Let me just start by saying this is one of the best games I've played in a long time. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I was crying during a few scenes and there were a lot of scenes where I was upset, happy, or excited. And that.... Is what I love in games. Games that can literally effect me emotionally. Because then it becomes a more personal experience. I loved every aspect of Grandia. The story, the world, the lore/mythos was awesome, the characters, the gameplay, and the soundtrack. This is just a great PSOne JRPG.
Grandia is a JRPG developed by Game Arts abd published by Ubisoft. It tells the tale of a boy called Justin. Justin dreams of being an adventurer and through the course of one adventure to go check out a ruin, it was revealed to him by a woman known as Liete, that a stone that he holds as a memento from his father is actually a Spirit Stone. Liete also speaks of an ancient civilization called Angelou. This sets Justin off on the adventure he's always been waiting for to look for the ancient civilization and find out if it really existed.
That's a not very detailed summary of the beginning of the game, but Grandia tells a coming of age story of innocence, love, adventure, and one major thing I liked about the themes of Grandia is that I feel its main theme is that we all have a role to play in this world.
I won't spoil any of the character arcs in the story, but I will say that I really loved the characters of Sue, Guido, Milda, and Liete.
Grandia is a turn-based JRPG that has a very unique battle system that I don't even know how to explain. But in Grandia, in order to get stronger & new magic/abilities, you have to level up your current ones by using them. Each character can use two or three weapons that they can level up. Grandia reminds me a lot of one of my favorite games of all time and that is Final Fantasy II. Specifically the PSP version. In Final Fantasy II, in order to get your Cure magic to Curaja-like status, you have to use it a lot and it gets stronger & levels up, same with weapons. If you attack, then that specific weapon you're using will gain EXP and ultimately level up through continuous use. Also like Final Fantasy II, Justin and a few other party members can learn whatever magic you want them to learn simply by buying it for said party member. That also allows for different experiences each time you play through Grandia or Final Fantasy II.
Now, the music in Grandia, kinda gives me a bit of a Motoi Sakuraba feeling, but ultimately has its own style. I really like the DISC 1 battle theme, the DISC 2 battle theme, the DISC 2 victory fanfare, and the title screen theme. I got kind of a Fire Emblem vibe from the title screen theme. (For those of you who don't know, Motoi Sakuraba is the composer for the Tales series and Star Ocean series.) I really liked the voice acting as well, especially for Sue. I'd say she's my favorite character.
And finally, I will end this with saying that Grandia was such a great experience... I loved playing it. It's such a beautiful game with a lot of heart. The most accessible way to play is purchasing it on the PlayStation Store as a PSOne classic to play on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, or PlayStation Vita. I can't recommend this game enough to those who love JRPGs.
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Undisputed Verdict: 8/10
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!! ~Gothorita
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