lighthearted adventure
Grandia is a role-playing masterpiece that delivers in all of the ways that really matter. While perhaps a little behind in the technology curve, Grandia's innovation, atmosphere, and story make it one of the most noteworthy RPGs in recent memory. Grandia is more interesting, playable, and satisfying than most RPGs. To top it off, Grandia is an enormous game, requiring around 60 hours of play time to complete. But what could keep a game so interesting for so long? Three things - the story, the battle system and the world itself. While the story isn't the most original in the world, it is well done and focuses on a handful of well-developed characters instead of on the fantastic events that surround them. The story has a charm and sense of wonder built in that makes you feel as though you've actually accomplished something upon reaching a new area, acting as a kind of pacing that rewards you for every advancement. As notable as this is, Grandia's battle system is what really makes the game shine. While many RPGs tend to string a story together with a series of battles that may or may not be fun, Grandia's battle and experience system is just about as fun and rewarding as it gets. Grandia's combat system merges bits of Square's Active Battle system with pieces of Lunar's system, all presented from an overhead 2D view. Time constantly flows during battle, pausing only to let you issue a command. The handy IP bar in the bottom right corner of the screen lets you know who's attacking and when - a vital feature, considering that time is a commodity. In addition to the standard RPG elemental and weapon distinctions, you will also have to factor distance into the equation, resulting in a slightly more strategic battle system. Because every character can attack at the same time, battles are generally shorter than those in most RPGs. Because Grandia's story forces you to spend an extended period of time with only a handful of characters, the game's magic and character-development system become especially important. So, the story and battle system are good. To top it off, Grandia's vast world is interesting and fun in its own right. Even though the current trend in RPGs seems to be headed for darker, more serious adventures, Grandia flaunts the fact that it's the complete opposite. The game's world is warm and inviting, filled to the brim with personality and details that many games seem to forgo. In many RPGs, overworlds are used to provide filler time and random encounters between the interesting bits. Grandia sports no such overworlds. Instead, it connects pertinent areas with only a hand-drawn world map and lets you travel instantly to any available destination. Brightly colored throughout, each town and area has a look all its own, giving you incentive to explore and enjoy all the fantastic artistic detail the game has to offer. Each environment is presented in painstakingly textured real-time 3D from an overhead perspective. While a more casual RPGer might opt for Final Fantasy, Grandia is a fantastic game for anyone looking for a lighthearted, truly satisfying adventure.Read full review
