Grandia
From Sega Retro
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| Grandia | |||||||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Saturn | |||||||||||||||
| Publisher: Game Arts/ESP | |||||||||||||||
| Developer: Game Arts | |||||||||||||||
| Sound driver: SCSP (1/1Track) | |||||||||||||||
| Genre: RPG | |||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||
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Grandia (グランディア) is a Sega Saturn RPG released in Japan and later brought overseas on the PlayStation. It is the first entry in Game Arts's popular Grandia series of RPGs. It was followed by Grandia II. The game is very characteristic of Game Arts' other classic franchise, Lunar, in its colorful and relatively lighthearted nature.
The game was once set for release on the Sega Mega-CD. A US Saturn version was also at one point planned for the first quarter of 1998[1].
Contents
Story
In a humble port town, Justin is playing games with his friends, while rumors are circulating that a new continent has been found. Meanwhile, the Garlyle forces, the main militia of the game's primary villains, are hunting for information regarding power sealed inside of the ancient ruins of past civilizations. Justin, along with his friend Sue, dream of going on the same adventures that Justin's late father undertook before him. Managing to get an entry pass to the adventurer's society, he is eventually led on a tour of the ancient ruins near his hometown. Inside, he opens a door with the help of a spirit stone and discovers that the legends of these cities may be a reality. But when the Garlyle forces go after him, they learn of what he has found and from there the adventure begins.
Gameplay
Grandia was distinct from many JRPGs of its time, in that players can see the enemies on the world map. Whether or not an enemy is caught from behind or vice versa, can trigger a first-strike surprise battle in a separate screen. The battle mode is also semi-tactical; players do not move through a grid but a series of several spots in terms of evasion or reaching enemies. Attacks are performed as a meter goes up, and this is the same for enemies, meaning whoever is first in line will be next to attack. Certain skills require more time to be process and even recover after use. Players can level up individual weapons, for which each character is capable of using a different set. Magic is also leveled up, like weapons, through use, though they must be obtained using mana eggs. The field also allows people to interact with objects, which either results in something as pointless as causing a tool to rattle, or triggering a door, bridge, and such for another player to travel.
Legacy
The original Saturn game was one of the most beloved titles for the Saturn in Japan at the time of its release and won a Japan Game of the Year award, leading up to a special Memorial Package edition. It sold nearly a million copies, and along side Virtua Fighter 2, is one of the system's best selling titles. The Saturn version never saw a release stateside, but the later PlayStation port in 1999 did get published, though it would become only a cult classic there. Many gamers in the west view Saturn's quintessential JRPG as either Shining Force 3, Dragon Force, or Panzer Dragoon Saga. Neither of these became a major success and are among the most sought after games on the system for Saturn RPGs with an english counterpart. As with the absence of Grandia's Saturn version for english territories, the lack of success with the Saturn contributed to this problem. At the time of its release, Saturn's main competitor for RPG epics was Sony's mammoth Final Fantasy VII. Although Saturn could never rival the sales of Sony's console and it's highlights, the Japanese market, being more receptive to Saturn, helped usher the lighthearted Grandia into commercial success and there was thought as the system's answer to Final Fantasy VII (as some US outlets even echoed) though the two are quite different in style.
The PS version features some downgraded graphical effects, mostly due to 2D layering. For example, the Saturn version has a higher definition battle background.
There was also an expansion disc called Grandia: Digital Museum, which offered bonus content, allowing the player to load their save file from the original game and find numerous unlockables related to the game and its universe. This disc had no PlayStation counterpart and is exclusive to the Saturn version.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Grandia/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Flyer
Physical scans
| Sega Retro Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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90 |
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| Based on 15 reviews | |
| Saturn, JP |
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  Cover
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 Spinecard  Disc 1  Disc 2  Manual  Manual2 |
| Saturn, JP (Memorial Package) |
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  Cover
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 Disc 1  Disc 2 |
References
- ↑ File:TipsandTricks US 035.pdf, page 38
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 File:SegaMagazin DE 53.pdf, page 28 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:SegaMagazin DE 53.pdf_p28" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ File:SSM_UK_30.pdf, page 66
- ↑ File:SSM_JP_19971226_1997-45.pdf, page 219
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 10 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p10" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Consoles +, "Février 1998" (FR; 1998-0x-xx), page 94
- ↑ Famitsu, "1997-12-26" (JP; 1997-12-12), page 1
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 6, Issue 4: April 1998" (US; 1998-xx-xx), page 14
- ↑ Joypad, "Février 1998" (FR; 1998-xx-xx), page 70
- ↑ Mega Console, "Febbraio 1998" (IT; 1998-xx-xx), page 66
- ↑ Mega Force, "Avril/Mai/Juin 1998" (FR; 1998-0x-xx), page 44
- ↑ Next Generation, "April 1998" (US; 1998-03-17), page 102
- ↑ neXt Level, "März 1998" (DE; 1998-02-30), page 68
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1997 No. 24" (JP; 1997-12-12), page 185
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1998 No. 3" (JP; 1998-01-30), page 73
- ↑ SuperGamePower, "Março 1998" (BR; 1998-xx-xx), page 21
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "April 1998" (UK; 1998-03-11), page 66
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-45 (1997-12-26)" (JP; 1997-12-12), page 219
| Grandia series | |
|---|---|
|
Grandia (1997) | Grandia Digital Museum (1998) |
 |
Grandia II (2000) |
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