Grandia HD
Be warned, I took a lot of screenshots, because for a PS1 game with the HD treatment it had some really good cutscenes.
Okay, so. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now I had a habit of not finishing PS1 era JRPGs. School, sports, homework, friends, whatever. Stuff got in the way alright?
Well now that I’m old and have more free time, these remasters of PS1 games are a godsend. Add Grandia to the list of games I had, and still physically have a copy of, that I never finished. In fact I never even started this one. I did start Grandia II on my Dreamcast a few times and never finished, so I will play that one soon!
This game was so freaking charming. Imagine a late 80s/early 90s anime, mixed with a mechanically polished JRPG. This game has aged incredibly well… except for item management. I can overlook that though.
You start the game as Justin, a teenager with aspirations of becoming an adventurer like his father. In this world, that’s an actual profession, not just a hobby. Boy oh boy, do you become an adventurer. In fact, you become the best adventurer the world has ever known!
The story starts in a post-apocalyptic world, but very far after that. The world has recovered and technology has progressed to the point of having airships and similar technology. However there is a huge man-made wall known as the “end of the world” that no one has managed to cross… supposedly. Well Justin and his rag tag crew manage to get over, on foot. Very impressive. The story just goes from there with lots of exciting points and some sad points as well.
The battle system is actually really good! It’s a turn based battle system that happens on it’s own little map. Character placement is very important as spells can be multi-target. There are 4 elements for your spells as well, but some of those elements combine to create multi-element spells.
Characters level up like you’re used to but they also have weapon and magic levels. I sort of neglected magic in the early game, as physical attacks are way stronger. I would advise not doing that, because by end game magic is king. Each time you hit an enemy with either magic or physical attacks you gain experience in that method. As the levels increase you learn new weapon or magic skills, or even magical weapon attacks.
There are permanent and temporary party members as well. Offering a wide cast of characters that all bring something to the table. The writing is really good, but the voice acting is a little corny. I loved it.
The world is full of unique locations and tons of fun NPCs. The game has this sense of wonder and awe throughout and has great pacing. It’s definitely a hidden gem of the PS1 era!
