Grandia 2 follows a familiar tale of good versus evil. The world is at war; the gods of Light and Darkness are at it again. You assume the role of Ryudo, and your first task is to escort a songstress to a ceremony for the Church of Granas (the good guys). Her pilgrimage is an attempt to keep the dark forces at bay and ultimately sealed away forever. It's up to you and a gang of eclectic characters to bring peace to the land.
Gameplay It doesn't take long to discover that Grandia 2 is a combat driven RPG. There isn't a lot to do when you enter villages and encounter new people. But sooner or later, you'll run into someone with a problem. After some debriefing, you'll end up in a cave or remote region filled with monsters.
The battle system is simple yet extremely strategic. First off, there are no random battles. In the dungeons or outdoor areas, you'll be able to see enemies walking around. What's cool is that the battles start out differently depending on who initiated contact. If you bump into the enemy while they're facing away from you, you'll have the advantage of making the first move. During battle, you'll see a meter at the bottom of the screen that contains face icons of your characters and the enemies. You start off in a standby position and must wait until your icon reaches the command point. Once here, you'll be able to use physical attacks, magic, and items.
What makes the battle system so engaging is the amount of strategy involved. It is possible to win many fights without being touched. It all depends on how you manage your actions and resources. You can target specific enemies and unleash attacks that'll cause their gauge to reset and give you extra breathing room. Certain magic spells and items only hit some enemies, so picking the right spot to cast a spell is crucial if you want to hit multiple targets. Once you've defeated the opposition, you're rewarded with money, items, and points that can be used to upgrade attacks and magic.
The difficulty, mainly at the end of the game, really disappointed me. If you've maxed out your abilities, you can waste enemies with one devastating spell. Luckily, the bosses put up a better fight. Another problem lies in the lack of exploration. Besides going to a shop or inn, there really isn't much to do in the towns. There aren't that many characters to interact with and side-quests are nonexistent.
Graphics & Sound Environments are colorful and you can see all your party members running along with Ryudo. The graphics during combat are a step up. There are some slick animations and lots of detail in the character models. The cut-scenes are showing their age though, and some of the 2D animation sequences for spells feel out of place.
There are voice-overs during certain parts of the game. The actors do a decent job and there's some funny dialogue. The soundtrack's playlist is on the short side, but I really enjoyed it. Most of the music is calm and carries a Caribbean feel to it while the battle music is fast paced and layered with guitar riffs.
Final Thoughts Grandia 2 is a decent RPG for Dreamcast. The story isn't anything new, but the cast of characters have their moments. The battle system is the game's brightest spot though. It's action packed and easy to understand. The game will take around 30 hours to beat, but the lack of exploration warrants only one play through. Grandia 2 may fall flat in some areas, but it's still an interesting RPG worth checking out.
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