Unfortunately, the graphics are the weak point of Grandia. Fortunately, they're pretty much the only weak point of the game. The character graphics consist of highly-pixellated sprites moving around in a 3D world, a la Xenogears, only a good bit more organic. The problem is that it's also a good bit more seamy. As in you can see the lines that define pretty much every large polygon in this game. Distracting, but bearable. The FMV cut scenes are really nice, actually, but a tad too short and too sparse to really add much to the game visuals-wise. The anime character portraits, on the other hand, are excellently done, with a multitude of expressions for the main character, Justin, and a few well-chosen ones for all the supporting characters. Definitely a plus.

The sound in this game is a mixed bag, but more uniformly positive. The game music is the same Game Arts music we've been listening to for years with Lunar and such -- happy-go-lucky bouncy music. The battle music is nice enough so that you don't tire of it, and you'll learn to dread the tones that symbolize a battle where the enemy has an advantage. The voice acting... well, it's been done better, but it's been done worse (Resident Evil, anyone?). Some of the voice actors are actually pretty good (Sue didn't get on my nerves too much, sounding just like the young girl she's supposed to be), but some of them make you want to groan in pain. And they're all terribly overwrought. But this is a video game -- what do you expect?

Mmm. Grandia is all about gameplay. Hours and hours and hours of gameplay. First of all, Grandia is a long, long game. Like, even more than Xenogears, which took about 30 hours to beat the first CD, and a paltry five or so to beat the rest. Grandia just keeps going and going. The best part is that all of this gameplay is damned enjoyable. The plot of the game is pretty cliché (Help young boy and his friends find out the truth about the world around him), but you won't mind, because every major character in this game has a life of their own. Justin, bad voice acting aside, has a personality that shines through in every step of the game. So does Sue, his constant companion. As the game goes on, and as you gain more characters and encounter others, it just doesn't let up. You've got the requisite three goofy anime babes, the bizarre race of humanoids, the sturdy adventurer chick... it's all there, in all its clichéd glory, but my God, it's well executed. You'll care for the characters. Game Arts has always been an expert at doing this, and it has never shown so well as it does in Grandia.

Then there's the battle system. I can't explain it, but this game's battle system has me running around for hours just killing things to get up in weapon and spell levels. As you use the various spells and weapons, your stats get raised, and you both learn more powerful skills and get physically or mentally stronger. Very, very cool. It's almost as if a strategy-RPG's level-up elements got put into a full-blooded RPG, and it's one of the most intriguing aspects of the game. Admittedly, some times it's a serious pain in the ass to get up a few levels in certain skills, but once you get the hang of it, you'll actually be looking forward to most of the battles. Another cool thing is that, like Chrono Trigger and the Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, you can see all of the enemies on the screen. They chase after you in an attempt to slaughter your sorry self. No more random battles! Cheer. The overworld map is just that, a map, with no walking around to make you irritated between interesting areas. It gets the job done, in a rather gorgeous flat 2D style. I like it. I also like that, unlike in the Final Fantasy series of games where you sit and wait for your 'time' to come up, time speeds up until it's someone's turn. Less wait means more fun.

Some of the monsters in this game are damned hard, but inevitably, the bosses are pushovers. It doesn't matter, though, really -- you're playing this game through for the characters and the story. It's got the right amount of challenge to keep you from getting bored, but not enough so that you get frustrated.

This game's mechanics are tight. The control with the analog pad on a Dual Shock is a dream, the button configurations make sense. The loading times are sometimes a pain, but it can't be helped with the aging PlayStation, and the rather massive areas you're sometimes wandering around in. Overall, this game presents an amazingly tight package of in-your-face RPG gameplay and good mechanics. Grandia will amuse you for many, many hours. I can't recommend this game highly enough for those of you yearning for a good, classic style RPG.