Grandia (グランディア, Gurandia) is a series of role-playing video games created by Game Arts. Over the years, the games have been released by several companies, including Entertainment Software Publishing, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Hudson Soft, Enix, Square Enix, and GungHo Online Entertainment. The games have been available on various platforms, such as the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.

The Grandia HD Collection, which includes the first two games in the series, was released for the Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe on August 16, 2019. In Japan, the collection was released on March 25, 2020. A version of Grandia HD Remaster for the PC was released on October 15, 2019. On the same day, Grandia II Anniversary Edition for the PC, which was first released on August 24, 2015, received additional improvements and was renamed Grandia II HD Remaster. Both Grandia HD Remaster and Grandia II HD Remaster received full Japanese language support and various fixes on March 25, 2020.

As of April 2009, the Grandia series had sold 2 million units. The most recent original game in the series, called Grandia Online, was released for Microsoft Windows in July 2009. It remained online for three years before being shut down in September 2012.

Games

The story of Grandia follows a young boy named Justin, who dreams of becoming a great adventurer. While exploring the ruins of the lost Angelou Civilization, he hears a mysterious message telling him to travel east to discover why these ancient people disappeared. This adventure takes Justin across the sea to new continents and even beyond the known edges of the world. Graphically, the game used character images in a 3D world, rather than 3D models made with polygons that became more popular later. The battle system, similar to Game Arts' Lunar series, focused on where characters were positioned during battles. Unlike Lunar, which only allowed players to set the team's position, Grandia allowed characters to move to better positions during battles and let players move them to avoid attacks or gain an advantage. Characters could also counter or interrupt enemy attacks.

Grandia was remastered by GungHo Online Entertainment in August 2019 in North America and March 2020 in Japan for Steam and Nintendo Switch as part of the Grandia HD Collection, along with Grandia II. This version included improved visuals, widescreen display, achievements, and trading cards on Steam.

A bonus disc used the same engine as the Saturn version of Grandia. Although it includes only four dungeons, each is much larger than those in the original Grandia. Justin, Feena, and Sue must explore these dungeons to recover artifacts from a museum Liete created in the original game. These artifacts unlock storyboards, special sound plays called "Radio Dramas," saves for the original Saturn game, mini-games, bestiary listings, and original artwork.

Grandia II's story follows Ryudo, a sarcastic "Geohound" (mercenaries who take undesirable jobs). He is hired to protect Elena, the sister of Granas, during a rite to reseal an ancient evil god. However, the rite fails, leading to a long journey to escort Elena across the continent to meet Pope Zera, leader of the Church of Granas. The failed sealing attempt is also connected to the appearance of a strange woman named Millenia and strange events in towns along the way to the Granas Cathedral. This sequel used a new, fully 3D engine to create smooth landscapes and battle scenes. The core battle system remained the same as Grandia, but it became impossible to cancel actions with normal attacks. The magic system was also changed, with magical eggs (usable by any character) replacing spells linked directly to each character.

Grandia II was remastered by GungHo Online Entertainment in 2015 for Steam and GOG Galaxy. This version included improved visuals, achievements, trading cards (on Steam), a Japanese voice option, and a hard difficulty. It was released for Nintendo Switch as part of the Grandia HD Collection in August 2019 in North America and March 2020 in Japan. On Steam, it was rebranded as Grandia II HD Remaster.

This version uses the same characters and music as the first Grandia game. The game areas are different from the original Grandia, though many items, moves, and enemy names are the same. A group of schoolchildren from the real world is sucked into a portal while playing in an abandoned shed near their school and ends up in the world of Grandia. They must find three special keys to return home and enlist the help of Justin and friends, who enjoy new adventures.

This version of the Grandia series is more focused on battles than earlier games. The main character is a Ranger named Evann, who joins the army to help stop the Elemental Disorder, a problem causing chaos. It uses an improved battle engine from Grandia II and adds features to make the game feel more like a "dungeon crawler," such as Diablo. Unlike previous games, where the party was decided by the story, players can choose any of 8 characters to form their team. Graphics are much better than in Grandia II, with fast and smooth battles and loading times among the fastest in PlayStation 2 games. Battles are larger, with over 15 combatants at once. The character empowerment system mixes elements from Grandia and Grandia II, with techniques learned and upgraded through use, while skills and magic are found and equipped. The game has been criticized for a weaker story, less interesting characters, and only two towns, a change from earlier Grandia games that focused on story and travel.

Grandia III's story follows Yuki, a flight enthusiast who struggles to make his planes fly. His latest project leads him to save a girl named Alfina from threatening pursuers. Yuki and his mother, Miranda, agree to escort Alfina safely back to her home in Arcriff Temple, where she communicates between humans and powerful creatures called Guardians. However, Yuki and Alfina discover that the Guardians' lives are in danger because Alfina's brother, Emelious, is trying to restore an evil being named Xorn to power.

An MMORPG that operated from 2009 to 2012.