Video game publisher Nippon Ichi Software has announced a remaster of the Vanillaware PS2 title GrimGrimoire. The remastered game titled GrimGrimoire OnceMore will release in English sometime in the spring of 2023.
Originally released on the PS2, GrimGrimoire is a 2D Real Time Strategy game where players summon and control monsters on a flat playing field. While the RTS genre is typically known for having some depth in games like Warcraft III or Age of Empires, the maps of GrimGrimoire seem more like platformer stages than battlefields.
The game’s developer Vanillaware is known for its hand-drawn assets, smooth animation, and distinctive art style. The company entered the mainstream with the release of Odin Sphere in 2007 and again with Dragon’s Crown in 2013.
You can check out the trailer for GrimGrimoire OnceMore here.
Players will use their magic to conjure and control beasts. Using these beasts, they’ll explore the map, fight enemies, and clear objectives. The ultimate goal is to stop the Archmage Calvaros who created the Philosopher’s Stone and goes on a rampage in The Tower of Silver Star, a school for young mages.
Lillet Blan is a young witch in training from out in the countryside who’s ignorant of the politics and power struggles in the tower. Fate conspires to help Lillet solve the problem of Calvaros however, when an errant spell allows her to repeat the five days leading up to Calvaros’s attack on the school. Along the way, Lillet will learn about her teachers and classmates and grow stronger so she can defeat Calvaros, save the school, and become a respectable witch in her own right.
The game features a fully voiced cast, and players can expect remastered graphics, higher resolution hand-drawn assets, and new skills compared to the original release. The game will also include Limited Edition and Deluxe physical releases at different price points with each including collectible goods.
Buyers of the GrimGrimoire OnceMore Limited Edition will receive:
- A physical copy of the game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation 5
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Witches & Wonders” Hardcover Art Book
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Spellbinding Symphonies” 2-disc Soundtrack
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Magical Mayhem” Cloth Poster
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Once More Upon a Time” Acrylic Display
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Portable Spells” Keychains (Set of 4)
- GrimGrimoire OnceMore “Mystical Portraits” Art Cards (Set of 5)
- and a collector’s box
The Deluxe Edition will include a digital download code for the soundtrack and a mini art book. The Limited Edition bundle is going for $89.99 USD on NIS America’s online store. We can expect the Deluxe Edition to fall somewhere below that.
A firm release date for GrimGrimoire OnceMore has yet to be announced, check back here at Gameranx for more details as we get closer to that nebulous “Spring 2023” release.
