Grim Grimoire: Kabitzin, This One’s For You

Gather ’round kiddos, as it’s time for a flashback scene into Kabitzin’s mysterious past. Once upon a time, our mutual friend Velius and I invited Kabitzin to join us in a round of Warlords Battlecry II, an excellent real-time strategy game which we had been enjoying. Kabitzin warned us that this would be his first exposure to the RTS genre, but we assured him that he would be fine. Little did we know the horrors that would await us. Inexplicably, within the first five minutes of the game, he had somehow incurred the wrath of the ordinarily passive wildlife, and his base ended up being destroyed by the wrathful feet of some random desert camels. After this traumatic incident, Kabitzin swore a solemn oath never to touch an RTS again, and thereafter wandered from FPS to FPS, atoning for his sin.

In the following years, I tried again and again to lure him into the fold of RTS righteousness, with little success. However, I recently played an oddball gem known as Grim Grimoire that may allow him to come to terms his tortured past. In light of his personal history with RTS games, I hereby declare Grim Grimoire to be “the RTS that even Kabitzin could enjoy“. You can quote me on that, much like how I quoted myself.

Grim Grimoire is very unusual in that:

1. It’s a 2-D side-scrolling RTS, with a Chutes-and-Ladders style layout.
2. It is purely a single-player, story-driven experience. In the RTS world, this is madness.

The advanced features found in most modern RTS games are eliminated in favor of a simpler and more pure gameplay style that is very sensible and balanced. I wasn’t overly distraught that I couldn’t assign groups or set waypoints because the game design makes these features unnecessary. I was also surprised that the controls were well implemented and felt very natural; creating RTS controls for a console is no laughing matter. In addition, no extreme micromanagement skills are needed because the game time freezes when you’re selecting orders, like in KOTOR. All this is possible because of the streamlined system that minimizes the complexity while retaining the core essence of RTS gaming, thus making Grim Grimoire very appealing to aspiring strategy gamers. You could even go so far as to call this a “gateway” RTS.

I loved the incredible art in both the talking scenes and in the RTS units – there were tons of cool little details in the unit animations, like how the little elves skid a bit before coming to a stop. Always grateful for the Japanese language option, though the English track was actually pretty decent for the most part. However, the dub made the elves sound like annoying junior high school jerks instead of cute little munchkins. Lillet’s english voice also sounded a bit condescending, like a school librarian reading a book to a bunch of kindergarteners. I feel that dubs in games with static character portraits should be held to higher standards than anime dubs because there are no lip synching/language rhythm issues.

Pros:

• Fun! Played it practically nonstop.
• Excellent production values – incredibly polished in every aspect; even the freaking menus are awesome.
• Stunning character art during dialogue scenes are slightly animated, giving them a living, breathing look
• Interesting story keeps you pressing forward, wanting to know what happens next
• Streamlined mechanics make for a good RTS introduction
• Great voice work on both the Japanese AND English tracks

Cons:

• Not for hardcore RTS fans looking for competition-calibur depth
• Story had a lot more unused potential, ending was kind of rushed and a bit confusing
• Characters were underused
• RTS stages use same background and music every single time…only difference is in the setup of staircases and obstacles
• Short length – finished main campaign in 11 hours, though there are a bunch of standalone scenarios as well
• AI can be stupid at times. Easily lured into traps.

Final rating: 7.5/10.0

I had a blast while it lasted. Definitely worth a rental at least. However, while the game’s RTS core was solid, I felt the scope was a bit too narrow, as if there was a whole bucket-load of untapped potential concerning the setting and the characters. I would have liked something more meaningful between the RTS battles to flesh out the story and characters, like a life-simulation game. As it is, we get bits of an intriguing story, followed by seemingly abrupt RTS stages. Late for class? As punishment, we duke it out in an RTS. Lab experiment gone wild? Apply the whip, RTS style. Having trouble convincing your classmates? Strategically demonstrate your reasoning in real-time. Perhaps if there is ever a sequel, Vanillasoft can build upon this foundation and transform this flawed gem into a true masterpiece.

Some further thoughts:

• The ominous rumble feedback (Jurassic Park style) whenever a superunit moved was an incredibly effective feature; knowing a massive dragon or chimera was wandering in the darkness beyond sight was enough to strike fear into my heart every time, as I rushed to produce some counter units and prepared for insanity (esp when multiple superunits attacked simultaneously). I’ll never forget the “oh shiiiiiiit” feeling the first time I encountered one.
• Multiplayer capability would have extended the lifespan of the game a lot, but then you’d have some major balance issues to deal with. At least with single player games, the devs don’t have to worry about hordes of whiners screaming for buffs to their favorite units.
• Though there’s plenty of debate about which school of magic is the “best”, I found the Glamour grimoires to be more to my taste, relying on Unicorns w/ Holy Barrier plus Elf healers for general purpose combat due to good mobility + high defense. Eventually I’d switch to Morning Stars late game for massive ownage. I relied very little on the other magic schools; dabbling a bit in Necromancy just to get Obelisks to heal the Morning Stars, and the Chaos Nest Rune from the Sorcery tree to get Grimalkins. Alchemy was my least favorite school to play, but it was certainly the most annoying school to play *against*.
• Curiously enough, the ghost-witch Lujei is also a character in Nippon Ichi’s Soul Cradle [due in late 2007]. The ending of Grim Grimoire mentions her traveling to an alternate dimension, which I suppose would explain things. I guess the game designers liked her character enough to make her a crossover star.
• Last thought: What is up with Lillet and Amoretta in the oddest plot device ever? Lillet seems a little too young to be giving that kind of “love”…

Related posts:

1. Kabitzin’s June 2006 List
2. Popotan Second Opinion
3. Kabitzin’s October 2007 List

Tagged as: Three Stars