Together Retro: Grandia

[darsparx]

Yeah I'm guilty of talking to a lot of people which is why I'm only 4 hours in and only on the first night of the trip to Elencia. I just can't help myself something in me wants to talk to everyone (especially after a major event, thanks a lot Sue for getting pissed at me and making me want to talk to people again )

[noiseredux]

I talk to nobody, unless I have to. I'm a loner Dotty. A rebel.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Awwwwww I love those dinner conversations!

Though I don't go wild over the NPC dialogue like some folks. I talk to like 1/3 of the people in every town.

Yeah that is how it has now boiled down for me. I did want to talk to everyone for about a fourth of the way through, but now I just talk to people on my way to my goal.

[Nemoide]

Most of the NPC dialog is pretty bland. AGAIN, making me miss Working Designs, because I'd rather have lame jokes about Bill Clinton instead of boring "I have lived in this village a long time, it is a nice place to live" comments. When I first get to a village, I try to talk to everyone. Then, when some story-event happens that causes everyone's dialog changes I end up just talking to people I pass on my way to where I'm trying to go.

I do really like the dinner parts though; I feel like it's a good way to build the characters' personalities and relationships. I'm also the kind of person who, when playing one of the Dragon Quest games that lets you talk to your party members, constantly talks to them after everything!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Just did battle against

Baal.

A one-on-one battle with Justin. Very easy.

Escaped the airship. The manta ray made a second appearance (lol) and there was a HUGE plot twist that I won't even reveal here under the spoiler cut.

Also, the game now tells me that I need 99 Water and 99 Wind for Feena's final spell. Not gonna happen.

Time to travel through a mountain range to reach the mystical village of Alent.

Sometimes I wish Grandia had a proper overworld instead of all these little in-between dungeons.

[darsparx]

Sometimes I wish Grandia had a proper overworld instead of all these little in-between dungeons.

I've never understood why this and another game I've played did the map this way...I'd like to just go from town to town like you do in most other rpg's by way of overworld....the world and game is big as it is the way it's done but the selection screen is a little odd to me... (though I can't play at the moment because I think I left my vita at my dad's and kinda hard to leave to go grab it in the middle of fixing my phone to cram more music on it...would be nice if my save was on ps+ so I could just plug up my ps3 and continue on there since I do have that readily availible...)

[Nemoide]

I just entered the Zil Desert.

And the most recent scene with Leen made me think her story is a *lot* like the story of Van's brother from Escaflowne. Oh and I found a "Plug Suit" in the Tower of Doom; hooray for an Evangelion reference!

[BoneSnapDeez]

The bonus dungeons await you, should you choose to complete them...

[BoneSnapDeez]

Hour 49.

Did battle will Baal again. Alliances have shifted. Back on solid ground.

My stats. Warning: character #4 is a huge spoiler:

Justin
Level 37
Sword 45
Mace 43
Ax 42
Fire 49
Wind 27
Water 32
Earth 35

Feena
Level 35
Knife 29
Whip 30
Fire 26
Wind 25
Water 34
Earth 22

Rapp
Level 33
Knife 26
Sword 24
Bow 29
Fire 14
Wind 8
Water 24
Earth 11

Liete
Level 31
Mace 11
Fire 15
Wind 19
Water 18
Earth 23

[Nemoide]

The bonus dungeons await you, should you choose to complete them...

I think I'm gonna pass. I really like the game and even though I normally don't do them, I'd only be in the mood if I knew I was RIGHT AT THE END. And I'm not. I can feel myself starting to approach RPG-burnout. I'm not even going to wander through all of the normal dungeons in search of treasure anymore. Well, maybe with the exception of my next stop: Savanna Wilderness, since I looked up that it has MANA EGGS and I wants them.

Oh and the copy of Grandia II I won off of eBay arrived today. I look forward to playing it in the future. But I'm going to need to play something short and action-y first. And I've already decided Final Fantasy XII will be my next main RPG. So... eventually.

Another thing I was thinking about today: so right in the start of the game, even before Justin and Sue are introduced, you find out about General Baal and his ominous military of obvious evil. What I'm wondering is... what the hell country are they supposed to be the military of? Parm and New Parm? Even though there are NO other civilizations that they've supposedly made contact with? How did they get so much funding?? How did he attract so many recruits and, Leen aside, where did they come from?
I KNOW I KNOW I'm probably overthinking it. But still, I'm curious...