Grandia

"A good story and good gameplay equals a good game"

Grandia is somewhat of an unknown RPG that didnt get the attention it really deserved from the hype for Final Fantasy VII. It really is a good game that I don't think it will disappoint anyone who plays it. The world of ''Grandia'' is a vast land with interesting races and people that leave people with limitless possibilities of excitement and adventure.
Story 9/10
The story really is very well written, and truely shines as one the great stories of the old school genre. A lot of people might say ''it's the same story in most rpgs'' but you wanna why the story writers use similar stories. Because they're absolutely wonderful and engaging. It starts as a young boy wanting to be a great adventurer like his father, and then gets caught up in an adventure of a lifetime. The only reason it didn't get a 10/10 in my opinion is I think it lingers on a lot sometimes. The game could have been a little shorter so the feeling of accomplishment feels like accomplishment rather than exhaustion of finally beating it; but it's definitely worth playing.
Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is very good, good magic system, good attack system, a good use of range, and a clever weapon based magic system that makes you level up certain weapons to acheive the magic spells you want. You collect certain eggs that allow you to assign certain elements to your characters, and they can combine with others to form a new type of element such as ''lightning.'' And this leaves the player with a lot of possiblities for your characters and the positions they have in the game. Do you want a healer, a support magic user, or just a complete hardace with the most powerful spells in the game.
Graphics 6/10
This might be an old school game, but the reason I don't really like the graphics so much is because the way the angles are used, it sometimes gives me a headache when I'm playing for hours at a time. Otherwise, the magic spells are well done and backgrounds are well drawn and interesting.
Sounds 8/10
The music isn't that great but the voices are well done and have a long library of different sayings and speeches. The music isn't as captivating or mesmerizing as some other RPGs, but it does fit the game well.
Overall 8/10
This is a good game with a great story, and if you're anything like me, the best aspect for an RPG is the story and this is why this game won't disappoint.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/04