Back in 2007, Nippon Ichi and Vanillaware collaborated on a game called GrimGrimoire. It was actually the very first game that the Vanillaware created under its current label, and it represented so much of what we have come to love about the company; its eye for incredible 2D art and its ability to do a lot with what on the surface seems quite humble.
Now the two are collaborating again to remaster GrimGrimoire. This is a 2D strategy game with the distinctive Vanillaware visual flair, and while I’ve never played it, that’s enough of a summary to know that I absolutely must play it.
The new title will be called GrimGrimoire OnceMore, and will be released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and it will be released very soon in Japan – July 28, in fact. There is currently no word on a western release, but I can’t imagine that NISA will pass up the chance to stick a Vanillaware game on the shelves.
More than just a graphical uplift, GrimGrimoire OnceMore will have a wide range of new features, including some difficulty tuning (so that hard mode is much more difficult), the implementation of a skill tree for unit upgrades, and a mid-battle save function so you don’t have to sit down for such lengthy periods of time between saves. There are even new magic spells to cast, so for those familiar with the original game, this should come across as a major upgrade.
For those of us that are not familiar with it, here’s the opportunity to discover a Vanillaware for the first time. That’s always a special experience.
Please Vanillaware, bring Odin Sphere to the Switch as well!