It’s time to take an RPG journey again in time, with the Grandia HD Assortment, which won’t embody any foolish magic portal nonsense to cease the top of the world, however by way of the wonders of remastered collections and fashionable expertise to, properly, cease the top 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 last-gen consoles, particularly Xbox One and PS4. Concern not current-gen machine homeowners, because the Xbox One model is playable on Sequence machines and, I’d think about, the PS4 model is playable on PS5’s as properly.
The Grandia sequence started life in 1997 on the Sega Saturn, with a PS1 port in 1999. A yr 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 specific spotlight for this reviewer.
Whereas a part of the identical sequence, Grandia 1 and a pair of are narratively unconnected and, to a big diploma, simply as tonally completely different.
Grandia 1 seems like a Saturday morning journey cartoon because it follows the journey of a younger boy to turn into a famed adventurer like his father. Cue loads of shenanigans and a mysterious misplaced civilization and you’ve got a extremely charming sport that’s nonetheless enjoyable to play at the moment.
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 far darker and snarkier. That’s to not say it isn’t with out its fair proportion of humour, however it definitely 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 after I performed it again in 2000.
Grandia HD Assortment’s strongest options are its glorious writing and its, on the time, distinctive tackle the Lively 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 won’t be distinctive however the glorious dialogue is actually a spotlight.
Whereas each video games are conventional JRPGs by way of and thru, the ATB system used was designed to be sure to paid consideration to what was happening throughout fight. What set the ATB system aside was that, with particular assaults, you could possibly delay an enemy’s assault. Moreover, if you happen to timed activating your assault to the identical time because the enemy, you could possibly counter them, push their timing again on the bar and deal harm on the similar time.
Conversely, the enemy may do the identical to you but when timed appropriately, you will get by way of a struggle with out taking any harm, 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 most effective outcomes. Apparently, Grandia 1 additionally has a weapon level-up system. I’m not solely positive how a lot levelling a weapon up by way of use truly makes to your harm stats although.
The video games additionally sport no random encounters. You possibly can see enemies roaming the map and it’s so simple as working 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 essential half in success, together with opening up new expertise. Energy levellers will discover themselves in heaven right here as you may grind your approach to victory.
The Grandia HD Assortment, nonetheless, jogs my memory of the early PS3 days of HD collections, when the video games acquired a minimal quantity of labor amounting to excessive decision widescreen assist, increased decision textures and different primary asset work. The Grandia HD Assortment is not any completely different on this regard. Past the aforementioned increased decision textures and HD ratio assist, the video games stay nearly precisely the identical as they have been on launch, simply playable on fashionable {hardware}.
Now whereas I don’t want the standard of life modifications, comparable to saving anyplace or rewinds, that so many retro collections now encapsulate, I’d have appreciated the Grandia HD Assortment to have acquired some extra work on the feel entrance. Grandia 1, for example, utilises sprite-based characters which appear to have gone by way of a smoothing filter quite than been redrawn, which makes the characters look somewhat smeary at occasions, whereas Grandia 2, absolutely 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 approach? Removed from it, the video games play precisely as they did on launch which, for many people, is precisely what we’re in search of. For all intents and functions, they’re mainly straight ports of basic video games. They’re additionally one of the best ways to play them at the moment, wanting pulling out your unique 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 fashionable {hardware} and audiences? Sure, it definitely does. Grandia 1’s tough polygonal visuals fade into the ether with somewhat 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 might have to mood your expectations on what you anticipate from The Grandia HD Assortment visually. However if you happen to can look previous the getting older visuals, you’ll discover two incredible JRPG’s that need to be performed.
Grandia HD Assortment Trailer
Learn extra of our opinions right here