, PC hardware, JRPGs, and fighting games. business email: [email protected]

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    GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a great remaster that brings players back into a magical world crafted by Nippon Ichi Software and Vanillaware. This real-time strategy game features a vibrant artstyle, unique gameplay, and a compelling cast of characters. GrimGrimoire OnceMore Review - A Bewitching Remaster