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Grandia HD Collection bundles together two classic JRPG adventures from the tail-end of the genre's golden age, a series that has long since fallen by the wayside. Grandia, initially released on the SEGA Saturn, would make its way to PS1 in 1999, and its narratively unconnected but mechanically superior sequel, Grandia II, first came to Dreamcast before arriving on PS2 in 2002.
Both games remain constrained by the limitations of decades-old design philosophy and can sometimes be maddeningly obtuse. Functionally, the Grandia HD Collection is the same release that came to Nintendo Switch in 2019, but without the performance issues. There's also very little in the way of extras or the modern conveniences we've come to expect from collections of this kind (Grandia II does get a Hard Mode). Still, the series is one even seasoned RPG fans might have missed, and it can be incredibly charming, provided you're willing to suffer a little bit.
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Lesser known than storied (and still running) contemporaries like Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy, the Grandia series was nevertheless profoundly influential, thanks to a refreshing turn-based combat system that can be automated to a reasonable level of competency. Developed by the now-defunct Japanese developer Game Arts (perhaps better known for its Lunar franchise), the Grandia series spanned a surprising three mainline entries, a remix of the first game, a combat-focused spin-off, and even a short-lived MMO. Still, the series peaked with Grandia II, and for that alone, the Grandia HD Collection is worth investigating for genre enthusiasts.
Like Final Fantasy, individual entries in the Grandia series are unrelated, and the first game is rough. The mechanics being worked out in the original would solidify in the sequel, with critical elements like characters being able to counter or disrupt enemy attacks already present. Graphically, Grandia is in an awkward place, a product of that strange time when games would use character sprites in a 3D game world. Polygonal character models arrive in the sequel, but visually, it's reminiscent of games like Breath of Fire IV, Dragon Quest VII, or the early Trails series.
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Grandia tells a simple enough story and follows Justin, a young boy who dreams of becoming a great adventurer. Justin remains as unlikeable as ever, something that hasn't changed with the passing of all these years, but the cast does get better as things progress. Tonally, it's all over the place, and players will have to contend with the aggressive Garlyle Forces repeatedly throughout, which are commanded by the game's genuinely compelling antagonist, General Baal, and his second-in-command (and son), Colonel Mullen. For example, moments of somewhat compelling politicking are undercut by Mullen's three female squadron commanders, who constantly compete for his attention and are driven into a jealous rage by Liutenenant Leen, Mullen's love interest and capable aide-de-camp. Like we said, it's a strange game, but worth checking out in its own right.
The sequel is a considerable upgrade, and Grandia II holds up much better. Protagonist Ryudo is a Geohound (which is nothing like a SOLDIER), a mercenary willing to take on dangerous jobs for the right price. Sarcastic, annoying, and abrasive, Ryudo is a lot but eventually learns to mellow out over the course of an expansive adventure.
As is sometimes the case with parallel projects, the worlds of Grandia II and Final Fantasy X bear strange similarities, like Deep Impact and Armageddon. The ominous Church of Granas hires Ryudo to escort Elena, a Songstress, on a religious pilgrimage that turns out to be of world-shaking importance. The much more fun Millenia occasionally possesses Elena, and Ryudo must contend with a mysterious, demonic swordsman from his past, not to mention an evil Pope. Along the way, they'll gather an eclectic crew of companions and uncover the Church's dark secret.
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Grandia II feels like a big step forward, from the writing to the music to the combat, and it's the better game to our mind. Like the first, combat is turn-based but feels refreshingly fluid, not unlike FF7's ATB, called the IP gauge here. Characters take turns according to a running timeline, activating attacks on a specific part of the 'track'. Standard attacks can be combo or critical; combo is better for dealing consistent damage, but landing a critical attack while an enemy is still in its action phase will "cancel" it. The attack still goes off but is significantly delayed on the IP gauge, and this added layer of strategy does a surprising amount of heavy lifting, keeping combat engaging over the course of the game's 30+ hour runtime.
Eventually, combat gets to the point where each of your four party members can have up to four hits in a combo, and fights become pretty hectic. Your companions can equip Mana Eggs, which allow access to magic and special abilities, and investing in them is essentially your long-term character development. There are shades of Final Fantasy VIII's GF system to it, or, again, Trails and its Orbments, but it remains unique in execution.
At full price, however, £32 or $40, that's a pretty tough sell, even for enthusiasts. With no quality-of-life features to speak of, like the ability to speed up gameplay or create save states, you're getting the same old games with widescreen support, visual updates, and Hard Mode for Grandia II.
Conclusion
Grandia HD Collection makes two classic, influential RPGs more readily available to a modern audience. But with little in the way of extras and quite a steep asking price, it is unlikely to appeal to anyone other than the most hardcore genre enthusiasts.
Comments 32
I remember really enjoying the first Grandia on PlayStation back in the day. Never got a chance to play the second game, which sounds like it improved everything. I imagine this won’t sell super well and will be on sale soon enough.
2 games, remastered in HD, for 40 dollars.... that's a hard sell? That's full price?
What year is this......
Was wondering why this bundle was on the front page now, didn't realize PS was getting 5 year old Switch games now. Your "Buy on Amazon" link actually brings up the Switch version but not PS. 😂
Anyway nice to see "Price" listed as a negative, that should happen a lot more I think. Some obviously $20 games being sold for $50 or $60. 🤑
I remember really liking Grandia on PS, but I played so many JPRG back then I might be confusing it w/ Silver Star Story Complete or Star Ocean. Is Grandia the one w/ the kid sister named Sue? That's the one I'm thinking of.
Grandia 2 is still 1 of my favorite JRPG battle systems that I feel like it has never bene repeated. Sure it's turn based but timing those critical was something, and once you got the fast moving sneakers almost any hit could be cancelled.
I found this part of the review funny "the worlds of Grandia II and Final Fantasy X bear strange similarities, like Deep Impact and Armageddon" b/c I'm watching my kid play FF7 on Switch now, just finished disc 2, and all we've bene saying lately is how much FFX copied 7. Oh sure, they're all similar, Squall and Rhinoa are Cloud and Tifa IN SPACE but I never before realized how similar X was to 7, probably b/c 8 an d9 were in between when I played them 20 years ago.
And just to follow up, Grandia never went on like FF and DQ b/c Grandia 3 was pretty poor all around and Grandia X was lambasted as just a dungeon crawler so i never even bothered to play it. I think those 2 bad games in a row kept them for making another. 🤷♂️
I'll stick to my original Grandia with the PS1 + CRT TV combo, thank you very much
I find it odd that they added the PS1 version of Grandia 1 to the PS Store for almost £10, then they add a HD bundle that includes Grandia 1 later on.
I bought this bundle on the Switch for £18 on sale, Grandia 2 is a great game that often seems to be overshadowed by Grandia 1.
Have vague memories of Grandia, but never played Grandia II — so I might pick this up at some point.
Real shame it doesn't have any improvements outside of remastered visuals, though. Hard to ignore in a time when we've got so many remastered / remade JRPGs that come with all sorts of bonuses.
played Grandia 2 on the Dreamcast, it was such a lovely JRPG
Thank you for the review - I highly recommend Grandia II to anyone interested in classic JRPGs, it was a cult hit for a reason: it kinda reached FF level of “influential”. Played on DC 🥲 I miss this era so much
Disclaimer: I don't mean to criticize Khayl or anyone in particular, or even the Grandia collection in this post. It's just that the point raised about remasters and the expectations from them got me thinking and so I thought I'd give my two cents.
It confuses me when people criticize remasters or collections for being "barebones". Whenever a collection is announced I'm mostly excited to play the games again in a resolution that doesn't look awful on a modern screen (a boosted framerate is nice too), especially if they're stuck on older consoles you can't buy anymore. I don't ever think "Yes! Mega Man X Collection announced! Totally pumped to check out all the concept art they package in!", instead it's more like "It's been a long time since I've played X4, excited for another run!" or "Never got to play X7, time to see how accurate the negative reviews were."
I kind of wonder how publishers will read into such feedback. I remember when Mario 3D All Stars was released on Switch, it was heavily criticized for not having anything added besides the soundtracks. It ended up being pulled from digital stores (presumably for some other reasons), but in all honesty the ports themselves were fine for the system they were brought to. Will we get fewer collections of old games now? Are Capcom thinking "People are asking for the Legends games, but they're really not going to be happy unless we add some novel mode in like X Challenge. Not worth the investment. Pass."?
I'm not trying to excuse things like the MGS Master Collection coming out at 720p on PS5, nor am I saying you can't expect more for the price. I also understand we're not all a hive mind as consumers, but I do think the disparity is confusing and it may not be to our benefit in the long run. It's the kind of thing that makes me wonder if we really needed to have the "upcoming" Suikoden remasters redrawn from the ground up when they were announced in September 2022 (if I remember correctly), dated for 2023, then delayed indefinitely with no release window whatsoever.
I'm happy to hear any disagreements. Ideally our consoles would be a lot more backwards compatible (with performance boosts like on Xbox) and digital libraries would be more complete so we could just play the actual older titles, but unfortunately this isn't the case.
"Developed by the now-defunct Japanese developer Game Arts"
Is Game Arts defunct now???? Did I miss something, cause last I checked, they were still around.
Which seems to have received a renaissance of sorts with the whole HD-2D aesthetic. Personally I don't really see the appeal, and Grandia 1 (albeit a game I have fond memories of) was always my go-to comparison for the style.
I got Grandia when I was like 9 or 10, local shop had a v small selection of PS1 games and I looked at the back cover and thought this looks like my kinda game. Loved it. Now I get it play with better visuals and trophies. Count me in. Never played 2 so looking forward to that aswell
@Melee_Ace I think there is merit in your feelings here. I personally would like a basic Mega Man Legends remaster / port collection. The PS1 / N4 games are pricey and could use a boost in look.
I need Grandia 3 hd. It cannot remain stuck on the ps2.
@Melee_Ace I think I get where you're coming from, and I at least partially agree. There are plenty of classics that we missed the first time around, and I'm just happy to see that they're made available again!
Whether a game needs upgrades and bonuses depends- at least for me- on these criteria:
Taking Mega Man Legends 1&2 for example, I've been on the fence. If they were under $10, or if they were boosted to run at 60fps, it'd be an instant buy for me. As-is, they're a bit steep for being so barebones, though I'll probably get them eventually.
If they were being sold for $50, with no enhancements, I'd simply say "forget it"!
I thought both games were great back then. I liked their breezier atmosphere than most of the RPGs at the time. The grinding doesn't bother me as much as it seems to reviewers, but the 3dish graphics do take a bit of getting used to when trying to explore. I'd still recommend any jrpg fans to try them though, cool stories, likeable characters.
@Melee_Ace You make some good points, but I think everyone has their own calculus depending on the game/price/features. I’m on the fence about the Grandia collection, partly because it seems a bit steep for one game I only have fuzzy memories of, and another I didn’t play at all. And there is something to be said about adding modern conveniences to older games. They don’t all need to be Digital Eclipse historical archives, but simple, unobtrusive additions like those made to the Final Fantasy remasters are much appreciated.
Also, there seems to be a pretty viable market for remasters of all manner of classic and not so classic games. Whether it’s the seemingly inexhaustible Arcade Archives series, the slightly obscure titles the Qubyte is putting out, or the incredible work being done in the mostly Japanese only M2 Shot Triggers releases, this is a golden age for golden oldies.
I’d rather spend $40 on two great old RPGs than $70 on a new “Copy/Paste Open world with a (bad) story that pretends to be meaningful and emotional with crafting mechanics and linear skill trees” type of game
Friendly reminder that the first game is available free on the PS store, you don't even need to be a plus member. After playing the remaster on PC its not much of an upgrade so if you want to try it out then that's a no cost option. It's a fantastic game, they both are, but I do have nostalgia influencing my opinion.
@Rgeneb1 I was considering that — saw it pop up the other week and thought that it was odd timing, even more so now that they've just released this collection.
Do we know if the Switch version's issues were ever addressed? I've been waiting to pull the trigger on it for a while, but I might just end up getting the digital PS1 version.
How is Grandia III not in there??
@ear_wig 2 just didn't have the charm, writing, characters that 1 did imo. 1 is special to me all these years later, 2 was completely forgettable.
People should also research this collection, there's many technical shortcomings and textures that were messed up.
@Andee they weren't addressed. Messed up textures and that horrid smoothing effect. The stand alone Grandia emulation on the store is the way to go.
@Terra_Custodes Yeah I tried 2 briefly (on PC of all things — I didn't know it even came to PlayStation 2), but it just didn't grab me the same way that 1 did.
And yeah, thanks for the heads up — it's popped up on sale numerous times, but I've become a bit disenchanted with how badly some of that era's JRPGs have been treated in their rereleases, and/or aged in general.
@Andee no worries, Grandia is still a great game imo but I know what you mean with some of the low effort HD releases and rose tinted glasses! I've strongly returned to JRPG's along with the Soulsborne games recently. I'm disillusioned with modern games
@Terra_Custodes yeah, in the past year I've had to drop Mother, Star Ocean 1, and came close to dropping FF2 because they simply haven't aged well at all (I only managed to power through FF2 because of the Boosts) — I know it's sort of a middle ground, but I've just started Mario RPG which has rejuvenated my faith in JRPGs!
@Andee I platinumed FF 1-6 last year, 1-3 were real slogs to get through, especially 2 with that horrible levelling system. 4-6 were still enjoyable though, stunning soundtracks and good characters.
Classic RPG's are definitely a mixed bag. That said, I quit Tales of Arise about halfway in finding that boring and uninteresting so some modern ones drop the ball. I can't stand FF XV/XVI or the 7 remakes either.
@Terra_Custodes Yeah for me I think it's the random encounters that are the biggest hurdles — it makes exploration/thoroughness an absolute chore — FF2 was downright sadistic in the amount of dead-end dungeon rooms (the maps are a godsend). I'm working my way through them sequentially, and I'm really looking forward to 4-6 — I loved 4 on PS1 and DS and I never finished 5 or 6! The 7 remakes I'm really enjoying them for what they are (just on chapter 4 of Rebirth), but overall I prefer the brevity/efficiency and just the overall vibe/charm of the original.
@Andee oh you're in for a real treat with VI especially. V has an amazing soundtrack too, best intro theme in the series history. I boot it up just to listen to it sometimes ^^
I'm trying to decide what to play next, got a 100 game backlog and 50 games installed lol. Dragon Quest XI? Start the Trails of Cold Steel series? Like a Dragon? It's too hard xD
@Terra_Custodes yeah, I've definitely listened to the FF soundtracks more than I've actually played the games! Are you talking about Dear Friends from FFV? That tune is an absolute banger — if you can track down the "20020220" album by the Tokyo Philharmonic it's quintessential FF.
Oh and I can attest that DQXI is ace! It's absolutely nothing new, but for pure unfiltered JRPG goodness it's like putting on a comfy oversized hoodie
@Andee "Ahead on our way" but "Spreading grand wings" is also an absolute banger, those two are my standouts. Dear friends is amazing too, just went and listened to it again
Edit: Lenna's theme is so beautiful too, V may have the best ost in the series tbh. Uematsu is a god.
My sister rates DQXI as her favourite game of the past decade, she loves old school turn based as I do. I've also got Persona 3/4/5 sat there aghh.
It's nice to talk to you btw, you give off a nice vibe. Hope you're having a good day.
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