Grandia (video game)

Infobox VG| title = Grandia


developer = Game Arts
publisher = ^JPN ESP Software
^NA SCEA
^EUR Ubisoft
designer =
composer = Noriyuki Iwadare
engine =
released = ^JPN December 18, 1997 (SAT)
^JPN June 24, 1999 (PS1)
^NA September 30, 1999 (PS1)
^EUR March 30, 2001 (PS1)
genre = RPG
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: E (Everyone) for Comic Mischief and Mild Animated Violence
ELSPA: 11+
platforms = Sega Saturn, PlayStation
media = 2 × CD-ROM
requirements =
input = nihongo|"Grandia"|Japanese: グランディア|Gurandia is a console role-playing game and the first title in the Grandia series developed by Game Arts originally for the Sega Saturn in 1997.Reyes, Francesca. [http://psx.ign.com/articles/162/162007p1.html Sony and Game Arts pull out the big role-playing guns in the race against FFVIII] . IGN (1999-11-4. Retrieved on 2008-4-15.] cite web |url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/069/069026p1.html |title=An Adventure to Remember - IGNPSX takes a deep, long look at the PlayStation version of "Grandia". |accessdate=1 November |accessyear=1999 |author=Gantayat, Anoop |work=gamespot.com ] Since then, it has been ported to the Sony PlayStation, and was published in North America and Europe for the first time by SCEA and Ubisoft respectively in 1999 and 2001. It was later repackaged and sold at a budget price as part of the "Ubisoft Exclusive" range in Europe.

The story of "Grandia" takes place in a period of steadily-advancing technology, much like the Industrial Revolution. The task of unearthing ancient ruins has been taken over by the Garlyle Forces, a military organization which is seizing powerful relics for its own benefit. Stories of adventurers from long ago are regarded by the people of this world as outdated, but for the protagonist Justin, they are way of life. He resolves to venture outside his hometown of Parm and discover something no one has ever seen before.

Grandia is often compared with the Studio Ghibli anime film , released in 1986Fact|date=April 2008. They share a very similar plot, and their visual designs and musical scores are also similarFact|date=April 2008.

Gameplay

"Grandia's" environments appears as three-dimensional field maps, with characters represented by 2-D animated bitmap sprites. The camera is fully rotational and follows the party from an angled third-person perspective; it is often necessary to rotate the camera in order to see hidden items or passageways.cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/grandia/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review# |title="Grandia" for Playstation Review |accessdate=4 October |accessyear=1999 |author=Bartholow, Peter |work=gamespot.com ] The main party can hold up to four characters, each of whom are visible at all times. The latter three members follow in a line behind the leader (Justin), with Justin's movements being controlled by the player. In proportion to the characters themselves, "Grandia"'s cities and dungeons are considerably large in scale. Caves, ruins and open environments are honeycombed with treasure chests, and the search for treasure alone can greatly extend the amount of time a player takes to navigate an area. An on-screen compass is always present at the corner of the screen.

Characters would learn new abilities through the use of a weapon and spell-element level system. By using a particular weapon or spell element, the character would unlock a new ability after achieving certain levels in each respective category which were pre-determined. The same thing applied to the learning of spells, but was exclusively an elemental based level system, (the same used for the weapon skills as well.) In the case of the protaganist Justin, one ability could only be unlocked after Gadwin, (a temporarily playable character,) leaves the party. Some of Fena's magic attacks were even left unknown to the players until late in the game.

"Grandia" features a rotational party roster. However, the story requires that player spend a great deal of time with each character until they depart. This makes developing their weapon and magic proficiency important. As per usual, the statistics of each party member increases each time they gain a new level by defeating enemies and earning experience points. There are two exceptions to this: Weapon Skill and Magic Skill. All characters are able to wield various types of weapons and magic. Party members must use a particular weapon/magic spell a number of times in battle, until its Skill Level is raised. Weapons are divided into different classes, including swords, maces, axes, whips and knives. The game encourages the player to periodically switch between weapons.

The main characters begin the game with no Magic, but will eventually uncover Mana Eggs hidden in chests within dungeons. Mana eggs can be utilized to imbue characters with a new spell. Magic spells in "Grandia" are Element-based, meaning that they are divided into four groups: "Fire", "Wind", "Water", and "Earth". Repeatedly casting spells of a particular element will increase a party member's proficiency in of that type of magic, allowing them to learn other spells of that type. "Ice", "Lightning", "Forest" and "Explosion" become available later in the game once the party has mastered the basic elements. These spells combine the traits of two elements to produce a new effect; for example, combining Fire and Wind results in a Lightning spell, and Water fused with Wind produces Ice.

As the player progresses through the game, they will have more choice over what spells and abilities their characters can learn. Each party member's potential abilities are listed on a Skill screen within the game's main menu, as well as the Skill requirements that must be met in order to learn them.

Combat

Monsters in "Grandia" are visible on the field and wander around aimlessly until the party gets close. Once spotted, the enemy will lunge forward, and a battle will begin once the monster touches a party member. If the player manages to sneak up on the enemy and make contact from the rear, they will gain a "Pre-Emptive" strike and will attack first. Likewise, if an enemy touches the lead party member from behind, or anyone other than the lead party member, they will get the first strike instead.

Combat is shown from the familiar third-person overhead view. Because every character attacks at the same time, battles are generally shorter than those in most RPGs. The IP bar at the bottom right corner of the screen displays a row of icons, which represent all party members and enemies on the screen. When an icon drifts to the mid-point of the IP Bar, that person will be able to choose their next action. Once the icon reaches the end of the line, they will attack, and the process will repeat itself. The IP Bar also shows the time it will take for enemies to attack. During the period where an enemy is preparing an attack (between the halfway point and the end of the line), if the party manages to land a strike, that enemy will be dizzied and will automatically lose its phase of turn.Kalata, Kurt. [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3581/a_japanese_rpg_primer_the_.php?page=11 A Japanese RPG Primer] . [http://www.gamasutra.com Gamasutra] (2008-3-18) Retrieved on 2008-3-24.]

tory

The game centers around Justin, an aspiring adventurer who lives in the busy port town of Parm. Most people consider Justin's aspirations to be naive and silly, as it is widely believed that the "End of the World" was discovered on a recently-discovered continent (in the form of an insurmountable stone wall), and that the role of the intrepid explorer is now obsolete. Justin's late father was an adventurer himself, and that same spirit runs in Justin's blood. His lifelong friend is a girl named Sue, who is herself an orphan and has become a surrogate sister of sorts.

As the story starts, a military convoy has come to survey the outlying ruins close by. Justin decides to escape city life and sneak into the digging site, hoping to find something extraordinary. After eluding the guards, who have the ruins cordoned off, Justin and Sue make their way into an inner sanctum. Once there the ruins react to a relic Justin's father left him, the Spirit Stone, and they see a holographic image of a strange woman named Liete. She instructs them to venture across the world to locate the ancient city where she resides, a place called "Alent". Now armed with information that the military wants, Justin has the perfect excuse to leave home and venture across the sea to the New World.

Characters

Playable characters

nihongo|Justin|ジャスティン|Jasutin (age 14): The main character of the story. A young boy from the town of Parm who lives with his mother, Lilly, in their home in the upstairs of their family-owned restaurant. His father vanished years ago while on an adventure, and his mother is worried that he will try and follow in her late husband's footsteps. Despite his age, Justin is very capable with various weapons, including swords, maces, and axes.

nihongo|Sue|スー|Sū (age 8): Justin's best friend as well as constant tag-along on his adventures. Unlike Justin, she is quite mature and levelheaded for her age but can be just as emotional as any child depending on the situation. She aids in combat not only by casting several magic spells, but also by using ranged weapons like bows or throwing her pet Puffy (originally named Pooey in the Japanese version) like a projectile. She can also use maces.

nihongo|Feena|フィーナ|Fīna (age 15): A green-haired girl who first meets Justin on his voyage to New Parm and is impressed with his courage and fighting spirit. As both an agile fighter and accomplished mage, she has no trouble fending for herself, yet she joins Justin in his quest for adventure and eventually becomes his romantic interest. Her weapons of choice are whips and daggers.

nihongo|Gadwin|ガドイン|Gadoin (age 38): A seasoned knight in gold armor who challenged Justin to a battle when they first met, and being thoroughly convinced he is a true hero, joins him on his journey. He is a strong and capable fighter who is handy with a sword, and even imparts some of his wisdom to his new friend.

nihongo|Rapp|ラップ|Rappu (age 15): A cunning thief with plenty of attitude and no manners from the village of Cafu. In combat he can either fight up close with daggers or swords, or attack from afar with boomerangs and chakrams.

nihongo|Milda|ミルダ|Miruda (age 19): A towering and feral woman from the village of Laine who, despite her rough nature, has a sweet side, particularly for her husband. Like Justin, she uses swords, maces and axes.

nihongo|Guido|ギド|Gido (age 20): Traveling salesman and history buff, Guido is actually the young chieftain of a small, rabbit-like race called the Mogays. As both a crafty fighter and shrewd business man, he tries to guide Justin's group along with their best interests in mind. Prefers to fight with a bow, dagger or sword.

nihongo|Liete|リエーテ|Riēte (age unknown): A mysterious woman who contacted Justin in the Sult Ruins. She resides in a floating information database that contains knowledge and records of an ancient civilization. Highly skilled in magic, Liete can command a wide assortment of spells for a variety of effects. She, like Gadwin, can wield only one type of weapon, in her case, maces.

Other characters

nihongo|General Baal|バール将軍|Bāru Shōgun (age 48): A general who commands all of his officers without question. Despite being involved in the excavation of ruins for purely public reasons, he seems to have his own agenda.

nihongo|Colonel Mullen|ミューレン大佐|Myūren Taisa (age 23): Son of General Baal, leader of the Garlyle Forces, Mullen is a calculating tactician as well as a skilled swordsman. He is liked by most of his subordinates, and is simultaneously the romantic interest of most of his female officers.

nihongo|Leen|リーン|Rīn (age 15): A young soldier who has gained a special place in the military as Colonel Mullen's aide-de-camp due to her dedication. She is particularly kind for a soldier, and is well liked by her underlings as a result.

nihongo|Nana, Saki, and Mio|ナナ, サキ, ミオ|Nana, Saki, Mio (age 16): Three young commanders of the Garlyle Forces who are each assigned their own teams. Despite their best efforts, they often bungle important missions, especially if Justin happens to be involved. Each one of them has a crush on Colonel Mullen and outwardly show their jealousy of Leen as a result.

nihongo|Lilly|リリィ|Ririi (age 32): Justin's mother who raised him by herself after her husband died on an adventure. She now runs a restaurant just below her house in Parm. Lilly in fact used to be a pirate before meeting Justin's father.

Java (age 78): A former adventurer who puts Justin through his first test. Lives alone on a shack by an abandoned mine near the train tracks.

Voice actors

English version

Justin – Unlisted, but suspected to be Snazin Smith
Feena, Lilly – Angela Anderson
Sue, Saki – Blaney R. Aikman
Liete, Milda – Sharon Coleman
Leen – Nicole Weiss
Colonel Mullen – Tim Bosley
General Baal, Guido – Scott Beers
Nicky, Boy – Anthony Garcia Jr.
Mio – Christal Garcia
Nana – Maria H. Hernandez
Rapp – John W.

Japanese version

Saki – Junko Hagimori
Feena – Noriko Hidaka
Mio – Aya Hisakawa
Liete – Kikuko Inoue
Guido – Yoshiko Kamei
Colonel Mullen – Jurota Kosugi
Gadwin – Rokuro Naya
Sue – Kumiko Nishihara
Milda – Chika Sakamoto
Leen and Pooy (Puffy) – Hikari Tachibana
Justin – Fujiko Takimoto
Lilly and Nana – Yumi Touma
General Baal – Norio Wakamoto
Rapp – Kappei Yamaguchi

References

External links

* [http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~grandia/vlog3/index.php?info&game=g1 Vast Lands of Grandia - "Grandia" Section]