Growlanser Generations

"Not your typical Strategy game."

Having always been a fan of Game Arts, and hearing mixed reviews on Growlanser Generations, I decided to finally try it out. The only thing I knew about this set before I played was that it was a strategy game of some sort, and not expecting anything exceptional from it is what made it amazing. Growlanser Generations is deep, yet easy to learn and allows you to play however you wish, as long as you reach the basic battle goal.

Growlanser Generations is the second and third title and a series mainly founded in Japan. Each game has its own strengths and weaknesses, and though the battles are the same, they have an completely different 'feel'. Growlanser II, the first game in the package plays a lot more like a normal strategy game with no literal 'world map', only dots where you click to go to. It has no dungeons, and you can't walk around towns or ruins. Growlanser III is more of a typical Role Playing Game, except for the strategy battles. It has fields and dungeons, as well as environments where you actually walk around.

Like most strategy games, Growlanser's strength is not in its graphics. So if you expect lovely graphics, you will not be impressed by this package. It does have some nicely drawn characters in cutscenes though. The character designs, while not original, really allow you get to know the character. The designs really express the characters themselves, even if only metaphorical.

Battles in Growlanser Generations are quite a bit different from those in most strategy games. If I were to compare this series' battle systems to any other, I would select Grandia. That is meant in the best way possible. Unlike most strategy games, characters do not wait their turn as each person slowly walks in place towards each other. Everyone on the screen moves at the same time, giving it more of a real time feel. Spells are cast at multiple levels, the stronger you want the spell to be the longer it will take to cast. This leaves your characters vulnerable to attack, and also delays them from doing any other action, such as moving out of the way of an ambush the enemies set for you. But then, pushing ahead into the fray of physical attacks is dangerous because you are almost always severely outnumbered. You have to balance your melee and spells though some battles quite obviously focus on casters or physical attackers as a main offense.

The best part about the battles is the goals the game places on you. If you fail to win the battle without achieving this goal, the game might be over, or the story will change slightly. Grownlanser III uses this system to its fullest, while Growlanser II mainly goes for a more simple approach. In Growlanser III, almost every battle you face has some sort of goal, and if you fail to reach it, things change. Sometimes the story changes if you do not reach it, and in the worst case scenario, the Game Over screen appears. The goals include "Save the prisoners" or "Get past the guards without any non-playable characters destroyed". While those are rather boring goals, they are quite challenging when paired with the real gameplay. Because the AI sometimes seems to hate you, you really have to devote a lot of your thoughts to just figuring out how to do this. It really becomes quite fun and challenging as you get farther along and the enemies become stronger. You will find yourself wanting to play the battle over again to see if you can win it in a different way.

Each game has lovely music, though most of the songs are used again and again. Some of them really get stuck in your head though, in a good way. While sometimes the music gets repetitive, at least its not horrible. The voice acting is very well done, and at least it doesn't make you cringe in disgust like some other games by this same developer. There is also quite a bit of text and acting since 90% of scenes in the game are voice acted, and there are a lot of scenes. Growlanser balances the story and the battles very well.

Each game has one serious flaw though. And, surprisingly, its different for each game. Growlanser II is ridiculously short. Even if you play it slowly, and do all the side quests it probably will take you no longer then 12 hours to beat. If you do not do side quests and play quickly to the end, it might take you 6-8 hours. Because of this, I would not buy this game had it been packaged alone. Growlanser III does not suffer the same problem as its predecessor, but it suffers from horrible, horrible dungeons. The dungeons are almost all randomized (except perhaps one or two of them) and are extremely bland looking and all look the same with the same music. Also, sometimes battles get tedious because the encounters are strategy as well. You will find yourself using Auto-Battle quite a bit on encounters, and fuming when you get into yet another one.

As in most strategy games, your characters are almost completely customizable. While they each have their own obvious strengths, you can change those strengths as you develop the character if you wish. While Growlanser II is too short to really take advantage of this, it is perfectly possible, if not plausible, in Growlanser III. If you really enjoy playing physically, you can build your characters up for quicker attacks. If you enjoy playing magically you can make your characters learn all the spells and cooperate in casting to make bigger spells.

Growlanser III starts off pretty typical Role Playing. Your character is just entering a Knight academy, and has high hoped for his own future. He gets a new friend, though they do not have the same ideals, they have the same goal. It is quite interesting to watch how they follow their paths differently for the same goal. The story, while deep, is extremely short, and a bit predictable. Still, it is good while it lasts.

If you are looking for a deep, replayable experience, Growlanser III is the game you wish to play. Growlanser III allows you to mold your own character's personality to however you see fit, which is rare in any game. If you have been a nice guy throughout the whole game, you wont be able to answer the questions like you are evil and a villain. You allow yourself to be cold and impassive and you not suddenly be a guy who likes to flirt with the ladies. It is really quite fun to play through multiple times answering the questions differently each time, to see how people react. In this way, Growlanser III is quite a bit like Suikoden II. Though, you will probably find yourself a bit more annoyed at Growlanser III then you were at Growlanser II.

If you enjoyed Grandia, you will love this package. Growlanswer III will remind players of Suikoden II a bit, so if you enjoyed that you will probably enjoy this as well. Even if you are sick to death of strategy games, you will find these enjoyable, and at least worth a rental. I would suggest a buy though, because there is too much to do in a single play through. And its always fun to change the way your characters develop both in battle and out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/05