Retro JRPG Goodness on Xbox Series-A Look At Grandia HD

Grandia HD came out on the Xbox Series recently. The game is a collection of Grandia 1 and 2. We checked out the first game in the collection a little and have some thoughts on it.

Exploring the first town in Grandia 1

I thought I had played Grandia on the PlayStation 1. As I checked it out on the Xbox Series though, I came to the conclusion that I had never played it. The game doesn’t seem familiar at all. So how am I liking it so far?

Grandia has a neat story about two kids who stumble upon an ancient culture which likely leads them to a bigger quest. I’m very early on in the game but I’m liking the story. The game has voice acting on some parts too, though its not very good. And the graphics, while they have been cleaned up in HD, still look like a PS1 game.

Then there’s the gameplay. Thats the best part of Grandia HD so far. There’s a lot of exploration and the turn-based battle system is really good. The characters move around when attacking, which reminds me a little of a Tales Of game, but the battle system is definitely menu and turn-based. Its pretty fun.

turn-based battle fun in Grandia 1

Grandia HD is like an undiscovered classic to me. I’m having a ton of fun playing this game and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the story. I’m also excited about checking out Grandia 2!

Have you ever played Grandia? Have you checked out the HD collection?

Grandia HD is now available on the Xbox Series. A digital code was provided for this article.