Review | Grandia (HD Collection)

A grindy review

Grandia is a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts and published by Entertainment Software Publishing for the Sega Saturn console back in 1997 in Japan. The game was ported to the PlayStation in 1999, with an English version of the game in North America the following September by Sony Computer Entertainment, and in Europe in 2000 by Ubisoft. The game was produced by the majority of the crew involved with the Lunar series, including producer Yoichi Miyagi and composer Noriyuki Iwadare.

This was one of my first JRPGs, one of the first ones that featured English voice-overs at the time. That was a big thing, because the games usually came with titles only. I remember Grandia and all of its characters, some plot points, and I remember it was... a bit ugly, but full of charm.

The HD collection for the PS console is a solid version to replay the game, especially after patches, but I still think the emulation is poor, and that they could've done a much better job — and one that this game certainly deserves. Still, it's a good way to experience the journey once more, but don't expect much from quality-of-life improvements such as double speed or any changes whatsoever. We play it like it was — naked and interesting.

Grandia was always my go-to when comparing it to Lunar. I never really dug Lunar, but Grandia was, and still is, one of my dearest childhood games.

Story and the characters

This segment is, if you ask me, really strong. It's a journey of growing up, but more of an adventure that hits all the buttons of one JRPG. I just love when you can connect with the playable party, when you love reading the conversations... I love when there is a plot that is enriched with everything else you can think of, and that is a good thing, because it's yet another save-the-world plot. But, you know, it's about the journey and how you feel, not really about the plot.

You control Justin, an optimistic and quirky young boy who wants to follow his dad's footsteps and go on a journey. He lives in a small town with his friend Sue, and they both want to leave the town and possibly traverse the huge wall behind which their village resides. That is just a start, and what they reveal and how they evolve feels natural, unique, and like you're playing some kid's adventure that is both for adults and kids (like Stranger Things, if you'd like).

I love the cast, and I love all the animations this game has. It's a long-ass game, with 40 hours of content, a lot of story, and a lot of grand points. At the time, it was one of the rare lengthy games, and I can proudly say that the kid in me chose correctly and kept in memory what I've considered the best — and Grandia certainly is one of the best PS1 JRPGs.

Just get past the early gaming graphics, because everything else still holds up, and maybe even more than some new games out there.

Game design, exploration

Like mentioned, you get to explore the world. There is no world map; you need to traverse the locations, and usually it goes like this — town, couple of dungeons, fights, repeat. That can be said to be a downside, and it kind of is, because Grandia is grindy (we could even say, it's Grindya!). It's hard to run past monsters in dungeons, and you really need to fight them to level up properly.

The good thing is that Grandia was way ahead of its time. Even without the speed-up features in this collection, the battles are fast and so much fun. I love the active bar and the calculations you have to do. I also love exploring the locations, even though they don't really show some exceptional art, but at the time, having dungeons and the possibility of direction rotation... It was so future-proof. These days it feels a bit outdated; finding everything can be a pain, but also fun.

You will not find much side stuff here apart from three optional dungeons. It's all about reaching the goal, leveling up, and just chatting with your crew — and honestly, I've missed these days. It made me fall in love with the genre and the storytelling all over again.

Some dungeons can be a pain, you can get easily lost and confused.

Combat

Combat is the best thing in the game. Because of the constant fighting and the amount of grind you need to put up with, it can get a bit tedious — but not really. When you learn better moves and magic, you will enjoy obliterating enemies. It's quick, although I would really like to skip animations of moves — after 300 times of Boom magic, I just don't want to see it anymore. The effects are not that great, but every hit feels juicy, so I'm satisfied.

I like how you progress by learning magic elements via Magic Eggs (that you can find in the wilderness), and then by using the magic, you get points the more enemies you hit to level up. It's a cool mechanic that made me invest 45 hours in something I've mastered as a kid, and it was again very playable and interesting. Maybe if it was a bit less grindy it would still work, because not everyone loves to fight literally every 1–2 mins in every dungeon.

I also love the boss fights. They are not pushovers, but if you plan properly and cancel their moves, you can win almost everything. The action bar and the timing needed to pull off moves is something I would love to see more in games. I just think that these kinds of systems are always relevant, even after almost 30 years.

I do have one major complaint — losing all learned magic with members that leave, and getting scrolls to level up new ones; it's just not good enough, especially when you spend hours grinding.

Why did games lose all these animations in between the events? I love these.

Side Content

If you feel like it, there are three optional dungeons, and a big amount of grind to be done as a side activity, let's say.

I loved one optional dungeon, hated the rest. The tower is... really annoying and hard, especially if you're underleveled both in levels and movesets. If you use a sword and, for example, fire — each level can increase your stats additionally on top of leveling; and you need to do that to learn new moves (skills, magic). Levels go slow, and I mean slow. I don't really mind, because the whole learning process felt good, and different party members learn different magic, so it's always a mystery what you will get to use in future fights.

Maybe if they'd added expanded inventory slots, some optional activities... But I don't really mind — better this than some fetchy events that would just drag the game.

Get these Magic Eggs! Learn the magic, use the magic, and obliterate later.

Conclusion

Grandia may be far from perfect, but its heart, charm, and combat system still make it a special experience. Even with dated visuals, grind-heavy design, and a lack of modern quality-of-life features, the journey, characters, and sense of adventure carry the game all the way through. It’s a game about growing up, exploring the unknown, and enjoying the ride — and that’s something that still works today. If you can look past its rough edges, Grandia remains a classic worth revisiting.

And Justin and Feena... You rule! No one is annoying, and that matters.