Grandia HD Collection Xbox Review

It’s time to take an RPG journey again in time, with the Grandia HD Assortment, which won’t embody any foolish magic portal nonsense to cease the tip of the world, however by means of the wonders of remastered collections and trendy expertise to, properly, cease the tip of the world.

This time we’re looking at Recreation Arts basic Grandia video games, particularly the primary two numbered video games within the sequence, Grandia and Grandia II, with the Grandia HD Assortment. The Grandia HD Assortment or, on the very least, the HD variations of every recreation have already been launched on PC and Nintendo Change. And now they’re hitting last-gen consoles, particularly Xbox One and PS4. Concern not current-gen machine house owners, because the Xbox One model is playable on Collection machines and, I’d think about, the PS4 model is playable on PS5’s as properly.

The Grandia sequence started life in 1997 on the Sega Saturn, with a PS1 port in 1999. A yr later Grandia 2 debuted on the Sega Dreamcast with a PS2 port coming alongside in 2002. Whereas the sequence could have fizzled out within the years since, the video games have garnered a big fan following, with Grandia 2 being a specific spotlight for this reviewer.

Whereas a part of the identical sequence, Grandia 1 and a couple of are narratively unconnected and, to a big diploma, simply as tonally totally different.

Grandia 1 looks like a Saturday morning journey cartoon because it follows the journey of a younger boy to develop into a famed adventurer like his father. Cue loads of shenanigans and a mysterious misplaced civilization and you’ve got a extremely charming recreation that’s nonetheless enjoyable to play at present.

Grandia 2 throws you into the sneakers of hardened Geohound, Ryudo, a mercenary monster hunter. A job to guard a Songstress turns right into a race to cease the god of darkness from returning. Whereas the primary recreation was a enjoyable, sunny journey, Grandia 2’s tone is way darker and snarkier. That’s to not say it isn’t with out its justifiable share of humour, nevertheless it definitely takes a deeper dive into darkness than its forbearer. It’s additionally an distinctive JRPG in its personal proper that’s simply as fantastically addictive now because it was once I performed it again in 2000.

Grandia HD Assortment’s strongest options are its glorious writing and its, on the time, distinctive tackle the Lively Time Battle (ATB) system. Each video games function nice characters and character development, although Ryudo steals the present along with his acidic remarks to one and all within the second. The general story itself for each video games won’t be distinctive however the glorious dialogue is really a spotlight.

Whereas each video games are conventional JRPGs by means of and thru, the ATB system used was designed to be sure you paid consideration to what was happening throughout fight. What set the ATB system aside was that, with particular assaults, you would delay an enemy’s assault. Moreover, if you happen to timed activating your assault to the identical time because the enemy, you would counter them, push their timing again on the bar and deal injury on the identical time.

Conversely, the enemy might do the identical to you but when timed appropriately, you may get by means of a struggle with out taking any injury, primarily creating combos between your characters. Whereas there may be an choice to customize the character’s technique in fight, doing every part manually yields the perfect outcomes. Apparently, Grandia 1 additionally has a weapon level-up system. I’m not fully certain how a lot levelling a weapon up by means of use really makes to your injury stats although.

The video games additionally sport no random encounters. You’ll be able to see enemies roaming the map and it’s so simple as working into them to start fight. Clearing an space stays devoid of enemies till you permit that space and return. As with most JRPGs from this time, grinding performs an vital half in success, together with opening up new abilities. Energy levellers will discover themselves in heaven right here as you possibly can grind your technique to victory.

The Grandia HD Assortment, nonetheless, jogs my memory of the early PS3 days of HD collections, when the video games obtained a minimal quantity of labor amounting to excessive decision widescreen assist, increased decision textures and different fundamental asset work. The Grandia HD Assortment isn’t any totally different on this regard. Past the aforementioned increased decision textures and HD ratio assist, the video games stay nearly precisely the identical as they have been on launch, simply playable on trendy {hardware}.

Now whereas I don’t want the standard of life modifications, resembling saving anyplace or rewinds, that so many retro collections now encapsulate, I might have favored the Grandia HD Assortment to have obtained some extra work on the feel entrance. Grandia 1, for example, utilises sprite-based characters which appear to have gone by means of a smoothing filter slightly than been redrawn, which makes the characters look just a little smeary at occasions, whereas Grandia 2, absolutely 3D, has some world textures that additionally look as if they’ve been Photoshop filtered and smoothed out.

Is that this recreation breaking in any method? Removed from it, the video games play precisely as they did on launch which, for many people, is precisely what we’re searching for. For all intents and functions, they’re mainly straight ports of basic video games. They’re additionally the easiest way to play them at present, wanting pulling out your authentic copies and {hardware} and booting them up. Assuming you continue to have each the machines and discs they usually’re in working order.

Does the Grandia HD Assortment do what it units out to do and convey these classics to trendy {hardware} and audiences? Sure, it definitely does. Grandia 1’s tough polygonal visuals fade into the ether with just a little little bit of playtime because the enjoyable gameplay takes over. And the identical goes for Grandia 2, though its 3D visuals fare higher than the primary video games. Almost from the get go I used to be absorbed again into each video games with their stellar writing and enjoyable gameplay.

You could have to mood your expectations on what you count on from The Grandia HD Assortment visually. However if you happen to can look previous the growing older visuals, you’ll discover two implausible JRPG’s that need to be performed.