Grandia II

"Great game but lacks a little something"

The game has very many interesting systems the mana eggs, moves, books.

The mana eggs offer a different approach to the typical RPG spellcasting system by allowing characters to equip different eggs thus giving them different spells. Also characters can change mana eggs to exploit the weakness of an enemy.

The move system is more typical - each character has their own set of special moves which can be gained by spending special coins. The higher the level the move, the faster it is used and at max level, the usage is instantaneous which allows the player to counter attack enemies. Since each character has a very limited amount of moves, they are very powerful and cannot be used very often. However, with each normal combo attack or critical attack as well as defend, special points are regained so moves can be used. This is very key in boss battles as it allows characters to unleash move after move until they are out, then slowly regain special points to use moves again.

Books are like shared party knowledge. They require either special or magic coins to power up the abilities inside then any member of the party may be equipped with abilities however only one party member may use an ability at a time.

It is a great game without question though the storyline is very simplistic. It IS an RPG but there is no sense of exploration as the game is very linear. There are no sidequests, no hidden items.

On the other hand, the music is great, and the graphics decent. The main character despite starting off as a loner against both gods and women ends up fighting for both. While not the greatest or most original storyline, it is certainly entertaining.

The combat system is relatively simple but also has more advanced parts and techniques to its use. However some skills/spells are a little "overpowered" however the skill/magic system is very balanced but the game is a little on the easy side no matter how you play it unless you simply mash buttons. Also before each boss battle there are very obvious signs as well as a save point to make sure you can go in with full hp/sp/mp which only makes it easier.

There are few items which can be missed if you dont explore each section totally but there is little difficulty in obtaining all the items if you spend a little time to rotate camera angles and walk around the whole map.

Enemy encounters can get boring after a little while since they are relatively easy unless you get ambushed. Particularly if you abuse spells and skills like snooze and craze to reset the IP gauge for normal enemy encounters.

Also the port isnt perfect and has a number of bugs (long play time may cause the game to crash. but if you exit the game after each save and reload it, the problem never shows up) if at all possible, get the PS or DC version as the PC version has several glitches while minor can be annoying. For instance the millenia bug.. using the tutorial before meeting this character early in the game (right after the first dungeon) will cause her to kill you instead of triggering a cutscene.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/06