Grandia

1997 · RPG · Sega Saturn

Overview

Grandia (1997) is Game Arts' Saturn RPG, in which young adventurer Justin searches for the lost civilisation of Angelou, with a battle system built around a turn-order bar.

Deep Dive

Justin, a young adventurer, sets out with his friends Sue and Feena to find the lost civilisation of Angelou, and runs up against General Baal and the Garlyle Forces, who are reviving the corrupting entity Gaia. The game puts 2D sprites on 3D maps with a camera the player can rotate. In battle a rotating IP bar sets the order of turns: attacking from behind earns a pre-emptive strike, and hitting an enemy while it prepares an attack cancels it. Weapon and magic skills improve with use, and the story ends with an epilogue set ten years later.

Developer Story

Takeshi Miyaji designed the game and Noriyuki Iwadare composed the music. It was released for the Saturn in Japan on 18 December 1997, selling 344,554 copies there. Sony brought the PlayStation version to North America in 1999, and Grandia II followed.