Aaron - MrIrelandish
1 April 2023
GrimGrimoire Oncemore
GrimGrimoire OnceMore is an adventure, real-time strategy game that is remastered from the original release for PlayStation 2 back in 2007. NIS America brings this classic game developed by Vanillaware Ltd back to life for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, releasing on the 4th of April in the US, the 7th of April in Europe, and the 14th of April in Australia and New Zealand.
Lillet Blan was invited to a Magic Academy where only the talented were accepted. This school was led by the famous magician Gammel Dore, who had once defeated the evil Archmage. Where they study now, the Silver Star Tower was once the vanquished Archmages castle.
On the first night after arriving, you are told not to venture the halls at night or else the ghost of a witch will take you away, and you turn up days later tortured and unrecognizable. Five days after she had arrived at the academy, something terrible happened and all lives were lost, well almost all, Lillet Blan was mysteriously sent back through time, back to after her first day. Can you escape the loop and find out what is happening?
GrimGrimoire OnceMore is an action-packed, real-time strategy game that challenges players to defend rune portals from scores of enemies. The game features four schools of magic that can be used, including Sorcery, Necromancy, Glamour, and Alchemy. Each school has its own unique set of familiars, which come in two types: Substance or Astral. Collect mana from crystals in order to summon more units in aiding in the defense.
The remastered version of GrimGrimoire OnceMore features several new additions that improve upon the original game. Players can now use a skill tree to enhance their familiars' abilities and make them even more powerful. There is also grand magic, which allows players to unleash powerful spells that can turn the tide of battle in their favor. The tactical notebook is another new addition that helps players plan their strategies and coordinate their attacks with greater precision. There is also a difficulty setting and a speed-up function that allows players to adjust the pace of the game to their liking.
As players progress through the game's story, they unlock new runes and units that can be used to defend their portals. The game even starts with a tutorial that helps players learn the basics of each new unit as it is introduced, making it easy to pick up and play. This adds an exciting element of strategy to the game, as players must carefully choose which units and runes to deploy in each battle in order to succeed.
Being a real-time strategy game, players move the cursor around with a series of other buttons to make things happen. The control scheme may not translate well to console, and it may work better with a mouse and keyboard. However, for what was there at the time in 2007, it works well and is done well. The tutorial segments do a good job of teaching controls, which may be easy to fumble.
The graphics are a standout feature, with its 2.5D dynamic cutscenes that are visually impressive and add an extra layer of excitement to the storytelling. The lip-synced voicing adds a layer of authenticity to the characters, making them feel more real and believable. The creature designs are also impressive, with unique and creative designs that help to make the game world feel more immersive. The altered screen ratio and enhanced graphics add to the overall experience, making the world more vibrant and detailed than ever before.
The audio is well-done, with both English and Japanese voice acting available for players to choose from. The sound effects are crisp and add to the immersion of the game. The soundtrack boasts a happy fantasy adventure theme during cutscenes fitting the mood of the story. The moment the cutscenes change mood, the tempo of the music increases or decreases to create more tension. During the gameplay, the soundtrack is more symphonic with the tempo increasing when the enemies are close to or about to engage with your units. The sound effects are crisp and add to the immersion of the game with each unit having their own sounds, which adds to the unit's uniqueness.
Overall GrimGrimoire OnceMore is a good game. Die-hard fans of the original will definitely enjoy the enhanced graphics, difficulty, and speed-up function. Despite my preference for the control scheme and being a first-time player of the series, I enjoyed my time spent playing through the story and learning the mysteries of the academy.
7.5
10
The Bad
- Immersive soundtrack
- Unique gameplay
- Unique character design
- Controls