Grandia HD Assortment Xbox Evaluation

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 way of the wonders of remastered collections and fashionable know-how to, effectively, cease the tip of the world.

This time we’re looking at Recreation Arts traditional Grandia video games, particularly the primary two numbered video games within the collection, 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 Swap. And now they’re hitting last-gen consoles, particularly Xbox One and PS4. Concern not current-gen machine homeowners, because the Xbox One model is playable on Collection machines and, I’d think about, the PS4 model is playable on PS5’s as effectively.

The Grandia collection started life in 1997 on the Sega Saturn, with a PS1 port in 1999. A 12 months later Grandia 2 debuted on the Sega Dreamcast with a PS2 port coming alongside in 2002. Whereas the collection might 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 collection, Grandia 1 and a pair of are narratively unconnected and, to a big diploma, simply as tonally completely different.

Grandia 1 seems 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 very charming recreation that’s nonetheless enjoyable to play right now.

Grandia 2 throws you into the footwear 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 far darker and snarkier. That’s to not say it isn’t with out its fair proportion 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 after I performed it again in 2000.

Grandia HD Assortment’s strongest options are its wonderful writing and its, on the time, distinctive tackle the Energetic Time Battle (ATB) system. Each video games characteristic 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 wonderful dialogue is actually a spotlight.

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

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

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

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

Now whereas I don’t want the standard of life modifications, corresponding to saving anyplace or rewinds, that so many retro collections now encapsulate, I might have preferred the Grandia HD Assortment to have acquired some extra work on the feel entrance. Grandia 1, as an example, utilises sprite-based characters which appear to have gone by way of a smoothing filter fairly than been redrawn, which makes the characters look a bit smeary at instances, whereas Grandia 2, totally 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 means? Removed from it, the video games play precisely as they did on launch which, for many people, is strictly what we’re searching for. For all intents and functions, they’re principally straight ports of traditional video games. They’re additionally the easiest way to play them right now, in need of 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 fashionable {hardware} and audiences? Sure, it definitely does. Grandia 1’s tough polygonal visuals fade into the ether with a bit 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. Practically from the get go I used to be absorbed again into each video games with their stellar writing and enjoyable gameplay.

You’ll have to mood your expectations on what you count on from The Grandia HD Assortment visually. However in case you can look previous the growing older visuals, you’ll discover two incredible JRPG’s that should be performed.