Vanillaware is one of the few development teams that I feel consistently gets overlooked for being niche or strange. Granted, every one of their games tends to have some experimental element involved, but they all have great storylines and fantastic visual design. GrimGrimoire OnceMore returns to where it all began for Vanillaware, being a reworked version of their first chronological release in the West. Technically they’d worked on other games in Japan prior, but GrimGrimoire was their debut for Western audiences.

I missed the original release of GrimGrimoire, since NIS America was notorious for limited runs of Western copies of their games back in the early 2000s. As such, Blockbuster was always out of copies when I went to rent one (showing my age) for the PlayStation 2. However, elements of GrimGrimoire would go on to make the foundation of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which I greatly enjoyed.

Sadly, the development team behind GrimGrimoire apparently didn’t learn anything from it. GrimGrimoire OnceMore suffers from the exact same problem that 13 Sentinels was maligned by. It feels like two separate experiences bundled together.

Before we get too far into that, let’s talk about the premise and story. Vanillaware games always shine when it comes to their characters, story, and worldbuilding, which definitely applies here. You are put in the role of Lillet Blan, an apprentice witch who goes to the Tower of Silver Star to learn magic. The Tower is a magic school with ancient roots and holds plenty of secrets. As she meets the inhabitants of the tower, students and teachers alike, she discovers a mystery and threat that will have far-reaching consequences.

The story of GrimGrimoire OnceMore has all sorts of elements from time loops to typical magic-school shenanigans. However, this is not a tale for the faint of heart. There are tragic and mature elements involved, so despite the beautiful hand-drawn visuals, this isn’t something I’d play with small children present. With that being said, things don’t get super graphic, so if you do have a kid around you won’t have to aggressively schedule your play time either.

Gameplay alternates between story segments that play out akin to a visual novel, and RTS (Real-Time Strategy) segments that require Lillet to command Familiars (Units) in order to protect her runes which allow her to summon creatures. Each battle has different victory conditions and secondary objectives as well. Fulfilling all the conditions (not just the victory ones) gets you Coins which you can invest in a skill tree to upgrade Lillet’s units, runes, and more.

This is a new mechanic for the reworked GrimGrimoire OnceMore version and adds some extra depth to the gameplay. Also added to the game is the Grand Magic mechanic, a mechanic that allows Lillet to cast powerful spells that can help her turn the tide of certain battles as she tries to eliminate enemy runes and units. These Grand Magic abilities can only be used a limited number of times, so using them wisely is important.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of RTS mechanics. In fact, I really wish the developers had provided a “real-time with pause” option, so that I could pause the game, issue commands, do tactical calculations, and adjust as needed. This is where I say GrimGrimoire feels like two different games. I love the story, the world-building, and the setting. However, the RTS mechanics make me wish the gameplay was structured more around exploring the Tower rather than being stuck in static RTS-style defense arenas.

Of course, fans of the original game will love GrimGrimoire OnceMore. The HD graphics are a feast for the eyes, and quality-of-life improvements like being able to save in battle or fast-forward slow gameplay elements make things much more user-friendly.

If you’re a fan of RTS games or you enjoyed GrimGrimoire the first time around, I highly recommend GrimGrimoire OnceMore. However, if you aren’t a fan of RTS games this might not be for you. The story is great, and I’d say the RTS mechanics are easy enough to understand that beginners could enjoy it though. Either way, GrimGrimoire OnceMore is the definitive version of a cult classic title.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of GrimGrimoire OnceMore was provided by NIS America for this review.

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GrimGrimoire OnceMore

$49.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Interesting Storyline
• Gorgeous Visuals
• In-Depth RTS Mechanics
• Quality-Of-Life Additions
• Reworked Difficulty

Cons

• No "Real-Time With Pause" Function
• RTS Gameplay Isn't That Interesting