Grandia and its sequel, Grandia II, are both very good classic role-playing games, full of. Even an HD remake isn't enough to make up for that.
A remastered version of Grandia, jRPG developed by Game Arts studio. In Grandia HD Remaster, we take on the role of an adventurer named Justin, who has to face the sinister General Baal. The title stands out thanks to the improved graphic design.
RPG|fantasy|Isometric view|reeditions/remasters/remakes|jRPG
publisher: GungHo Online Entertainment
Game mode: single player
Grandia HD Remaster is a remastered version of the jRPG game called Grandia. The production, the prototype of which debuted at the end of 1997 on the Sega Dreamcast console, and almost two years later on the first PlayStation, was developed by Game Arts studio, which cares about the development of the brand. GungHo Online Entertainment company has taken care of its release.
Plot
The main character of Grandia HD Remaster is Justin. One day the orphaned boy finds an ancient artifact left by a civilization known as Angelou, through which he makes contact with a mysterious woman. She persuades him to go to a long forgotten city in the east, where he will find answers to his questions. The protagonist embarks on a long journey as he draws the attention of Garlyle Forces' commanding officer, General Baal, who intends to gain ancient power. Our protégé has to face it, but is not doomed to go on a lonely journey - with time other adventurers join it.
Mechanics
In Grandia HD Remaster, the action is shown in an isometric view. During the game, we explore vast locations and talk to neutral characters, carry out tasks that push the plot forward and side missions, and face our opponents. As you progress, the combat potential of heroes who acquire new skills and upgrade existing ones increase.
Interestingly, the authors allow us to avoid skirmishes. Clashes take place in a hybrid system - although individual moves are made in rounds, we have limited time to give commands. In addition, which character can make a move in a given moment is determined by the statistics of the participants and the previous actions. The key to success is to combine blows into powerful combinations and to set up the team in such a way that its members can avoid enemy attacks or punch their opponents in the back.
Technical aspects
Compared to the original , Grandia HD Remaster stands out thanks to a nicer graphic design (sprites and textures were made more detailed by the developers) and improved user interface. In addition, the quality of the film interludes was improved and the whole thing was adapted to the specificity of panoramic displays.
Expectations: 6.7 / 10 calculated out of 3 players' votes.
Similar games:
System requirements
PC / Windows
Recommended: Intel Pentium G4500 3.5 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB Radeon HD 6670 or better, 5 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB GeForce GT 630 or better, 5 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB GeForce GT 630 or better, 5 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Grandia | |
---|---|
Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Developer(s) | Game Arts |
Publisher(s) | ESP Software(1997–1999) Sony Computer Entertainment(1999) Ubisoft(1999–2002) Hudson Soft(2000) Enix(2002) Square Enix(2005–2006) GungHo Online Entertainment(2009–) |
Platform(s) | Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch |
First release | Grandia December 18, 1997 |
Latest release | Grandia HD Collection August 16, 2019 |
Grandia (グランディア, Gurandia) is a series of role-playing video games that have been developed by Game Arts throughout the whole series and have been published over the years by ESP Software, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Hudson Soft, Enix, Square Enix and GungHo Online Entertainment. Games in the Grandia series have been released for Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.
The Grandia HD Collection (compiling the first two games in the series) were released for Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe on August 16, 2019. Grandia HD Remaster for PC was released on October 15, 2019.[1]Grandia II Anniversary Edition for PC had further improvement updates and was renamed to Grandia II HD Remaster on October 15, 2019 at the same time.[2]GungHo Online Entertainment clarified that a Japanese release of the remasters will follow in the future.[3]
The Grandia series sold 2million units, as of April 2009.[4] The latest original installment was released for Microsoft Windows in July 2009, entitled Grandia Online; it remained online for three years until it was shut down in September 2012.[5]
- 1Games
Games[edit]
Game | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Grandia | (SS) 87%[6] (PS) 86%[7] | (PS) 89[8] |
Grandia II | (DC) 89%[9] (PC) 73%[10] (PS2) 73%[11] | (DC) 90[12] (PS2) 71[13] (PC) 70[14] |
Grandia Xtreme | (PS2) 71%[15] | (PS2) 68[16] |
Grandia III | (PS2) 79%[17] | (PS2) 77[18] |
Grandia (1997)[edit]
Grandia's story focuses around Justin, a young boy who desires to be a great adventurer. While investigating a ruin of the lost Angelou Civilization, he hears a mysterious request to come east and find out the secret of why these ancients mysteriously disappeared. The resulting adventure takes Justin across the sea to new continents, and even beyond the known end of the world. Graphically, the game used character sprites in a 3D world, rather than polygonal character models that later came to favor. The battle system, like Game Arts' Lunar series before it, placed emphasis on the combatants' location in the field. However, while Lunar only allowed the player to set the team's position in battle, Grandia had characters move to appropriate positions during battle and allowed the player to have them move elsewhere to avoid attacks or reach a more advantageous position. Also notable was how characters could counter or disrupt enemy attacks.
Grandia: Digital Museum (1998)[edit]
Not officially a sequel, but a bonus disc using the same engine as the Saturn version of Grandia. Though it only consists of four dungeons, each one is very large compared to the ones in the original Grandia. Justin, Feena and Sue must explore them in order to recover artifacts from a museum of the original game that Liete has created. These unlock storyboards, special sound plays known as 'Radio Dramas', saves for the original Saturn game, mini-games, bestiary listings and original artwork.
Grandia II (2000)[edit]
Grandia II's story focuses around Ryudo, a sarcastic 'Geohound' (mercenaries who take undesirable jobs). He receives a mission to guard a sister of Granas, Elena, during a rite to reseal an ancient evil god. However, the rite runs into difficulties, leading to a much longer quest to escort Elena across the continent to meet Pope Zera, leader of the Church of Granas. The failed sealing attempt is also tied into the emergence of a strange woman known as Millenia, and a series of disturbing events at towns along the way to the Granas Cathedral. This sequel used a new, fully 3D engine to seamlessly render landscapes and battle scenes. The core battle system functionality stayed the same between Grandia and Grandia II, although it became impossible to cancel an action merely with normal attacks. The magic system was also changed, whereby magical eggs (usable by any character) were used to cast magic rather than having spells linked directly to each character.
Grandia II was remastered by GungHo Online Entertainment in 2015 for Steam and GOG Galaxy. It featured upgraded visuals, achievements, trading cards (Steam), a Japanese voice option, and a hard difficulty.
Grandia: Parallel Trippers (2000)[edit]
Uses the same characters and music as the first Grandia game. The actual game areas are different from those of the original Grandia, though many of the items, moves and enemy names are the same. A group of schoolchildren who live in the 'real' world are sucked into a portal while playing in an abandoned shed next to their school and end up in the world of Grandia. They must find three special keys in order to make their way back home, and enlist the help of Justin and friends, who are always keen for new adventures.
Grandia Xtreme (2002)[edit]
This incarnation of the Grandia series was considerably more battle-focused than the earlier games. The main character is a Ranger known as Evann recruited by the army to help neutralise the so-called Elemental Disorder, which has been causing havoc. A much improved Grandia II battle engine was used in Xtreme, and various other features were added to the game outside of combat to give it more the feel of a 'dungeon crawler' such as Diablo. Rather than having a party decided by the plot as in previous Grandia games, Xtreme gives the player 8 characters from which the player is free to choose his preferred team. Graphics are much improved on Grandia II — the battling is quick and fluid, and loading times everywhere in the game are some of the fastest in any PlayStation 2 game. Battles are also more large-scale than any past Grandia game, with often over 15 combatants at one time. The character empowerment system was somewhat a mix of Grandia and Grandia II, with techniques being learned and upgraded through use, but skills and magic being found and equipped. The game was criticized for having a weaker story, relatively uninteresting characters and only two 'towns,' which was a large change from past Grandia games which focused on story and travel.
Grandia III (2005)[edit]
Grandia III's story focuses around Yuki, a flight enthusiast who has experienced some difficulty in getting his planes to fly. His latest project flew him into a situation in which he saved a girl named Alfina from a group of menacing pursuers. He and his mother, Miranda, agree to escort Alfina safely back to her home in Arcriff Temple, where she serves as a communicator between humans and a group of powerful creatures known as Guardians. However, once at Arcriff, Yuki and Alfina discover that the lives of the Guardians are being threatened by Alfina's brother, Emelious, who is working to restore an evil being named Xorn to power.
Grandia Online (2009)[edit]
A MMORPG that ran from 2009 to 2012.
References[edit]
- ^https://store.steampowered.com/app/1034860/GRANDIA_HD_Remaster
- ^'Grandia HD Remaster for PC set for September'. RPGSite.net. 16 August 2019.
- ^https://twitter.com/GA_Express/status/1161060231729672192
- ^'MMORPG 'Grandia Online' of popular RPG 'Grandia' of 2 million series in cumulative total, Conference held on 20th May'. GIGAZINE. April 21, 2009.
- ^http://www.hellandheavennet.com/news/2012/08/grandia-online-service-ends-next-month
- ^http://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/197484-grandia/index.html
- ^'Grandia Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia II Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia Xtreme Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia Xtreme Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia III Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^'Grandia III Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
External links[edit]
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