Grandia

by Sony

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000034DBS
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 26, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,396 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

If you can put up with the cutesy graphics, Grandia is one of the longest, most compelling, and most character-driven role-playing games you'll ever spin in your PlayStation. By the time we finished this massive quest, we really cared about the game's characters. (By comparison, our interest in Final Fantasy VII was focusing more on getting from one transition movie scene to the next).

The main story line is standard role-playing fare. The powerful General Baal has plans to unleash something of a Pandora's box on the world, and you can guess whose job it is to stop him. Grandia provides a world packed with colorful characters who are fun to talk to, and the unconventional combat system lets players pick and choose their fights. The characters in your party grow, as do their magical skills and weapons, meaning there's always some new accomplishment just around the corner that keeps players adventuring long into the night. Role-playing fans should be overjoyed that this conversion from the Sega Saturn classic was made, as it provides weeks of solid adventuring that never becomes a chore. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• An entertaining adventure with loads of interesting characters
• Characters, weapons, and spells all improve with experience

Cons:

• Quirky, cutesy graphics won't appeal to everybody

GameSpot Review

Back in the heyday of Final Fantasy VII, Sega fans around the world hailed the coming of Grandia. Now, nearly two years later, PlayStation RPG fans can finally see what the hoopla was all about. 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.

Long before humans claimed world superiority, the benevolent Icarians ruled the world in peace. After dividing the world in half with a great wall, they used their vast knowledge to transcend the bonds of flesh and become beings of pure light and thought. After their departure, humankind and a horned, feral race developed independently on opposite sides of the world. While humans embraced technology, the other race embraced religion and magic. Humans developed a strong government, and out of that government grew the Garlyle army. Under the corrupt leadership of General Baal, the Garlyle army has been scouring the world for bits of magic and technology that will lead it to the ancient capital of Arent and its secrets. Destined to come into conflict with the army's plans, a precocious 15-year-old, Justin, and his friends, Sue and Feena, stumble on the Garlyle army's plans and begin a globe-spanning race to discover what happened to the Icarians and stop General Baal and his lackeys from awakening a deadly secret.

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, like GameArts' flagship Lunar series, 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. Unlike many of today's customization-heavy RPGs, your party is determined by the story. While some would say this limits the customization of your experience, it forces you to get to know the characters that are so central to the story. Additionally, this lack of customization adds a level of familiarity with your characters' individual abilities and strategies - something customization-heavy RPGs tend to ignore.

When wandering the myriad dungeons, you can see monsters approaching to attack, similar to Square's Chrono Trigger. If your party isn't ready for more fights or you just aren't feeling belligerent, you can usually evade these attackers, reducing the frustration found in many random-encounter RPGs. This said, however, many times you will welcome or even seek out encounters to strengthen your party; the battle system is that fun. 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. --Peter Bartholow
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grandia (Video Game)

Gradia is a game recently ported to the playstation from the deceased sega saturn. A great game as far as RPG's are concerned. The game offers solid gameplay, a good plot, and most of all in-depth characterization. Something not found in the current RPG's. Although it may not offer as much "eye candy" as other games (like the current Final Fantasies) the game does go farther in terms of its plot and characterization. Something that appears to have been lost with all the new playstation role-playing games. The game offers a variety of challenges, and is probably by far one of the best RPG's since Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, and the even newer Xenogears.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not much else to add, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grandia (Video Game)

This is simply just a wonderful game. I actually really like the way the story starts out, so laid back. It's just some kids having fun, mostly, and that really drew me in and held me tight. I get tired of the "run around and save the world, cause your a big shot" type of RPG. This one just makes you feel like you're part of a bigger picture, rather, in a living, breathing world. Bravo. Even the translation is excellent. (The voice acting isn't, though, at least not IMO. I wish it could be turned off. This is really the game's only flaw.) Another treat is that monster battles aren't random. They show up on screen so you have a chance to avoid them and also clear an area out and explore it without getting randomly attacked every 5 seconds, which really bugs me in other RPGs. I think this game was designed top to bottom for me. :-) I love it. I'm going to replay it again and again.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive game in a niche market, February 26, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Grandia (Video Game)

First off I'll say that I pretty much only spend my playing time on RPGs. With that in mind, let me dissect this game for the masses. In short, this game is wonderful. One of the better games I've played in a long time. The story and characters are engaging; you find yourself empathizing with them. The story stacks up to such classic RPGs as Lunar 1 and 2 and FFVII. The combat system was unique. The Active Time system used in Final Fantasy is very similar to this, but in Grandia, the game pauses while you input your battle selection. This way your character isn't standing there getting his you-know-what kicked while fumbling through the menus to choose. The battles take place in real time too. This is nice because it speeds up the fights. I generally don't like real-time, preferring turn based fights, due to the problem mentioned earlier of inputting commands. But with the pause in action to input commands it's a joy to use this battle system. Tied into this, the enemies are visible on the screen, so you can avoid them if you want. The experience system is a nice touch also. Unlike most RPGs that use expereince solely for the character, in Grandia you also accummulate experience for weapons and the four elemental aspects of magic (earth, water, wind, and fire). Increases in experience in these areas unlock new spells and techniques for the character to use. Each time a level in a weapon or spell goes up, two corresponding character stats increase as well. As a result, a character can be quite powerful without having to be level 99, which in yurn makes a charcters overall experience levels more difficult to obtain. Once you reach around level 30, you need upwards of 20,000 xp to raise in level. The only thing this game needs in a decent hintbook with maps of the game and the three bonus dungeons. The one that is published for it is simply a picture by picture walkthrough with no maps or secrets. So you're wonding, with all this praise, why the 4 stars? The game includes a couple animated cut scenes and some voice overs. But they seem to be haphazardly scattered through out the game. Some more animated cut-scenes would have set this game apart and put it over the top. The voice overs seem to come and go... being there when you don't expect them and absent when you do. Poor planning on this aspect. But overall a great game and a must buy.