Vanillaware, the developers of RPG classics like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and Odinsphere have announced a remaster of their PS2 cult classic GrimGrimoire, titled ‘GrimGrimoire OnceMore’.
The game will be released for the Nintendo Switch and PS4 in Japan on July 28th, 2022.
GrimGrimoire is a real-time strategy game where you play as the young witch, Lillet Blan who has been trapped in a time loop at her wizarding school by a mysterious evil.
GrimGrimoire OnceMore will feature a number of new features including a new voice cast and HD graphics.
A list of the new features was listed by Gematsu:
- New System: “Great Magic” – Four types of “Great Magic” that can be used during a battle has been implemented. Activated with newly illustrated cut-ins.
- High-resolution graphics and widescreen aspect ratio.
- “Fast-Forward” function for battle and story parts.
- “Mid-Battle Save” function for battle parts.
- The difficulty level of the “Hard” mode has been adjusted to be more challenging than the original version.
- New System: Skill Tree – Earn coins by completing tasks set for each stage. Coins can be used to strengthen familiars. Coins can also be refunded.
- Gallery Mode – Enjoy various illustrations.
- New voice cast:
- Lillet Blan (voiced by Iori Saeki)
- Margarita Surprise (voiced by Miharu Hanai)
- Gammel Dore (voiced by Miharu Hanai)
- Advocat (voiced by Hiromichi Tezuka)
The original game was released for the PS2 in 2007, developed by Vanillaware and published by Nippon Ichi Software, who will be publishing the remaster as well. It was the second game Vanillaware ever made and the first developed under the name Vanillaware (they were previously known as Puraguru).
The studio is known for their beautiful hand-drawn artwork and narrative-driven RPGs. Following GrimGrimore, they have since gone on to make a number of critically acclaimed games including Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Dragon’s Crown, and most recently 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim.