I'll start by saying that Grandia, now that I've played it, is what I consider one of the best role-playing games ever designed, beating out every other title in the genre, just by being complete, original and simple to enjoy. However, that extremely short description doesn't fully explain what Grandia has to offer. If you were expecting a perplexing storyline with dark overtones from Grandia, you'd best look elsewhere; while still on an epic level, Grandia's storyline is hilarious at times, sad at others and romantic as always. Never too serious, yet always enjoyable. From a touching scene to a completely unbelievable plot twist to a strange misunderstanding, Grandia will keep you engrossed and busy at all times, though the game never seems to get repetitive, as far as the plotline goes. However, I won't reveal any part of the plot, because Grandia must be fully experienced to truly grow on you and grow on you it will, from beginning to end, as you really get to know the characters on a personal basis, even though the game's plot is mostly innocent. Expect Grandia to be a long title that doesn't take much seriously, with quite a few comical situations and a lot of slapstick.

  No impending evil (at least, not right away), no psychological mumbo-jumbo, just more adventures, more fun, more to discover and, finally, about fifty hours later, Grandia ends in a glorious crescendo. Gamers spoiled to the recent Final Fantasy titles might cringe when they see Grandia for the first time, but a warning to these people; don't judge Grandia until it has proven itself. Sure, Grandia may have a low frame rate compared to its Saturn counterpart and older graphics, but they're nothing to scoff at, even by today's standards. Though Grandia's frame rate is a trifle lower, most probably won't notice, or care for that matter. Graphics alone never make a game what it is and nothing says that better than Grandia. Plunging you head first into a colorful and lush world with a mysterious secret and letting you slowly uncover it has never been done better than it has in Grandia. Grandia allows the player to explore incredibly active environments, like you've never seen before. These life-like backgrounds include many interactive elements, unlike the bland, still-life backgrounds of recent role-playing titles. Brooms fall over, bottles clink, pictures can be viewed and items can be grabbed. If you're like me, you'll love the simple, engaging way that every house allows some kind of moving element.

  The only part of Grandia environments that suffers a bit are a few of the dungeons, which seem repetitive and befuddling at times and lack landmarks and ways of navigating, which makes you ecstatic to have a compass on-screen. The music and sounds effects are also incredible; from epic flowing tunes to lighthearted melodies, Grandia delivers truly classic music and sound. Assisted by Skywalker Sound, GameArts created a stereo music feast for the ears. Every last tune just screams to be hummed and the sound effects are excellent; slashes, whips and smashes included. The only area that Grandia's sound really lacks is in the voice-acting which despite being pretty good, it is low quality and some of the voices sound forced. In other words, a minority of the voice acting is questionably odd sounding, however this is rare. Some of the voices are extremely cute and funny at the same time, such as the incredibly cute Puffy, Sue's pet (the token cute thing of Grandia). The abilities each character has bring new voice clips to the surface, often more than one clip per event. There are also multiple sound effects for the same events and several battle themes, including a brand-new main battle theme after you switch to disc two.

  That brings us to the subject of battles. Make sure you have a beverage, this might take a while. Don't let the naysayers fool you, Grandia's battles are real-time, only pausing for commands. Grandia employs a seemingly simple, yet intricate system of combat. Grandia's main battle engine centers around the innovative Initiative Point Meter (I.P. Meter for short), which has several stipulations that make it a great battle system timer. You see, in Grandia, your characters and your enemies all have to wait for their turns, as in most role-playing titles. However, Grandia differs, in that, it allows the player to not only see when his/her turn will occur, but also when the enemies will get their turn. Keep this in mind as I explain the rest. As you walk all of the environments, other than towns, you will most likely see enemies in your field of vision. In other words, there are no random battles or encounters in Grandia. If you run into an enemy, you'll initiate combat. However, there are some subtle differences about encounters. If the enemy hits you from behind, their icons on the IP Meter are farther along when the battle starts. If you engage the enemy from behind, your characters' icons will be farther along on the IP Meter when the battle starts.

  In essence, you, your enemy or neither have the initiative, which brings us back to the IP Meter. The IP Meter acts as your guide to when you can attack and when you will be attacked. This opens up the possibility of strategic combat. There are three states to the flow of the IP Meter, also referred to as one full cycle of combat. Every character and enemy must wait their full cycle to act. The first state is Wait, where you, well, wait. This is the biggest part of the IP Meter, taking up three-quarters of it. The second state is Command, where you decide what you will have your characters do. Finally, the third state is Action, which counts down to your characters' selected action(s). From here, your characters acts and the IP Meter goes back into the Wait state. Actions during battle are many. The first is Combo, a quick movement of two or more blows with a basic weapon. During this, your character takes more damage if he / she is hit during a blow, as with enemies. This is called Counter Damage. It will come in very handy in the tougher battles. The second is Critical, a slower, stronger single blow that can Cancel an enemy's Super Move and vise versa.

  This is also extremely useful during the course of the game. The third option is Moves/Magic, which, obviously, lets you choose special Super Moves and Magic to use against your foes. These Super Move attacks can be earned through battle experience, while Magic must be earned through use of Mana Eggs, special items that can be used to buy basic Magic abilities; Fire, Wind, Water and Earth. Magic can be mixed, such as Wind and Water for making Blizzard, but that also comes with experience. Magic experience is earned through, what else, use of Magic. The more you use it, the more powerful abilities you earn. Each Magic Level (1, 2 and 3) has its own Magic Points, or MP, which means you can't use twelve MP from your Level 1 Magic to power a Level 2 spell and likewise for Level 1 and 3. Your special Super Moves drain your characters Special Points, or SP, which are slowly replenished by using Combo or Critical and by taking damage. The next option is Items, which I find pretty self-explanatory, but I'll describe it anyway; it allows you to use Items. The fifth is Escape, which is also fairly easy to comprehend; it allows you to Escape, or run from enemies. The sixth is Defend, which allows you to ward off some damage from enemies, called Endure, and stay away from them as well, called Evasion. The seventh option is Look, which allows you to view all occupants of the battlefield without acting yet. The eighth and final option is Tactics, which allows you to turn control of your party over to the PlayStation's artificial intelligence, or A.I., or to program some of your characters to act a certain way.

  Don't get me wrong; Grandia's battle system may sound complex by some standards, but once you've experienced it, you'll find it borders on perfection. Where other battle engines seem tedious or annoying after only a few minutes, this one gives the player full control of all that happens and allows strategic planning of every battle, regardless of grandeur. Even with its poor voice-acting, somewhat lacking graphical conversion from the Saturn to the PlayStation and often bland translation, Grandia is still what I consider one of the best playing console RPGs ever designed. Although simple, Grandia is an excellent, epic ride through the believably wonderful, complex and colorful fantasy world. With its lighthearted plot, engaging characters and original battle system, Grandia is an RPG that will deliver a fresh experience, one that is unlike any console role-playing title you've ever experienced.
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