It’s time to take an RPG journey again in time with the launch of the Grandia HD Assortment. No, not with some foolish magic portal nonsense to cease the tip of the world, however via the wonders of remastered collections and trendy expertise to, effectively, cease the tip of the world.
This time we’re having a look at Sport Arts basic Grandia video games, particularly the primary two numbered video games within the sequence, Grandia and Grandia II, with the Grandia HD Assortment. The Grandia HD Assortment or, on the very least, the HD variations of every sport have already been launched on PC and Nintendo Change. And now they’re hitting final gen consoles, particularly Xbox One and PS4. Concern not current-gen machine house owners, because the Xbox One model is playable on Collection machines and, I’d think about, the PS4 model is playable on PS5’s as effectively.
The Grandia sequence started life in 1997 on the Sega Saturn, with a PS1 port in 1999. A 12 months later Grandia 2 debuted on the Sega Dreamcast with a PS2 port coming alongside in 2002. Whereas the sequence might have fizzled out within the years since, the video games have garnered a big fan following, with Grandia 2 being a selected spotlight for this reviewer.
Whereas a part of the identical sequence, Grandia 1 and a couple of are narratively unconnected and, to a big diploma, simply as tonally completely different.
Grandia 1 appears like a Saturday morning journey cartoon because it follows the journey of a younger boy to develop into a famed adventurer like his father. Cue loads of shenanigans and a mysterious misplaced civilization and you’ve got a very charming sport that’s nonetheless enjoyable to play in the present day.
Grandia 2 throws you into the sneakers of hardened Geohound, Ryudo, a mercenary monster hunter. A job to guard a Songstress turns right into a race to cease the god of darkness from returning. Whereas the primary sport was a enjoyable, sunny journey, Grandia 2’s tone is way darker and snarkier. That’s to not say it isn’t with out its fair proportion of humour, however it actually takes a deeper dive into darkness than its forbearer. It’s additionally an distinctive JRPG in its personal proper that’s simply as fantastically addictive now because it was once I performed it again in 2000.
Grandia’s strongest options are its glorious writing and its, on the time, distinctive tackle the Energetic Time Battle (ATB) system. Each video games characteristic nice characters and character development, although Ryudo steals the present together with his acidic remarks to one and all within the second. The general story itself for each video games may not be distinctive however the glorious dialogue is actually a spotlight.
Whereas each video games are conventional JRPGs via and thru, the ATB system used was designed to ensure you paid consideration to what was occurring throughout fight. What set the ATB system aside was that, with particular assaults, you would delay an enemy’s assault. Moreover, if you happen to timed activating your assault to the identical time because the enemy, you would counter them, push their timing again on the bar and deal injury on the identical time.
Conversely, the enemy may do the identical to you but when timed appropriately, you may get via a combat with out taking any injury, primarily creating combos between your characters. Whereas there may be an choice to customize the character’s technique in fight, doing all the things manually yields the perfect outcomes. Curiously, Grandia 1 additionally has a weapon level-up system. I’m not solely certain how a lot levelling a weapon up via use really makes to your injury stats although.
The video games additionally sport no random encounters. You may see enemies roaming the map and it’s so simple as operating into them to start fight. Clearing an space stays devoid of enemies till you permit that space and return. As with most JRPGs from this time, grinding performs an necessary half in success, together with opening up new expertise. Energy levellers will discover themselves in heaven right here as you possibly can grind your technique to victory.
The Grandia HD Assortment, nonetheless, jogs my memory of the early PS3 days of HD collections, when the video games obtained a minimal quantity of labor amounting to high-resolution widescreen help, higher-resolution textures and different fundamental asset work. The Grandia HD Assortment is not any completely different on this regard. Past the aforementioned increased decision textures and HD ratio help, the video games stay nearly precisely the identical as they have been on launch, simply playable on trendy {hardware}.
Now whereas I don’t want the standard of life modifications, akin to saving anyplace or rewinds, that so many retro collections now encapsulate, I might have favored the Grandia HD Assortment to have obtained some extra work on the feel entrance. Grandia 1, for example, utilises sprite-based characters which appear to have gone via a smoothing filter somewhat than been redrawn, which makes the characters look slightly smeary at instances, whereas Grandia 2, totally 3D, has some world textures that additionally look as if they’ve been Photoshop filtered and smoothed out.
Is that this sport breaking in any method? Removed from it the video games play precisely as they did on launch which, for many people, is precisely what we’re on the lookout for. For all intents and functions, they’re principally straight ports of basic video games. They’re additionally the easiest way to play them in the present day, in need of pulling out your authentic copies and {hardware} and booting them up. Assuming you continue to have each the machines and discs they usually’re in working order.
Does the Grandia HD Assortment do what it units out to do and convey these classics to trendy {hardware} and audiences? Sure, it actually does. Grandia 1’s tough polygonal visuals fade into the ether with slightly little bit of playtime because the enjoyable gameplay takes over. And the identical goes for Grandia 2, despite the fact that its 3D visuals fare higher than the primary video games. Practically from the get go I used to be absorbed again into each video games with their stellar writing and enjoyable gameplay.
You’ll have to mood your expectations on what you count on from The Grandia HD Assortment visually. However if you happen to can look previous the ageing visuals, you’ll discover two unbelievable JRPGs that should be performed.
The Grandia HD Assortment Trailer
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