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Grandia 2 Preview
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
One of the best console RPG`s is set to arrive on the PC in March, we take a look at an early build.
Itās not often that a console RPG arrives on the PC, so Game Arts port of Grandia 2 has the chance to succeed. Grandia 2 first appeared on the ill-fated Dreamcast and was released to a rave of critical reviews, unfotuntaely the game didnāt garnish as much success as it deserved and so the game is now appearing on PC and PS2 courtesy of Game Arts and Ubisoft.
Players take the role of Ryudo, hired to escort the young songstress of Granas; Elena, to an important ritual that will seal the wings of the evil Valmar forever. Unsurprisingly it all goes wrong, and so Ryudo and Elena must travel to the Cathedral of Granas to rid her off the evil spirit that has possessed her body.
And so the game begins with the customary fights, characters joining your quest, levelling up and all of the features youād expect to find in an RPG. Thankfully Grandia 2 was one of the better RPGās to emerge, with a strong story and fantastic fighting system that is loosely based on Chronotrigger. As with that title, enemies appear on-screen removing the tedious nature of random fights as you get to choose whether to enter combat or simply avoid it. If you surprise the enemy then youāll have the upper hand during the fight, however the same applies to the enemy so watch out.
Combat is essentially turn-based, however there is more flexibility as time plays a major role. Combat revolves around a time meter, this meter is split between rest and action time. During the rest time your character cannot do anything, but wait until action time where you can select what youād like your character to do, be it attack, defend or use an item. Different actions take different times, so attacking an enemy further away will take up more time then attacking one nearby. This adds a sense of tactics and strategy to the proceedings, as youāll need to think about what enemies to attack, timing the attacks properly and hoping to counter the enemies. Of course it wouldnāt be an RPG without impressive magic and special attacks, and thankfully Grandia 2 has these by the bucketload. FMV sequences are interspersed with the 3D fights seamlessly, resulting in some of the most stunning fights ever to take place in a videogame. Thereās a massive selection of monsters to fight, plus some of the most impressive boss characters Iāve seen in years, that youāll come across in your adventure.
Levelling up is through the standard mixture of experience points, spell books and Mana Eggs. Each of which affect your parties attributes in different areas, allowing you to totally customise your characters into whatever you decide.
The game looked stunning on the Dreamcast, but looks even better on the PC thanks to the ability to choose your resolution, resulting in stronger and crisper visuals. The anime theme is wonderfully carried out, resulting in
