![]() Leveling up runes as you create them also gives a variety of bonuses, such as increased HP or new abilities for your units. Opening up a Grimoire allows players to summon runes, which in turn can be used to summon helpers, attack units, and towers. Contrary to traditional real-time strategy (RTS) fare, GrimGrimoire battles are played in vertical maps depicting the halls of the school's tower. ![]() The title of the game takes its name from the Grimoires, or magical books, which are used to summon all manner of creatures, from sinister demons to friendly elves. The true meat of GrimGrimoire, however, lies in the gameplay. This does not mean that GrimGrimoire isn't charming in its own right, but for those looking for an epic fantasy brimming with edge-of-your-seat intrigue will not find it here. The story should only take an average player a little over 15 hours to complete, and though the characters are charming and the story has a few small twists, it ultimately cannot compare to the grandeur of other notable Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs). Vanillaware set the narrative bar high with an epic story and intriguing characters with their previous works, and unfortunately GrimGrimoire seems to have suffered because of it. The gently moving backgrounds and character illustrations exhibit a breathtaking level of detail that can be appreciated by both fans of Vanillaware and newcomers to their work. ![]() Though the cut-scenes don't offer the same theatricality that we've come to expect from games in recent years, I personally found the storybook style, which is reminiscent of visual novels, much more appealing than the majority of game narration these days due to its unique style and high-quality illustrations. The English voice actors were decent, but as a fan of hearing media in its original language, I found myself quickly switching back to the original Japanese. As with most NIS America localizations, the original Japanese as well as the English dub are available to select. Story sequences are interspersed between levels by way of large animated character portraits on static backgrounds, accompanied by full voiceovers. My favorite character was hands-down the devil Advocat, who oozes charm and has a witty retort to everything, including his allegiance, which is a constant question mark. The major characters are all named after various alcoholic drinks, oddly enough, and over the course of Lillet's journey we're introduced to the eclectic cast of professors at Silver Star Tower including an alchemist who's been transformed into a lion, the necromancer who is hopelessly in love with him, and an enigmatic devil who teaches sorcery. Time loops are nothing new, just as witches and magic academies are commonplace in our media today, but Vanillaware's signature flair makes the premise seem fresh. Now Lillet is forced to relive those five days over and over again until she can solve the mystery surrounding the horrible tragedy. Before she meets a similar fate, a mysterious power propels her back in time to the day she first arrived. After a mere five days, Lillet awakens to find everyone dead except her. Teenager Lillet Blan attends prestigious magic school? Ever since Harry Potter, the magical academy premise has suffered from almost immediate redundancy, but in this case the similarities end there. On the surface, GrimGrimoire's story is like one you might have heard before. Unfortunately, timing its release at the end of the PS2's life meant that it was doomed to be an enthusiasts'-only title from the start. Developed by Vanillaware, makers of the PS2 cult hit Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire features luscious character and background art combined with tactical gameplay. With the recent implementation of a new PlayStation 2 classics line on the PSN, it's now easier than ever to pick up titles that may have been missed from that era. LOW Dedicating 30 minutes to a stage, only to die and have to start all over from the beginning… AGAIN. HIGH Completely overrunning the enemy with an army made up entirely of chimera and dragons.
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