Know what genre doesn’t get enough love lately? Real-time strategy. Granted, there are the classic entries that really do well, but you don’t see enough games of this type take chances on something new.
Vanillaware took an interesting gamble with the 2007 release GrimGrimoire, combining the fantastic hand-drawn visuals it’s usually known for with a real-time strategy element, surrounding a little witch that wanted to learn the most about her magic. The game was a cult hit for its time, and now, thanks to NIS America, it’s got a second chance to shine on new consoles with GrimGrimoire OnceMore.
It doesn’t quite improve upon the formula with any trailblazing new gameplay traits, but there’s enough classic fun here for fans of the genre to check it out.
The Learning Curve
What GrimGrimoire specializes in with its gameplay elements is essentially calling upon runes to do your dirty work. That means different types of creatures that can do damage to enemies, using their specialized abilities. Some are better than others, like larger creatures doing more damage, but others have more interesting abilities, such as ghosts not taking a heaping amount of physical damage.
The depth of strategy with this gameplay is really something, making each battle interesting and new. What’s more, the story moves along right beside it, with interesting new characters lingering around the school and the lead character, Lillet Blan, learning more about herself.
You can also open up new abilities over the course of your game and strengthen up runes however you see fit. That helps add replay value, which is nice considering the maps you’re taking part in are so repetitive. Some new décor would’ve gone a long way here.
Overall, though, it’s neat to see how well the gameplay of GrimGrimoire has held up with OnceMore. And if you somehow missed out on the original release, now’s your chance to indulge every bit of its RTS goodness.
Not a Bad Presentation
Like its previous efforts (most notably Muramasa: The Demon Blade on Wii and PS Vita), GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a great looking game. This is mostly due to its imaginative character design, as well as its neat enemy concepts and its little animations. It all runs beautifully on different platforms, though it’s ideal for on-the-go play on your Nintendo Switch. The only downside is, again, most of the maps look the same.
That said, I did love the audio work included in the game. The music is a good listen as you partake in each of your battles; and the other effects are really well done for a game of this type. It can be quirky in some places, but that’s a well-designed anime-style product for you.
Bewitched
How much you enjoy GrimGrimoire OnceMore really depends on how much you like RTS style games. It definitely isn’t for the platforming set, and will likely turn off those that aren’t much into strategy. However, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll like the new touches this game has, while also bringing back the content that made it so fun to start with way back in the day.
I just hope that NIS America realizes the grand potential of forgotten Vanillaware games and gives us a port of Muramasa next. Please?
