Grandia (computer game)
| Grandia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original title | グ ラ ン デ ィ ア | ||||
| transcription | Gurandia | ||||
| Studio | Game Arts | ||||
| Publisher |
 ESP SCEA Ubisoft GungHo Online Entertainment (HD Remaster)  |
||||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Sega Saturn: September 18, 1997 PlayStation: June 24, 1999 September 30, 1999 March 30, 2001 PlayStation 3: April 22, 2009 February 25, 2010 November 10, 2010 HD Remaster |
||||
| platform | Sega Saturn , PlayStation , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , PlayStation Vita , Nintendo Switch , Steam | ||||
| genre | role playing game | ||||
| Subject | Fantasy | ||||
| Game mode | Single player | ||||
| medium | 2 CD-ROMs digital distribution |
||||
| Age rating |
|
||||
| PEGI content rating |
|
||||
Grandia ( Japanese グ ラ ン デ ィ ア , Gurandia) is a computer role-playing game first produced by Game Arts for Sega Saturn , and the first title in the series of the same name . The game was released in January 1997, and due to its success, a PlayStation version was then released in June 1999. In Europe, the game was only released in March 2001 via Ubisoft . Producer Yoichi Miyagi , designer Takeshi Miyaji and composer Noriyuki Iwadare also worked on the game. Grandia received mostly positive reviews and was voted the 73rd best game of all time by Japanese Famitsu readers for a 2006 poll.
action
The story of Grandia is about a boy named Justin . He lives with his mother in the fictional port town of Parm. His father was an adventurer. Justin's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps and become a great adventurer himself. Together with his playmate Sue he goes to the nearby ruins and finds remnants of the old Angelou culture. A girl's hologram appears to him and tells about the past world. Determined to find the girl and learn more about the Angelou, Justin sets out and embarks on the path of an adventurer. On his journey he meets many companions, such as the girl Feena , who is a little older than Justin and turns out to be a famous adventurer. But the military is also looking for the old culture and so the protagonist often has to deal with its soldiers over the course of the story.
Game world
The game world of Grandia is divided into three continents or five areas; once an area has ended, it is not possible to revisit it. The smallest continent is called "Messina" and is shaped by the industry of its capital Parm , which is known as the port city. Further north over the sea is the continent "Elencia", which is often referred to in the game as the "new continent". This continent is rich in "Icarian" ruins and although people have spread there, the continent is adventure-oriented due to monsters, the cloud forest and the name "new continent" - which is likely to arouse curiosity - which is why the new continent is also popular for who is a popular adventurer in the world of Grandia. A so-called “Adventurer League” with headquarters in “Neu-Parm” dominates here and is apparently the most important contact point for adventurers. The inhabitants of the cloud forest, who call themselves humanoids , are unknown to mankind . You live on the border to the end of the world , as the high wall can be described, which no one should have reached, let alone passed. The end of the world is also a minor topic of conversation on the lips of people in the game world and it is believed that there is nothing behind there. Behind this wall is another area called "the lost world". The lost world is located directly “behind” the end of the world and, due to the “foreign” climatic zones, has a clearly different fauna than that of people from Messina and Elencia. The residents, like the humanoids, also have horns and are not humans. Further east after the "Sea of the Mermaids" there is another continent called "East Elencia". In addition to humanoids, there are other beings on this continent, such as rabbits . The capital is called "Zil Padon" and is inhabited by different beings who live in three districts according to ethnicity, but cope with everyday life together. Zil Padon is also the largest city in the game. The inhabitants of the lost world and East Elencia must know each other and certainly interact with one another, since the game of boat trips across the sea of the mermaids of the inhabitants of the lost world is used. The fifth area you visit is “Angelou”, but only the city of Alent , which is important in the game and is located on the moon , and the shattered city of “Icaria” (East Elencia) can be visited.
Regardless of the story, the places in the second area of the lost world or East Elencia are the Castle of Dreams , the War Cemetery and the Tower of Temptation , the latter only being activated after the stay in Alent.
Areas in Grandia
|
All areas on the first CD:
|
All areas on the second CD:
|
Icarian mythology
In the world of Grandia, the fictional mythology about the Icarian people is formative for human society. They are described as wing-like, beautiful beings who use the power of a ghost stone to apply enormous magic and found the magnificent civilization "Angelou". In this civilization they built the city "Alent", which was known as the city of wisdom and is supposed to underline the wisdom of the Icarians. In this city lives the living database Liete , who has been dubbed the high priestess of Alent. It has all the information about the culture and lifestyle of the Icarians.
Icarians look similar to humans, but they can grow wings and make them disappear again. An Icarian can only use the enormous magic during this wing phase. In Angelou's time, Icarians coexisted with people and gave them gifts. The people, however, are said to have become jealous of the strength that the Icarians were able to acquire with their wings and stole their ghost stones, which led to a certain darkness haunting the land. To stop the darkness, the Icarians built a wall that divided the world of Grandia in half. This wall is known as the end of the world and has apparently never been passed by a human, which is why the people in the game world think that there is nothing behind this wall. The reason for the apparently impossible passage lies in the cloud forest in front of it, which, due to the thick fog and darkness, has apparently never been passed and so the end of the world could never be reached. However, another ethnic group, the humanoids , who live in their village called "Dorf Luc", received so-called mist - dissolving nuts from the Icarieans , with which the humanoids could orient themselves in the cloud forest and thus live in the cloud forest far from human civilization. The darkness became so strong that a monster named "Gaia" was born from it. In order to conquer the monster, all Icarians sacrificed themselves to save the people. Before that, however, they uttered a rebirth saying that should bring two Icarians into the world, should Gaia ever be resurrected. In the video game, these are Feena and Leen.
The majority of human civilization at the start of the game has already forgotten the Iicarian civilization or considers it to be a mere myth. Only the Baal Museum of Parm, the Galyle Army and a few adventurers still deal with it. While the Angelou civilization is still linked to the Icarians, the city of Alent has been completely forgotten. However, the Galyle Army also knows about the ghost stones. As evidence of the culture for the people in the cities of Parm and New Parm there is an Ikarian ruin, which falsifies the depiction of the Icarians through strange sculptures and is believed to be at least not the "beautiful" beings.
Gameplay
The environment in Grandia is represented as a three-dimensional map and the 2D animated characters with bitmap - sprite were stocked. The camera can be rotated in all directions and follows an angled third-person perspective , which can be zoomed three times. This is necessary to see hidden passages or objects.
The statistics of the individual group members increase by defeating enemies in levels, by earning experience points. In order to learn new skills, one must repeatedly use weapons or spells in combat. As soon as a weapon or a spell is used several times in combat, the ability is increased by one level. Weapons come in different classes and not every member of the group can use all classes, including axes, clubs, knives, whips and swords. In addition, certain abilities also increase the power of life and magic. As an example, the water element, if you increase the qualification level by one level higher, you get one HP (English Health Points ; life force ) and 2 MP (English Mana Points ; magic power ). The spells can be learned via so-called Mana Eggs (mana eggs), which are distributed in the game world. There are four elements earth, fire, water and wind, depending on the combination and application, further elements arise and thus each individual group member can learn their own and different special attacks.
Opponents or even monsters are visible on the field and wander aimlessly. If the group gets too close and you have eye contact, the monsters light up red and run after the group. There are three ways to start a fight, and they also affect the fight. If you have eye contact and run towards the monster, a normal fight begins. If you try to escape or if you are inattentive and the escape fails, the monster has physical contact with the group first and the fight begins in ambush. Here the opponent can make his first move and you are at a disadvantage. However, if you sneak up behind you and the monster doesn't notice anything, you have an advantage. This is also called your turn! , Here you move your train with the whole group in front of the monsters. The fight is also shown in the third person perspective and the combat system consists of a time bar with which you can give commands to the protagonists (group members) of the fight. However, each action takes a different length of time. It is also possible to repel or prevent attacks from opponents, even in boss fights.
Characters
Playable leading roles
- Justin: a 14 year old boy from Parm who wants to go on great adventures just like his successful ancestors. He is the hero in the game.
- Sue: She's eight years old and Justin's best friend. She has a flying pet called Puffy , it follows her everywhere and always sits on her head.
- Feena: At the young age of 15, she was given a very high rank in the Adventure League in New Parm . She lost her parents at an early age and she grew up alone with her sister Leen . Justin and Sue meet Feena on a steamboat to New Parm . In the course of the story, she learns that she is a so-called Icarian and has hidden powers.
- Gadwin: Known as the Knight of Dight , he's like a teacher to Justin. His positive qualities are that he is very polite and respectful of others.
- Rapp: a 15 year old ninja from Cafu . His best friend is little Nicky , who also lives in Cafu. He starts the journey because he wants to take revenge for the petrification of his people.
- Milda: In the Tower of Damnation , Justin, Feena and Rapp get to know 19-year-old Milda as an enemy, after a fight it turns out that everyone is on one side, and so she joins the group. She is also a very strong woman who lives happily with her Darlin .
- Guido: You don't know how old he is. He comes from a people who call themselves Mogay . The Mogays are a rabbit-like people who live in a district of Zil Padon . In addition to his love of money, it should be mentioned that he is also the leader of the Mogays.
- Liete: She is the high priestess of the lost civilization of Angelou and also the guardian of Alent , but she is not an Icarian .
Supporting roles
- Lilly: Justin's mother and the manager of the Möwentreff restaurant .
- Java: an old popular adventurer who made it possible for Justin and Sue to get a passenger pass to New Parm . He lives withdrawn in the leak mines .
- Nana, Saki, Mio: You are three women who serve as senior officers in the Galyle Army.
- Leen: She's the older sister of Feena and also a lieutenant in the Galyle Army.
- Mullen: The son of General Baal , initially convinced of his father's plans, he doubts it as the game progresses.
- General Baal: leader of the Galyle army and the antagonist.
Voice actor
| character | Japanese voice | English voice |
|---|---|---|
| Justin | Fujiko Takimoto | Snazin Smith |
| Fairy | Noriko Hidaka | Angela Anderson |
| Sue | Kumiko Nishihara | Blaney R. Aikman |
| Gadwin | Rokurō Naya | |
| Rap | Kappei Yamaguchi | John W. |
| Milda | Chika Sakamoto | Sharon Coleman |
| Guido | Yoshiko Kamei | Scott Beers |
| Liete | Kikuko Inoue | Sharon Coleman |
| Puffy | Hikari Tachibana | Hikari Tachibana |
| General Baal | Norio Wakamoto | Scott Beers |
| Mullen | Jūrōta Kosugi | Tim Bosley |
| Leen | Hikari Tachibana | Nicole Weiss |
| Nana | Yumi Toma | Maria H. Hernandez |
| Saki | Junko Hagimori | Blaney R. Aikman |
| Million | Aya Hisakawa | Christal Garcia |
| Lilly | Yumi Toma | Angela Anderson |
| Nicky | Anthony Garcia Jr. | |
| Boy |
- In some of the video sequences there were also German voice actors on the German version and French on the French version, although the names are not known.
Further publications on Grandia
Grandia Prelude and Memorial Package
Grandia: Prelude ( グ ラ ン デ ィ ア ～ プ レ リ ュ ー ド ～ ; Gurandia: Pureryūdo) is the prelude to the original Grandia game , released exclusively for Sega Saturn and exclusively for the Japanese market. The catalog number is 6106600.
The game contains two playable modes, the first mode is the beginning of the original Grandia game and the second mode an insight into the volcano level. There are also character profiles, video sequences and a preview mode in which you can explore different locations in the game from the air, which are not seen in this way in the original game.
It is speculated that the edition of Grandia Prelude was limited to just 10,000 units. The only way to get the game is to send a special card to Game Arts . On the other hand, it is said that the editions were made at special events.
The game Grandia Memorial Package ( グ ラ ン デ ィ ア メ モ リ ア ル パ ッ ケ ー ジ ; Gurandia Memoriarupakkēji) is a remake of the game that only comes with a different cover and a new look for the disc. It was produced exclusively for the Japanese market and can be played on the Sega Saturn. The catalog number is T-4513G.
Soundtrack albums
All albums were composed by Noriyuki Iwadare .
| publication | title | annotation |
|---|---|---|
| December 18, 1997 | Grandia Pre-order Campaign Special CD グ ラ ン デ ィ ア 予 約 キ ャ ン ペ ー ン 特製 ＣＤ |
Pre-order CD |
| December 22, 1997 | Grandia / Original Soundtracks 「グ ラ ン デ ィ ア ／ オ リ ジ ナ ル サ ウ ン ド ド ラ ッ ク ス」 |
Soundtrack album |
| February 4, 1998 | Vent: Grandia Arrange Version Vent ～ グ ラ ン デ ィ ア ア レ ン ジ バ ー ジ ョ ン |
|
| June 26, 1998 | "Grandia" Original Soundtracks II 「グ ラ ン デ ィ ア」 オ リ ジ ナ ル ・ ・ サ ウ ン ド ト ラ ッ ク ス II |
|
| June 25, 1999 | The Best of Grandia ベ ス ト オ ブ グ ラ ン デ ィ ア |
compilation |
Publications
- Hiroshi Hosoe: Grandia (1) Shintairiku Elencia (German: Grandia (1) New Continent Elencia ; original: GRANDIA (グ ラ ン デ ィ ア) 〈1〉 新大陸 エ レ ン シ ア (角 川 ス ニ ニ ー カ ー 文庫) ), Kadokawa 1999, June 4 , 1999, -6
- Hiroshi Hosoe: Grandia (2) Sekai no Hate o Koete (German: Grandia (2) Beyond the End of the World ; original: GRANDIA (グ ラ ン デ ィ ア) 〈2〉 世界 の 果 て を 越 え て (角 川 ス ニ ー カ ー 文庫) ), Kadokawa August 1999, ISBN 4-0441-9506-4
- Hiroshi Hosoe: Grandia (3) Arento no Muko-gawa (German: Grandia (3) Beyond alent ; original: GRANDIA (グランディア) <3>アレントの向こう側(角川スニーカー文庫) ), Kadokawa Shoten, October 1999 ISBN 4-0441-9507-2
Offshoot
Due to the success, there were two offshoots of the Grandia series : Digital Museum (exclusively available for Sega Saturn) and Grandia: Parallel Trippers (exclusively for Game Boy Color ), which were only released in Japan.
Re-releases
The game has also been available on PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable and later PlayStation Vita since April 2009 .
In August 2018 it was announced that the title would be released as " HD Remaster " in winter 2019 for Nintendo Switch and Steam worldwide. The title is said to have been playable for the first time at PAX 2018 in Seattle . The HD remaster is to be based on the source code of the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions, with the details of the user interface , the sprites and the textures being improved. There are also improvements to the multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA for short) and blur effects, texture mapping and the visual display of the original videos. A digital user manual, Steam Achievements and trading cards will also be added. For voice output, the selection of English and Japanese language is currently specified, for which English subtitles should also be possible for Japanese voice output. As part of the Grandia HD Collection , the game was released digitally for Nintendo Switch on August 16, 2019 and as an HD remaster on October 15 of that year on Steam.
Others
During the release of Grandia on PlayStation 1 in Japan, Japanese rock music group L'Arc-en-Ciel sang the official theme song It's the End as a promotional song. The advertisement was only broadcast in Japan.
reception
Grandia received the rating 32/40 in the Japanese Famitsu for both formats of the PlayStation and Sega-Saturn version.
The PlayStation version received 9/10 points from Electronic Gaming Monthly .
Although the game has not yet been released outside of Japan, GameSpot published an article with a rating in 1998. It was written for the Sega-Saturn version that Grandia surpassed the video game Final Fantasy VII in all respects. It was added that not only is the game longer and has a more appealing cast of characters, but it lacks the diffusion that other RPGs do. After this contribution, the game won the Editor's Choice Award . A similar post was mentioned about the PlayStation version.
In 2001 it was confirmed that the game had sold a million copies in total. Five years later, in 2006, Famitsu readers voted the Sega-Saturn version as the 73rd best game of all time in the magazine's All Time Top 100 most popular games.
In German-speaking countries, more than 170 readers on Spieletipps.de gave the PlayStation version an average rating of 96/100.
The PlayStation version sold 97,460 times in Japan in the first three weeks. In addition, the Sega Saturn version sold 344,554 times in the first year in Japan alone, making it the 15th best-selling game for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998.
The PS One classic release in the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 achieved a five-star rating with more than 3000 ratings in North America; this rating was also achieved with more than 1750 ratings in Europe and nearly 3500 ratings in Japan.
Web links
- Grandia at MobyGames (English)
- Game Arts: Official Product Profile (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ edge-online: Silpheed designer dies aged 45 ( Memento from May 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English), accessed on August 17, 2012
- ↑ a b Edge Staff Japan Votes on All Time Top 100 ( Memento from July 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) In EDGE , accessed on September 21, 2014
- ↑ Grandia Wikia Icarians In grandia.wikia.com (English), accessed December 26, 2017
- ↑ Grandia Wikia Baal Museum In grandia.wikia.com (English), accessed on December 26, 2017
- ↑ a b c d Peter Bartholow Grandia is every bit as worthwhile as Final Fantasy VIII, just in different ways. In GameSpot , accessed June 28, 2013
- ↑ IGN Staff Grandia Made Official: Saturn's biggest RPG finally confirmed for PlayStation release. In IGN , accessed June 28, 2013
- ↑ segagagadomain Saturn - Grandia Prelude In segagagadomain.com (English), accessed on September 21, 2014
- ↑ segagagadomain Saturn - Grandia Memorial Package In segagagadomain.com (English), accessed on September 21, 2014
- ↑ Playstation GRANDIA TM (German), accessed on August 17, 2012
- ↑ Ollie Barder: The First Two 'Grandia' Games Are Being Remastered For The Switch This Winter. Forbes , August 21, 2018, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Krispin Berndt, on September 23, 2018 at 7:40 p.m. Grandia and Grandia II: GungHo Online Entertainment publishes new information on the two HD Remaster In ntower (German), accessed on October 27, 2018
- ↑ Anime Lyrics dot Com It's the End In animelyrics.com , accessed on September 21, 2014
- ↑ Weekly Famitsu: プ レ イ ス テ ー シ ョ ン - グ ラ ン デ ィ ア In: Weekly Famitsu No. 915, p. 9.
- ↑ Crispin Boyer, Chris Johnston, John Ricciardi and Che (October 1999). "Grandia for PlayStation review". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff-Davis Media) (123).
- ↑ Archives Grandia 2 review - Sega Dreamcast In Bordersdown , accessed June 28, 2013
- ↑ spieletipps Grandia (PSX) In Spieletipps.de (German), accessed on December 5, 2016
- ^ "Top 30 Weekly Sales Report". Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese) (Enterbrain, Inc.) (556). July 18, 1997.
- ↑ PlayStation.Store US Grandia (PSOne Classic) In PlayStation Store , accessed December 5, 2016
- ↑ PlayStation.Store DE GRANDIA In PlayStation Store (German), accessed on December 5, 2016
- ↑ PlayStation.Store JP グ ラ ン デ ィ ア In PlayStation Store (Japanese), accessed December 5, 2016