After trying Grandia 1 HD, I was pretty cautious going into this one. And whilst Grandia 2 is unpolished and messy, I'm glad I tried it, because it's really one of the better JRPGs out there for my money.
And it is really flawed. Whilst the HD remaster is a way better job than with the first game (prbably due to the game being fully 3D), the game itself is pretty ugly, and aside from the excellent music, compared to something like Final Fantasy IX - which released in the same year for a much weaker console - its tiny world, towns with 2 buildings of value and ugly as hell menus give it a distinctly low budget vibe.
But the strengths definetly outweight the main problems. First off, the combat is fantastic, particularly on the Hard mode added in this port, which nerfs the busted strategies. A ATB system with realtime elements which involves timing attacks to cancel enemy moves, crowd control, managing status effects - and it works fantastically, particularly in the boss fights, some of which I would outright say are the best JRPG battles I've ever played. The only issue it really has is a few repetitive encounters, some incredibly busted tactics in normal mode, and too many moves having long, unskippable, glorious FMV cutscenes which I'm sure most people will think look like complete shit.
And the story is also generally pretty great. It's at its best in the mid-section of the game, which has an episodic structure of sort where our gang goes from place to place dealing some sort of turmoil that ties in thematically with the overall plot. There's some legitimately fantastic little vignettes here, centered around dubious morality and generally nuanced situations with strong resolutions - all of which tie into the game's climax well. There's a particularly strong section at about the game's midpoint which is absolutely brilliant and worth playing the game for alone.
Add on top a great cast of main characters with strong dialogue, progression and plenty of time to interact and bounce off one another, and the story elements really work. It might get a bit too edgy at times and theres bits which dont work, but on the whole its a good JRPG story.
And best of all, it's paced just about perfectly. The game's about 25-30 hours long - which is a good start considering the bloated messes of JRPGs of this era - and each little vignette and plot point is just given the right amount of time. It takes its time on scenes when needed, but generally gets straight to the point and doesn't waste your time.
So overall, one of the better JRPGs I've played. Really a great time all-round.
And it is really flawed. Whilst the HD remaster is a way better job than with the first game (prbably due to the game being fully 3D), the game itself is pretty ugly, and aside from the excellent music, compared to something like Final Fantasy IX - which released in the same year for a much weaker console - its tiny world, towns with 2 buildings of value and ugly as hell menus give it a distinctly low budget vibe.
But the strengths definetly outweight the main problems. First off, the combat is fantastic, particularly on the Hard mode added in this port, which nerfs the busted strategies. A ATB system with realtime elements which involves timing attacks to cancel enemy moves, crowd control, managing status effects - and it works fantastically, particularly in the boss fights, some of which I would outright say are the best JRPG battles I've ever played. The only issue it really has is a few repetitive encounters, some incredibly busted tactics in normal mode, and too many moves having long, unskippable, glorious FMV cutscenes which I'm sure most people will think look like complete shit.
And the story is also generally pretty great. It's at its best in the mid-section of the game, which has an episodic structure of sort where our gang goes from place to place dealing some sort of turmoil that ties in thematically with the overall plot. There's some legitimately fantastic little vignettes here, centered around dubious morality and generally nuanced situations with strong resolutions - all of which tie into the game's climax well. There's a particularly strong section at about the game's midpoint which is absolutely brilliant and worth playing the game for alone.
Add on top a great cast of main characters with strong dialogue, progression and plenty of time to interact and bounce off one another, and the story elements really work. It might get a bit too edgy at times and theres bits which dont work, but on the whole its a good JRPG story.
And best of all, it's paced just about perfectly. The game's about 25-30 hours long - which is a good start considering the bloated messes of JRPGs of this era - and each little vignette and plot point is just given the right amount of time. It takes its time on scenes when needed, but generally gets straight to the point and doesn't waste your time.
So overall, one of the better JRPGs I've played. Really a great time all-round.