I can see why GrimGrimoire is a rather obscure title in Vanillaware’s catalogue. GrimGrimoire was originally released on the PS2 to good reviews, but it was a commercial failure. 15 years later, it got a re-release under the title “GrimGrimoire Once More” for the PS4, PS5, and Switch. I played the demo of Once More and thought it was alright. I got the game on sale and dropped it later.

The game is unlike the usual Vanillaware title. There is no hacking and slashing or beating up in this game. GrimGrimoire is a real-time strategy game (RTS) where you summon different creatures to get mana and fight against enemies. You use a cursor to command your creatures to move, attack, guard, or defend. For RTS fans, this sounds right up their alley. For people who never cared about real-time strategy games like me, good God. This game is so boring.

I do not even hate the RTS genre. I thought since I played the demo, I would give that genre a chance. Maybe it can make me a fan. However, it did not work. GrimGrimoire Once More did not make me a fan of RTS. It is so boring that it makes me want to distance myself from the genre even more. That is going to be a problem if I ever get to 13 Sentinels.

I did not care about the story or the characters. It seemed like a standard time loop story, but I do not know if it will get better later. The characters were not that interesting either. They seemed cliched.

I do not need to go into detail about Vanillaware’s art because it is immaculate. As boring as this game may be, at least it looks amazing.

GrimGrimoire Once More is a boring game that did not change my opinion on the RTS genre. RTS fans can find enjoyment here, but this is a tough sell for non-RTS fans. It is a shame that I could not finish this game. I wanted to like it, but I found it so dull. At least it looks amazing.