I'm so mad my copy of Grandia 2 didn't work on PS2. I have the third game though. It's good to know the first two games are available digitally. I'm going to look for them next time I'm on my PS3 or 4.
Time for Adventure! - Grandia
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 On 08/29/2020 at 02:07 PM by Matt Snee See More From This User » |
Grandia is a JRPG that was originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1997. It was later ported to the PSONE in 1999. In comparison to the Final Fantasy games, and a lot of other JRPG's of the period, Grandia is lighthearted, with a buoyant attitude that's a treat to experience.
I believe I originally played this game when I had a hacked PSP, and downloaded it over Torrents. Once it was released as a PSONE Classic, I bought it, and played more of it, mostly on my Vita. I haven't finished it, but I would love to. It's truly a great game, with an interesting world to explore, and infectious characters you can't help but root for.
Unlike the Final Fantasy games, which had pre-rendered backgrounds that the 3D characters moved around on, Grandia has 3D backgrounds that you can rotate, and 2D character sprites. For the most part, the graphics are good, but some of the environments are pretty low rez, and hard to figure out when you're exploring them. That's my only real complaint about the game.
Instead of random encounters, monsters appear on the maps, and bumping into them brings up the game's turnbased combat, where you can move around a battle arena to kill enemies. It's a good system.
This game is all about the greater glory of ADVENTURE - and it provides that endlessly.
Grandia, along with its sequel, Grandia 2, was remastered and released for such systems as the Switch a little while back. I've been planning to buy them for a while and get back to the game. The graphics look great in the screenshots, and the soundtrack was always good.
I definitely recommend this game.
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