Developed by: Game Arts | Published by: UbiSoft

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Like most Game Arts' RPGs, heavy attention is paid to each character's personality, and there are many deep, complex emotions experienced throughout the story at every turn. All characters are unique, and the things that they go through internally relate very well to what is going on externally in the story, both in the emotional and the ethereal aspects. The depth of the characters and the story is very exceptional, as is in most Game Arts RPGs.

Like the first Grandia, the battle system is smooth-flowing and feel more like real fighting, while still retaining the strategic elements of turn-based fighting.

The dungeons and areas are designed with several surprises along the way (enemies that hide in things, ladders, drops, rotating sphere rooms, moving roots that you walk on, etc.).

The usual plusses of most all RPGs:

• A wide array of different spells and abilities to use and aquire.
• A complex battle system that uses lots of strategic, sequential thinking
• An intricuit storyline, with lots of story development at every turn. An epic story of good vs evil.
• Many diverse areas to explore, monsters to fight, towns to visit, and friends to meet.
• Embark on an epic journey and venture all over the world to defeat evil and save the world, meeting friends, foes, and companions all along the way.
• Lots of depth to keep you busy in your free time.

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The cute anime feel is not mass market enough. A counter example would be Final Fantasy X, which had lots of elements in its art feel that made it appeal to many demographics. This feel is too cartoony.

Graphics are behind the times.

Frame rate choppy and slow throughout most of the game.

Manually rotating the camera is an extra chore for the player to do.

Translation voice acting could be better.

The usual negatives of most all RPGs:

• Story development happens during cinematics where the player must passively observe what happens rather than interacting.
• Gameplay wise, all you do is go around areas and repeditively fight anonomous monsters using weapons and magic.
• Only some of the dialogue is voice acted, but the vast majority you have to read yourself.
• Cinematigraphy during cinematics is very poor and undramatic.
• The complex battle system is not intuitive to first time players.
• Many menus to constantly traverse, and statistics that are constantly displayed, taking away from escapism.
• Repeditive background music.
• Sometimes when a boss is too difficult, a long battle can waste lots of time when you lose and have to start all over.