Grandia

Time for an adventure!

First a bit of confession. I began this game about a year ago, but didn't finish due to my sister returning home from Germany and with her in the house no one was safe so I let it be. Until two weeks before writing this. I remembered I still hadn't finished this game and started it up and after two weekends that totaled my playing time to around 60 hours when I reached the end screen. And what a journey that was. You have to excuse me if I can't remember every detail since I took a time off for a year. The story is that the age of adventure has come to an end since the great wall was discovered and no one could pass through it and the world was declared fully explored. This doesn't stop or main hero Justin, a boy living in... I have forgotten were he lives, but I know it was with his mom. He set out together with his... was she a cousin or just a next door friend? Her name was Sue anyway. Crossing the ocean on a ferry they meet up with Feena, a famous adventurer and they join forces. The reason Justin left I recall was also due to him antagonising the Garlyle forces who excavated some ruins where Justin was told to search for a mysterious legendary city.

Atlantis? No? Alent?

Of course you are able to traverse the wall and discover a new part of the world and as any JRPG the military antagonist already found it. And here I was stumped, I didn't find them as antagonising. I was trespassing in a dangerous area and they seemed to care very much for the protection of the citizen. So who was the enemy? Well, it was the General Baal (really? One of the false gods that Elias threw out of Judea? Clearly a nice guy) who seemed to have gone insane by fusing with a corrupted spirit stone that wanted nothing else than destroy the world in an eternal cycle of life and death. To help him his son Colonel Mullen and (*SPOILERS*) Feenas sister Leen tries to take Justins spirit stone his father gave him and so on. It feels rather fresh when there isn't a conquering empire as your enemy, but some misguided military people who are betrayed by the higher ups. Baals action even turns his own son Mullen against him as he forces a mutiny in the ranks of the military to depose his father. Of course I have to do the dirty deed and dethrone Baal since he won't give up. All in all a really tight story written from start to end. You have the sense of excitement of traversing the great wall, the sadness of farewell when Sue departs back home.

One of the saddest moments in the game

That moment also tells me Justin is really a sociopath, or does he have ADHD? Whatever it is, he can't seem to figure out other people. The whole love story between him and Feena is so obvious I can't believe he missed it. Still, it was fun playing. And mostly due to the levelling system. You have the normal levelling up system, but a twist is that magic and skills level up with use. Normal sword attacks, gain points and new special attacks. Use fire spells and learn a new spell. Hit the right amount of levels and detect other attacks and skills. Rather fun using spell after spell and see the numbers fly away and reach that level up to unlock another spell. A pity the only ones that makes it easy to level up are attack spells which are favoured by fire and after the first slope Earth. Water was woefully neglected by most party member even though it has all healing spells.

Um... who is the knight guy on the left?

The ending is that Baal merges with the stone Gaia and transform into a giant worm and is stopped by Leens sacrifice which traumatises Mullen and Feena is guilt tripped into join him on a suicide mission as their only course of action. Justin unable to figure out a way out of this is left behind and lost until a reunion with all characters that joined you creates a portal to the spirit world were he receives the spiritual sword and can challenge Gaia. He saves Feena and Mullen and fights of Baal and Gaia. Feena and Justin wakes up below the giant tree that appeared instead of the Gaia worm and we watch as the people celebrate, only Mullen stand above them, left alone after his fathers death and Leens sacrifice. Spirits starts to gather and in a flash of light Leen is brought back to life. Even Grandia knew what the players wanted Ni No Kuni! Then credits roll and after that a post-credit scene in which it has gone 10 years and Sue is walking to the port as Justin and Feena are returning and what do you know, five familiar looking kids runs past her and we end as she is waiving toward Justin and Feena as they get of the boat (I presume since it fades to white as she waives at the audience). And I was so excited to play the second game in series to see the follow-up adventure of Justin... but it appears they went with the Final Fantasy type of series and created a completely new world for each game. Damn.

Don't look so cheerful Sue, we ain't seeing you in those games either.

So is there something I don't like about this game? First is the points of no return. Each new town feels like it and I would really loved to have seen Justins mom's reaction of him returning home. Other games usually gives you an airship at the end so you can see the world and return to old places to give the end battle even more impact, but not Grandia. And then we have the biggest issue.... the damn voice acting for the game. This must be one of the earliest games I've heard with voices and they are mostly atrocious. Especially Mullen who sounds bored out of his skull and Baal I can't take seriously. Sadly, they open up the game. Justin goes back and forth with decent to abysmal and Feena is probably the only one that sound normal... most of the time. At least the music is awesome. No, but really, it was a fun game to play through and it hit some sweet spots. I'm more amazed that even though I didn't play it for a year I could jump right in and finish it and still remember all the characters that joined me and some of the more important moments like Justin and Feena at sea and the goodbye of Sue. Wonder what I should play next?