Grandia II

Did You Know?

• The battle system is based on an IP gauge where character icons move from left to right; selecting 'critical' during an opponent's action phase can cancel the opponent's move and push their icon backward.
• Selecting 'combo' makes a character land two hits on an enemy, which can be increased to up to four hits with certain accessories.
• If a combo kills the intended target before the final blow, the character will attack the closest enemy to complete the combo.

Plot

Ryudo, a mercenary known as a Geohound, is accompanied by his talking bird companion Skye. The Church of Granas hires him to escort Elena, a Songstress of Granas, to Garmia Tower for a ceremony. After hearing a scream, Ryudo rushes to the top floor and finds everyone dead, with Elena now possessing a pair of wings. He rescues her and they return to Carbo Village, where a priest asks Ryudo to escort Elena to St. Heim Papal State to seek Pope Zera's help in cleansing her of the Wings of Valmar, a piece of the dark god Valmar. Before he can refuse, the village is attacked by a mysterious winged woman named Millenia, who defeats Ryudo in battle and then disappears. Ryudo accepts the job and departs with Elena. In Agear, Millenia reappears in a friendlier manner and joins the group, later revealing herself as the Wings of Valmar who shares Elena's body. After Roan and the beast man Mareg join, the group defeats more pieces of Valmar, which Millenia absorbs. At St. Heim, Pope Zera asks Ryudo to find the legendary Granasaber. The group travels to Cyrum, where Roan is revealed to be the prince and the people once assisted Valmar. They find an ancient factory, encounter the Claws of Valmar, and later face Melfice, Ryudo's brother, who flees after defeating them. Roan becomes king, and Tio, an Automata possessed by the Claws, joins the group.

Ports

Grandia II was ported to PlayStation 2 and PC after its Dreamcast release. The PlayStation 2 version features less detailed textures and characters, along with graphical glitches and slowdown in areas with heavy graphic data; for example, when a party member defeats the last enemy using the Warp effect, the character's color scheme vanishes, leaving a bright white model. The PC port has a glitch in the first fight with Millenia, and some video files contain extra frames that appear as a freeze after casting certain spells. On May 11, 2015, GungHo America announced an HD remaster for Steam and GOG.com, based on the Dreamcast version, with mouse, keyboard, and gamepad support, visual upgrades, Steam achievements, and trading cards. The Grandia II Anniversary Edition was released on August 24, 2015, featuring improved textures, lighting, shadows, Japanese voice option, an additional difficulty level, and Dreamcast VMS save file support. A remastered version was released on Nintendo Switch as part of the Grandia HD Collection on August 16, 2019. The Anniversary Edition was updated and renamed Grandia II HD Remaster on October 15, 2019, with enhanced UI, sprites, texture art, widescreen support, and additional French and German localization. The remaster was released in Japan on March 25, 2020.

Reception

The original Dreamcast release of Grandia II received a largely positive response in Japan, earning a 9.75 out of 10 from Dreamcast Magazine and a 35 out of 40 from Weekly Famitsu, which granted it the Platinum award. Famitsu DC rated it 26 out of 30 based on three reviews. Despite good reception, sales in Japan were relatively low, with an estimated 184,863 copies sold. The English release met with an overwhelmingly positive response, achieving an aggregate score of 88.81% on GameRankings and 90 out of 100 on Metacritic. GamePro praised the visuals, controls, and combat system but noted the scenarios seemed too linear. GameSpot stated that while the first Grandia had lengthy dungeons with puzzles and side routes, Grandia II's dungeons were more compartmental and linear, though the game was ultimately a solid RPG. IGN granted it an Editor's Choice distinction, calling it a classic of the Dreamcast and praising its battle system as arguably the most advanced in play, but found the story and character development cliche and predictable. Eurogamer called it the best RPG on the Dreamcast in Europe and strongly recommended it, but felt seasoned players might find it too generic. Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers complimented the graphics while finding battles a bit too easy. Francesca Reyes of Next Generation rated it four stars out of five, calling it a winner in the RPG beauty pageant.