Together Retro: Grandia

[SpaceBooger]

So, I am annoyed - I was playing in the first dungeon (the ruins) and after about 30 minutes the game froze. I'm playing the original discs on a PS2... Now I have to start that dungeon again.

[Nemoide]

I'm definitely going to be playing this... I was always curious about Grandia II for Dreamcast but don't like to play series out of order. BUT I'M STILL WORKING ON ULTIMA IV! D: I should be able to have it beat soon, and then Grandia can take priority!

[BogusMeatFactory]

Ok, I'm about 18 hours in, but I am going to talk a lot about my feelings towards the events that happened at the beginning of the game.

Let's talk about the events that happen in Parm

First things first, I want to talk about the NPCs. I found the town itself to be incredibly lively and very very interesting. Characters have true character and it makes you want to explore and interact with them. What makes them interesting is the relationship the main character has with them. The rivalry between Gantz and Justin is fun and engaging. You can really tell that the two characters have a mutual respect for each other.

I found the the museum itself to be fascinating. I myself love games that put together stories about ancient civilizations and feel that it adds a great sense of mystery. The fact that you can look at all the displays in the museum and have commentary is something I find refreshing. These sorts of aspects were really prevalent at the end of the 32 bit generation. Games like Grandia and Magic Knight Rayearth are huge examples of everything being looked at and interacted with and to me should be a necessity in modern games to help build character.

That is why I find this game so charming is that it takes the time to really build the characters and the world. There is no real reason to give Gantz an older brother who works for the Garlyle forces, but they still took the time to add him and also add character to him, even though he is a background set piece. Another example of that world building and details is in the Sult ruins. When exploring the Sult ruins initially, your Spirit Stone opens up this stone head to reveal a secret passage. What makes that interesting is that they took the time to texture the inside of the head with designs, a minor detail that I feel would be completely left out in most games, because it would be considered unnecessary and people would probably not see it in the first place.

They allude to what is going to happen. It is clear that they didn't just write the story off the cuff. The mystery of Alent and what the Garlyle forces are up to make things very interesting. Are the Garlyle forces really the bad guys? Or are they working to stop a larger evil? Is what you are doing actually a good thing? Should my adventurous attitude be working towards uncovering some horrible secrets?

This is the sort of stuff that riles me up and keeps me engaged.

One feature I love in this game is the mealtimes. Characters getting to sit around at a table and eat as you talk about what has been happening. When these opportunities arrive, I find them to be another great example of them developing the relationships between these characters.

Also... Sue rocks. I gave her Earth Magic and when I unlocked the spell Tremor, her little voice screams out, "EARTHQUAKES ARE SCARY!" before casting it. Cutest thing ever!

[Xeogred]

The voice acting definitely caught me off guard, but it seems pretty cool and decent enough.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I'm glad Working Designs didn't localize this one. It's humorous enough and I don't have to deal with Home Improvement references or whatever.

Anyway, I've just entered the first proper dungeon. Grinded a bit in that initial field area.

[noiseredux]

I wish I hadn't played Grandia II first. For one I'm so used to using the analog stick instead of dpad. I tried to find a way to tweak it in Retroarch but no luck. Also, Grandia II opens and you're off on your adventure. This one starts with... a scavenger hunt? I am the opposite of BMF. I don't talk to anyone unless I think I have to. I don't like exploring. So if anyone has any tips on how to find the shit I need so I can get on to killing stuff...

[BoneSnapDeez]

bro do you have the instructions?

mini-walkthrough in the back. with a nice map of the town.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I wish I hadn't played Grandia II first. For one I'm so used to using the analog stick instead of dpad. I tried to find a way to tweak it in Retroarch but no luck. Also, Grandia II opens and you're off on your adventure. This one starts with... a scavenger hunt? I am the opposite of BMF. I don't talk to anyone unless I think I have to. I don't like exploring. So if anyone has any tips on how to find the shit I need so I can get on to killing stuff...

Luckily, after the initial city, things are very straightforward so it will be a lot easier and lot more enjoyable in that fact. Also, your compass on the top right points you to the direction of where you need to go.

[SpaceBooger]

Ok, I'm about 18 hours in, but I am going to talk a lot about my feelings towards the events that happened at the beginning of the game.

Let's talk about the events that happen in Parm

First things first, I want to talk about the NPCs. I found the town itself to be incredibly lively and very very interesting. Characters have true character and it makes you want to explore and interact with them. What makes them interesting is the relationship the main character has with them. The rivalry between Gantz and Justin is fun and engaging. You can really tell that the two characters have a mutual respect for each other.

I found the the museum itself to be fascinating. I myself love games that put together stories about ancient civilizations and feel that it adds a great sense of mystery. The fact that you can look at all the displays in the museum and have commentary is something I find refreshing. These sorts of aspects were really prevalent at the end of the 32 bit generation. Games like Grandia and Magic Knight Rayearth are huge examples of everything being looked at and interacted with and to me should be a necessity in modern games to help build character.

That is why I find this game so charming is that it takes the time to really build the characters and the world. There is no real reason to give Gantz an older brother who works for the Garlyle forces, but they still took the time to add him and also add character to him, even though he is a background set piece. Another example of that world building and details is in the Sult ruins. When exploring the Sult ruins initially, your Spirit Stone opens up this stone head to reveal a secret passage. What makes that interesting is that they took the time to texture the inside of the head with designs, a minor detail that I feel would be completely left out in most games, because it would be considered unnecessary and people would probably not see it in the first place.

They allude to what is going to happen. It is clear that they didn't just write the story off the cuff. The mystery of Alent and what the Garlyle forces are up to make things very interesting. Are the Garlyle forces really the bad guys? Or are they working to stop a larger evil? Is what you are doing actually a good thing? Should my adventurous attitude be working towards uncovering some horrible secrets?

This is the sort of stuff that riles me up and keeps me engaged.

One feature I love in this game is the mealtimes. Characters getting to sit around at a table and eat as you talk about what has been happening. When these opportunities arrive, I find them to be another great example of them developing the relationships between these characters.

Also... Sue rocks. I gave her Earth Magic and when I unlocked the spell Tremor, her little voice screams out, "EARTHQUAKES ARE SCARY!" before casting it. Cutest thing ever!

I just finished the mines and Noise it feels like a RPG at this point. When I first started playing RPGs the scavenger hunt scared me off. Until this playthrough I never read the manual and noticed the map and (this is huge Noise) the compass always points towards the exit and the L/R2 buttons switch exits that it points to. I noticed that if I turned on the analog on my OG analog controller I can move with the left and control the camera with the right analog stick - maybe there is a setting to turn on analog controls on (a google search showed that epsxe app running on Andriod 4.1 or lower wont match up with the Shield's controllers, shields ship with 4.1. I don't know if that is true or what, but its something to look into unless you are streaming from your pc which I found nothing about other than turning analog on for old PS1 games.)

I also agree with BMF there is something about the detail that makes this game worth it. It wasn't until I stopped getting mad because it wasn't running like a PS3 RPG and seemed clunky that I noticed how great it is. I hope anyone frustrated with the scavenger hunt, getting used to 15 year old 3D and controlls gives the game a chance. The detail in the art and dialog has me sucked in.

I have beat the mines but have no magic, Bogus where/when do I buy/get magic?

[BogusMeatFactory]

I have beat the mines but have no magic, Bogus where/when do I buy/get magic?

You will get magic soon after the mines SpaceBooger. Magic is gained through Magic Eggs that you collect in the dungeons. These eggs can be redeemed at a store to give a specific character an element of magic, which you then can level up, just like you can with your weapons to learn new spells. You can also purchase different element types to make new combinations of spell types.

It is also really important to note that Magic Points in the game go up as you level up in spells, so fear not if your character only has a few. Where I am now, poor Sue is lacking in magic points, because everything tends to die before she can act, so I have to make an active effort to slow things down and allow her to get some magic experience.