Grandia II

Infobox VG| title = Grandia II


developer = Game Arts
publisher = ^JPN Sega (Dreamcast)
^JPN Enix (PlayStation 2)
^{NA / EUR} Ubisoft
designer =
composer = Noriyuki Iwadare
engine =
released = Dreamcast

• ^JPN August 3, 2000
• ^NA December 6, 2000
• ^EUR February 21, 2001

Playstation 2

• ^NA January 28, 2002
• ^JPN February 21, 2002
• ^EUR March 28, 2002

Windows

• ^NA March 10, 2002
• ^EUR April 12, 2002

genre = Role-playing game
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: Teen
platforms = Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
media = 1 × GD-ROM (DC)
1 × DVD-ROM (PS2)
2 × CD-ROM (Win)
requirements =
input = nihongo|"Grandia II"|グランディアII|Gurandia Tsū is a video game in the "Grandia" series made by Game Arts. The game was originally released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, and later ported to both the Sony PlayStation 2 and the PC in 2002. The game itself is a Japanese style anime-RPG incorporating high-quality (for that time) 3D graphics, voice-overs and music. In addition to the story and battle system, the game is also notable for its musical score, written by the acclaimed Noriyuki Iwadare.

toryline

The story focuses on Ryudo the Geohound (a kind of mercenary) and his talking bird, Skye. Together they accept a mission from the town of Carbo's church as bodyguards for Elena, a Songstress of Granas, who is on her way to Garmia Tower. The job turns into something much more after an incident at the tower, and Ryudo and Elena find themselves traveling all over the world, meeting some new friends and some new enemies.

The game is preceded by a war between two gods 10,000 years before the current events, called the Battle of Good and Evil. In this war, Valmar, the Devil of Darkness, battled Granas, the God of Light; their followers fought as well. This war devastated the planet; it is said that Granas's sword created the Granacliffs, a series of giant cliffs across the face of the planet, as it fell from the sky. In legend, Granas defeated Valmar, but did not destroy him. Parts of Valmar's body, his essence, are stored all over the world in seals maintained by the church of Granas while Granas sleeps, regaining strength. However, unknown to the general population of the world, Granas was actually killed by Valmar during the Battle of Good and Evil. Only a few individuals, mostly members of the church of Granas, are aware that Granas is actually dead and that Valmar was the true winner of that war. It was decided long ago to conceal the truth of Granas's death to prevent the world from sinking into chaos and barbarism, as the population would know themselves to be effectively doomed. For an unknown reason, the church did not hide the fact that the moon of Valmar would appear in the sky to signal the dark god's revival. However, Granas left a powerful reminder of his legacy behind in the form of the Granasaber.

Characters

Ryudo

* Age: 17
* Occupation: Geohound (mercenary)
* Japanese seiyū (Ryudo): Showtaro Morikubo
* English voice actor (Ryudo): Cam Clarke
* Japanese seiyu (Skye): Yukitoshi Hori
* English voice actor (Skye): Paul Eidingnihongo|Ryudo|リュード|Ryūdo is the main protagonist of the game. Initially rude toward people, with a very sarcastic and cynical attitude, he later comes to terms with the causes of his bitter behavior, which stems from traumatic events in his past. His character develops substantially throughout the game, as he learns through experiences with his friends and teammates about the concept of caring for others.

Ryudo is typically accompanied by his talking bird, Skye, and even though they spend most of the time mocking each other, they can't live without each other. At the beginning of the game, Ryudo has just completed a mission as a Geohound, and is preparing for some time off. However, he instead discovers a new task for him, requested by the church of Granas. He must accompany and protect a young Songstress of Granas named Elena on her way to Garmia Tower for a ceremony to strengthen a magical seal. At the tower, however, complications arise, and Ryudo is reluctantly brought into a long quest and a frenetic series of events, during which he discovers himself, how to love, and how to be a true hero.

His stats remain at an average throughout the game, but his attack is his best attribute.His moves include Tenseiken Slash, Purple Lightning, and Flying Tenseiken. Following Melfice's death, he can learn Sky Dragon Slash. Ryudo attacks using a sword.

While playing through the game, if you listen closely, you can hear Ryudo's voice deepen in a hero type voice.

Elena

* Age: 17
* Occupation: Songstress of Granas
* Japanese seiyū: Hiroko Konishi
* English voice actress: Jennifer Halenihongo|Elena|エレナ|Erena is a young songstress of Granas. She is mild-mannered, polite, and devoted to her faith, but she can also be quite spirited at times. As a result of this, she often clashes with Ryudo, her bodyguard, especially due to his insistence that he wants nothing to do with god or women. She has lived a sheltered life, and cannot understand how people can be hateful, spiteful, or cynical as he is. She can be said to fall under the Mary Sue stereotype often seen in RPGs.

Along with Ryudo, she develops as a character throughout the game, losing her naïve ideals and gaining more worldly views. Conversely, she also maintains her fervent belief in Granas, and will put her service to the church before anything, including her friends. Elena is a foil of the character Millenia, with whom she shares a body due to a curse early in the game. As the game progresses the two compete for Ryudo's affections; however, Elena's devout servitude to the church makes it difficult for her to commit to another cause, sparking several difficult situations. However, after learning of Granas's death, she gives up her cause and finally gives in to Ryudo.

Her stats are low but her magic increases rapidly. She can kill instantly with most magic attacks.Her moves include Impact Bomb, Nightmare Ball, Droplets of Life, and White Apocalypse. All moves are available from the beginning of the game. Elena uses a staff.

Millenia

* Age: 12,362 Valmar, human 17
* Occupation: Wings of Valmar
* Japanese seiyū: Mai Hoshikawa (credited as Miwa Yanagihara)
* English voice actress: Jodi Bensonnihongo|Millenia|ミレーニア|Mirēnia is somewhat of a mystery. Initially, it is unknown where she is from, although it is evident that she is part of Valmar's body which has escaped and apparently taken human form following the failure of the ceremony at Garmia Tower. Without provocation, she attacks the village where Ryudo and Elena are resting in anticipation of another trip. Her personality is brash, immature, self-confident to the point of arrogance, and seductive; yet, at the same time someone who manages to look past all that might realize she also has the innocence and caring attitude of a little girl - not quite what one would expect from a piece of the god of darkness. She appears from time to time, and absorbs pieces of Valmar following certain boss battles. By doing so, she gains a special move from each, adding to her repertoire. It is never explained why Millenia differs so radically from the other parts of Valmar, which are completely evil and rather single mindedly destructive.

Millenia's magic and mentality are much higher than Elena's, but despite this, her defense will get her killed all the time. During battles, the color of a spinning aura around her picture darkens with each hit she takes, from green to red, at which point she can no longer be controlled.Her initial moves include Arrow Shot, Heel Crush, and Fallen Wings. She can learn Starving Tongue after battling the Tongue of Valmar, Spellbinding Eye after battling the Eye of Valmar, and Grudging Claws after battling the Claws of Valmar. She can also attack from a distance with her crossbow.

Roan

* Age: 13
* Occupation: Prince of Cyrum
* Japanese seiyū: Tomoko Ishimura (credited as Kyoko Tsuruno)
* English voice actress: B.J. Wardnihongo|Roan|ロアン|Roan is a kid that Ryudo, Elena and Millennia encounter along the way to Granas Cathedral. Having lost a precious memento from his departed mother to a horde of monsters who invaded a town he was visiting, he asks Ryudo for help, who in his own crude fashion informs Roan he is already busy. Shortly after, Roan leaves to search for his medal on his own and once word gets out he's missing, Millennia volunteers herself and Ryudo to find Roan. After they do, Roan travels with the party. Roan shows an understanding far beyond his years, yet he still approaches a lot of common things with boyish curiosity and surprisingly good manners. Millennia, Elena and Tio remind him of his mother. He leaves the party toward the middle of the game to make room for Tio and take over as the King of Cyrum. When he rejoins the party toward the end of the game, he has improved moves. The player controls Roan at the end of the game.

Roan's stats are average like Ryudo, but are slightly lower. He works best as a backup healer.His moves include Golden Hammer, Dragon Rise, Snowball Fight, and Vitality March. When he rejoins the party, Dragon Rise has been replaced with True Dragon Rise and Snowball Fight with Ice Prison. He attacks using a dagger.

Mareg

* Age: beast-man age, 108/human age, 42
* Occupation: Warrior
* Japanese seiyū: Daisuke Gouri
* English voice actor: Peter Lurienihongo|Mareg|マレッグ|Mareggu is a beast-man warrior. When Ryudo, Elena and Roan encounter him along the way to Granas Cathedral, he initially mistakes Ryudo for someone else who attacked his village and attacks the party in a blind rage. Later on, the party meets up with Mareg again and after some formal introductions, Mareg joins. He explains the reason for the attack was vengeance on the demon-man Melfice who attacked his village of Nanan, and that the smell of Ryudo is nearly identical to the smell of Melfice. This, it is learned, is because Ryudo and Melfice are brothers. Physically impressive, wielding a huge halberd and possessing great height, he's also the philosopher of the party, reminding everyone of possible dangers, risks and counteractions. His tribe also has an extremely keen sense of smell, allowing Mareg to smell some things miles away. He is usually calm, passive and open-minded, though his lust for vengeance brings out the worst of him at times. Mareg leaves the party near the end of the game, as he valiantly gives his life to help the party escape from Valmar's Moon.

Mareg has amazing attack and defense and can wipe out enemies quickly. However, his magic defence is very low.His moves include Beast-Fang Cut, Beast-King Smash, Beast-King Blast, and Lion's Roar. He uses a poleaxe.

Tio

* Age: 12,194
* Occupation: Automata
* Japanese seiyū: Junko Iwao
* English voice actress: Kim Mai GuestTio is an automata, a forgotten remnant from the war between Granas and Valmar 10,000 years ago. Dormant under Cyrum castle for 10,000 years and infused with the Claws of Valmar by Melfice for safe-keeping, she is encountered by Ryudo and his party during an expedition into the hidden automata factory. Initially hostile due to orders to attack intruders, her fight with the party as a part of Valmar knocks her systems offline for a short time, causing Mareg to bring her to the above world. Mareg bonds with the emotionless Tio and attempts to remove her servile functioning by telling her to 'be free'. Tio's personality initially simply does not exist: She is an automata and personalities are not encoded into war machines. Over the course of the game, however, she develops a motherly personality from being with the party. Her ability to truly express her emotions fully blossoms after Mareg's sacrifice. Additionally, she obtains the skill Whisper to the Stars after this happens.

Tio's stats are somewhat below-average, but her speed is astounding, and Lotus Flower is one of the best cancelling moves in the game.Her moves are Lotus Flower, Fast-Dance Whirl, Tornado, and Whisper to Stars (which she can learn after Mareg dies). She attacks with chakrams.

The Pieces of Valmar

* Age: at least 10,000 years old
* Occupation: Gods of DarknessThe Pieces of Valmar are the game's primary antagonists. The divided and vastly weakened components of the god Valmar, their ambition is to escape the seals placed on them by the Church of Granas, revive themselves, and recombine to allow Valmar's full rebirth. Each Piece is apparently bodiless by default, but can take possession of the nearest living humanoid and transform it into a heavily armed beast to do its bidding. All the Pieces aspire to devour each other and absorb each other's energy; once the power of all seven is gathered into the same body, Valmar will be reborn. The Granasaber is the only known weapon capable of destroying a Piece of Valmar aside from another Piece. Millenia herself is the form taken by the Wings of Valmar upon possession of Elena. However, as evidenced by the Horns of Valmar's failed possession of Ryudo, in the right circumstances a host creature can resist possession and render a Piece of Valmar harmless. The fact that Millenia has only partial control over Elena, usually when Elena is feeling weak, suggests that she has partially blocked Millenia's possession and placed a limit on her power. This may also explain why Millenia is not as purely bloodthirsty as her fellow Pieces.

There are seven Pieces: the Wings, Tongue, Eye, Claws, Horns, Body, and Heart of Valmar. Their fates are as follows.
*Wings: Attempted imprisonment by Elena's entourage; the ceremony's failure caused Elena's companions to die and Elena herself to become possessed, causing her to share her body with Millenia.
*Tongue: Possessed a greedy merchant in Liligue City; cursed the city's inhabitants by destroying their sense of taste; ultimately beaten and absorbed by Millenia with help from Ryudo and company.
*Eye: Possessed a young girl in Mirumu Village; cursed the villagers into a deep and dreamlike sleep leading to eventual death; attracted the attention of High Priestess Selene and the Cathedral Knights; absorbed by Millenia.
*Claws: Possessed the automata Tio to watch over a factory for Dark weapons production underneath Cyrum kingdom; eventually invaded and defeated by Prince Roan; absorbed by Millenia. (Tio survived the absorption process, whereas the Tongue and Eye's victims were left comatose.)
*Horns: Possessed Melfice initially; attempted to possess Ryudo following Melfice's death; blocked by Elena and Millenia and sealed safely away inside Ryudo. Millenia deferred the chance to absorb the Horns from Ryudo for fear of harming him, and consequently the Horns were never part of "Valmar's" eventual revival; instead they became a weapon Ryudo used to defeat the fusion of the other six Pieces.
*Body: Sealed with the Granasaber in a remote corner of the world; found by Ryudo's party using information gained from Melfice. Revived by a ceremony of sacrifice performed by High Priestess Selene; subsequently destroyed from the inside out and absorbed by Millenia.
*Heart: Led by Pope Zera to possess High Priestess Selene, apparently of her own free will based on her loyalty to Zera. Assumed its true form when Selene leapt onto the swords of her Cathedral Knights at Granas Cathedral. Defeated and absorbed directly by Elena, without visible assistance from Millenia. Elena gathered the Pieces willingly and was prepared to sacrifice her life to destroy Valmar with the Granasaber; however, Zera's true plan was to revive Valmar and command the reborn god himself as its core.

Melfice

* Age: 22
* Occupation: Swordsman (former), demon (present)Melfice is Ryudo's elder brother, who grew up with him on the Isle of Swordsmen and served as a role model for him and the entire village. One day the sword upon which the town was built began to create earthquakes, and in investigating the disturbance, Melfice's Fiancee found a Piece of Valmar sealed near the sword. Armed with the sword, Melfice murdered his fiancee in front of Ryudo and the whole village as she was possessed by the horns of Valmar, then left without explanation, leading the villagers to banish Ryudo as well by association. It takes Ryudo a long time and two major battles to realize that his brother is not really himself anymore, but merely a host for the Horns of Valmar. Finding that after he had killed his possessed Fiancee, the horns jumped into Melfice. Ryudo ultimately deals Melfice a mortal wound, freeing him from Valmar's possession, but causing Ryudo himself to become the next host. Only through the intervention of Elena and Millenia does Ryudo manage to overcome the Horns and escape Melfice's fate.

Church of Granas

This organization was founded ostensibly to prevent the Pieces of Valmar from regaining a foothold in the world; in reality, the Church's leaders conspired to revive Valmar, knowing him to be their world's only surviving god. Notable Church members include Songstress Elena, a Sister with unusual talents; Father Carius, the well-intentioned priest of Carbo Village; Pope Zera Innocentius, the church's leader, and High Priestess Selene, Zera's enforcer. Selene was commander of the Cathedral Knights, a merciless army of swordsmen who underneath their gleaming armor had much in common, biologically, with the demon soldiers of Valmar. Shortly prior to Valmar's revival, the Knights ran amok and slaughtered innocent civilians, then fused together with Selene to form the Heart of Valmar, whose subsequent defeat involved the death of Selene as well. Zera ultimately betrayed Elena by attempting to revive Valmar and command the god, but his revival was incomplete due to the missing Horns, and he was ultimately slain by Ryudo and a handheld version of the Granasaber, which Zera believed could no longer have power in a world without Granas.

Battle system

"Grandia II" sports a unique battle system which is more tactical than what is usual on CRPGs, especially those developed by Japanese companies. Apart from the usual real-time yet turn-based battle system as is known from the "Final Fantasy" series, the game also supports limited movement during the battle. Characters can run around, strike their opponent and then retreat somewhere else. With some good (or bad) timing, either the player or the computer can "cancel" a move, causing a character's or monster's wait time to strike to be lengthened or, if acting out a move, canceling it entirely. The battle system is generally considered one of the games' strongest points which consist of Initiative Points, Magic Points, Hit Points and Special Points.

Combo

A combo attack allows a character to land two hits on an enemy. They are quick to use, and the hits can be increased with certain accessories up to four hits per combo. A combo attack can also "counter" if it hits an enemy in an attack pose, dealing additional damage. Additionally, if the combo kills the intended target before reaching the final blow, the character attempts to attack the closest enemy to complete the combo.

Critical

A critical attack is a single stored hit that cancels an enemy's attack. They are slower to use, and are primarily used to prevent an enemy from using an especially powerful move. Critical attacks usually deal less damage than a full Combo. Each character's first move also carries a "cancel" effect. Critical attacks can "counter."

Moves

Each character can use moves, which consume SP, and has a set of moves unique to him or her. The battle pauses when a move is executed. Moves may also deal IP damage, delaying an enemy's actions. Moves must be learned with Skill Coins, and have a maximum level of 5. Move damage is increased and execution time is decreased as the move's level is increased. All beginning techniques (Tenseiken Slash and Golden Hammer, for example), once maxed, are almost immediately executed upon entering the command. This is of significant value for canceling effectively.

Magic

Characters can use magic from equipped Mana Eggs. Using magic consumes MP and pauses the battle. More powerful magic takes longer to cast. Similar to moves, magic can be learned with Magic Coins, and have a maximum level of 5. Spell efficiency is increased and casting time is decreased as the level increases. Magic spells can cast instantly if a character has skills equipped giving a +100% bonus to the element of that particular spell.

kills

Skills are learned from Skill Books, then equipped onto characters. Skills can either boost stats or add additional effects, such as increased item drops or adding a cancel effect to certain spells. Skills are learned with either Skill Coins or Magic Coins, depending on the type of skill.

Ports

Grandia II was ported to Playstation 2 and PC after its initial release on Dreamcast. The PC version is widely regarded as being equal to the Dreamcast version in most aspects, with the possible exception of certain graphics, textures and sounds, however the Playstation 2 version has been described by reviewers as "rough around the edges" ( [IGN] ) since some of the textures and characters are less graphically detailed than on the original Dreamcast version.

English voice cast

*Cam Clarke — Ryudo/Father Carius/Risotto
*Jennifer Hale — Elena/Paella
*Jodi Benson — Millenia/Reena
*Peter Lurie — Mareg/Gatta/Brother 2
*B.J. Ward — Roan/Elmo
*Kim Mai Guest — Tio/Selene/Client's Daughter
*Paul Eiding — Skye/Oro/Carpaccio/Brother 3
*John Cygan — Melfice/Client/Brother 1
*Richard Doyle — Zera/Gonzola/Village Chief

Japanese voice cast

*Showtaro Morikubo — Ryudo
*Hiroko Konishi — Elena
*Yukitoshi Hori — Skye
*Tomoko Ishimura — Roan
*Mai Hoshikawa — Millenia
*Daisuke Gouri — Mareg
*Misa Watanabe — Selene
*Isshin Chiba — Melfice
*Osamu Saka — Zera

Crew

*Producer: Takeshi Miyaji
*Director: Katsunori Saito
*Sequence director: Hidenobu Takahashi
*Programming supervisor: Kazuyuki Ohata
*Original scenario writers: Kei Shigema, Yuichi Hasegawa
*Scenario director: Hiroaki Okabe
*Game scenario writers: Yuzo Sunaga, Hidenobu Takahashi
*Character designer: Yuji Kanoe
*Game designer: Osamu Harada
*Graphic director: Akihisa Sako
*Music composer: Noriyuki Iwadare

External links

* [http://www.rpgamer.com/games/grandia/grand2/grand2.html "Grandia II" info at rpgamer.com]
*moby game|name=Grandia II|id=/grandia-ii
* [http://www.gamearts.co.jp/products/gr2_ps2/gr2_ps2.htm "Grandia II" Official Site (Japanese)]