GRANDIA HD Remaster

Install Game

Click the "Install Game" button to initiate the free file download and get compact download launcher. Locate the executable file in your local folder and begin the launcher to install your desired game.

a game by	Game Arts, and Sickhead Games, LLC
Platform:	PC (2019)
Editor Rating:	8.5/10, based on 1 review
Rate this game:
See also:	Story-Rich Games, JRPG Games, Turn Based RPG, Video Game Remakes

Before I give my thoughts on the GRANDIA HD Remaster, I want to take you back to 1999. I was a broke college student and I am ashamed to admit that 90 percent of my PlayStation collection was made up of bootleg games I bought at the local market, one of these was the original release of this game and I freaking loved it. So much so that when I got a Sega Dreamcast the following year when the sequel to this eventually came out, it was a day one purchase for me.

Kids Saving The World

I do not want to go into too much detail in regards to the story of the GRANDIA HD Remaster as it is the same as it was on the original PlayStation, but it is a charming, exciting, and one of the better RPG stories of its day. Justin is our main character and he is a happy go lucky kid who loves to go on adventures with his friends. One day, he and his friends end up on a real adventure in a battle with the Garlye Forces to try and save the world! It is classic fantasy stuff and the storytelling actually holds up really well.

How Good Is That Lick Of HD Paint?

As GRANDIA HD Remaster is a “remaster” the first thing we have to talk about is the visuals. This was a great looking game on the original PlayStation (and even better on the Saturn by all accounts) and here that classic anime style shines through. However, while the characters and different areas in the game have a smoother look to them, some objects look a bit strange, it is not all of the time, but there are some occasions where it is like the smoothing effect they have done is off on some objects. Still, this is a good looking HD Remaster and it keeps the style of the original game very well.

A More Cinematic Experience

Back in the day believe it or not the ten or so FMV story scenes that this game had were a big deal! GRANDIA HD Remaster still has these scenes and they look better than they have before, they are now fully widescreen and they have all been cleaned up a bit too. I would say that the cinematics are where I noticed the biggest difference with the game. The audio track also feels like it has been cleaned up a bit with clearer audio which is great as the voice acting here is pretty impressive, but I did notice that sometimes subtitles would be missing which was a strange little occurrence.

A Product Of Its Time

As far as the gameplay of the GRANDIA HD Remaster goes, it is pretty much the same as it was when I played it back in 1999 and I mean that as a positive. I am loving the fact that all of these old RPGs are getting brought back. The battle system here is really interesting as it has a kind of time system to it where you have to decide if you want to do a quick sword slash like attack or wait a bit longer and use something more powerful like magic. It adds a bit of tactics to the battles. The exploration and quests are just like I remember, although, they say that they did a better UI for this game, but to be honest with you, it felt just the same as it did on the original PlayStation for me.

8.5

To be brutally honest with you the GRANDIA HD Remaster is a pretty bare bones remaster in terms of what they actually did to it. Yes the visuals look a bit better and the cinematics are more impressive, but this is the same game I knew and loved from Christmas break in 1999 and I mean that as a good thing. The rush of nostalgia I got from playing this was great and I do feel like this holds up as a game in its own right. I did get this on PC, but I would recommend getting the Grandia HD Collection as it has the other games too, I got that for the Switch and it is awesome.

Pros: