Grandia II
is a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts originally for the Dreamcast console as part of their Grandia series. Initially released in Japan by Game Arts in August 2000, the game was published by Ubi Soft in North America in December 2000 and in Europe in February 2001. Grandia II was later ported to PlayStation 2, where it was released worldwide throughout 2002, and for Windows exclusively in North America and Europe later that year.
An enhanced port, based on the Dreamcast version and titled Grandia II Anniversary Edition, was released by GungHo Online Entertainment for Steam and GOG.com in August 2015. A high-definition remaster of the game and the original Grandia was released for Nintendo Switch in August 2019; an associated update for the Anniversary Edition was released in October 2019. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in March 2024.
The game was developed by many of the same staff members who worked on the original Grandia, including music composer Noriyuki Iwadare. However, it was designed around creating a more "mature" product than the previous title and the first in the series to feature fully three-dimensional graphics.
The game is set in a fantasy world thousands of years after a battle between Granas, the god of light, and Valmar, the god of darkness, nearly destroyed the planet until Valmar was split into pieces and scattered across the land. In the aftermath of the battle, the Church of Granas has led humanity to prosperity by spreading the word of good. However, when a young mercenary named Ryudo is charged to protect a songstress from the church named Elena, their journey reveals that the church's history, as well as the history of the world, is not all it seems.
While the original Dreamcast version of the game received a largely positive response from critics in Japan and the West, its later ports to the PlayStation 2 and PC were typically seen as inferior due to a combination of technical shortcomings and other high-profile games released during the transition.
Gameplay
The turn-based battle system is based around the IP gauge. Character icons move from left to right on the gauge. Upon reaching the beginning of the action phase on the gauge, characters select an action. That action is executed when their icon reaches the end of the action phase. The system supports limited movement during a battle; an invisible barrier prevents characters from wandering outside the arena.Characters can run from one place to another, strike opponents, and then retreat. Selecting "critical" makes a character or enemy strike an opponent simultaneously. If the critical lands during the opponent's action phase, it will "cancel" the opponent's move and push the opponent's icon substantially backward along the IP gauge, delaying the opponent from taking action. Selecting "combo" makes a character land two hits on an enemy. The hits can be increased with certain accessories, up to four hits per combo. A combo can also "counter" if it hits an enemy in an attack pose, dealing additional damage. Suppose the combo kills the intended target before reaching the final blow. In that case, the character will attack the closest enemy to complete the combo.
Characters can use magic from equipped Mana Eggs. Using magic consumes MP. More powerful magic takes longer to cast. Special moves and spells can be learned with Skills Coins and Magic Coins and have a maximum level of 5. Spell efficiency is increased and casting time decreases as the level increases. Spells can be cast instantly if a character has skills equipped, giving a +100% bonus to the element of that particular spell. Special move sets are learned from Skill Books, then equipped onto characters. Skills can boost stats or add additional effects, such as increased item drops or a canceling effect to certain spells.
Plot
Ryudo is a mercenary known as a Geohound, accompanied by his talking bird companion, Skye. The Church of Granas hires him to escort Elena, a Songstress of Granas, to Garmia Tower for a ceremony. Upon arrival, he is asked to wait while they perform the ritual. However, he hears a scream and rushes up to the top floor. Seeing everyone dead and Elena with a pair of wings, he rescues her, and both return to Carbo Village. There, Ryudo is asked by the priest to escort Elena to St. Heim Papal State to seek Pope Zera's help to cleanse Elena of the Wings of Valmar, one of several pieces of Valmar, which now possesses her.Before he can turn the job down, the village is attacked by a mysterious winged woman, who engages and defeats Ryudo in battle. She introduces herself as Millenia and disappears. Ryudo accepts the job and departs for St. Heim with Elena. In the town of Agear, Millenia appears again, this time more friendly, and teams up with Ryudo. She accidentally reveals herself as the Wings of Valmar and that she possesses Elena, sharing her body as a separate being. After Roan and the Beast Man, Mareg, join the group, they find more pieces of Valmar, which Millenia absorbs after they are defeated.
When the group arrives at St. Heim Papal State, Elena meets with Pope Zera, who wishes to speak with Ryudo. The Pope requests that he find the legendary Granasaber, a weapon wielded by Granas that was used to defeat Valmar. Ryudo reluctantly agrees, and the group travels to Roan's hometown of Cyrum. Upon arrival, they rest at the inn as Roan departs. The following day, it is revealed that Roan is the prince and that the people of Cyrum once assisted Valmar against Granas in the ancient war. The party enters the castle, finds the Gate of Darkness open, and discovers an ancient factory underneath the castle. They encounter the Claws of Valmar and, later, Melfice back in the castle. Melfice is Ryudo's brother and the man Mareg seeks, who flees after defeating the group in battle, telling Ryudo to face him at home. Roan is crowned king and chooses to stay in Cyrum to encourage its people that the past does not predict their future. After being rescued, Tio, the being possessed by the Claws and an Automata, joins the group.
The party arrives by boat in the village of Garlan, Ryudo's hometown. Ryudo is immediately chastised for returning and commanded to leave. He reveals that Melfice has returned, and he plans to kill him to end his torment of the world. At the inn, a disguised Skye reveals Ryudo's history to Elena. Garlan used to be a village of swordsmen, with Melfice being the best. However, one night, during a storm, the idol in the hills grew restless, so the villagers sent Reena, Melfice's fiancé, to pray at the altar. She didn't return, and Melfice investigated, being secretly followed by Ryudo. In the shrine, Ryudo witnessed Melfice murder Reena. Ryudo later fled from town and stayed away for three years, causing the villagers to believe he abandoned them, hence their contempt. In the morning, the group travels up the mountain to confront Melfice.
At its peak, they defeat Melfice, who afterward reconciles with Ryudo and informs the group of the Granasaber's location before dying. While Ryudo grieves, the Horns possess him, causing him to lose consciousness. At the inn, Elena asks Millenia for help, but she initially refuses. However, she relents and uses her powers to seal the Horns inside of Ryudo, who then awakens with a renewed sense of purpose. But Elena questions Granas, as it was Valmar who saved Ryudo.
The group travels to Nannan, Mareg's hometown, near the location of the Granasaber. The group is then informed of the Granasaber's whereabouts: within a giant cyclone to the east. The group travels there and deactivates the artificial storm, revealing the Granasaber. However, Selene, the High Priestess, appears and sacrifices a Cathedral Knight to revive the Body of Valmar around the Granasaber; the group enters the body and destroys it. Tio reveals the Granasaber as a ship, teleporting the group inside and guiding the giant sword back to St. Heim.
The "Day of Darkness" arrives, and the group witnesses the Cathedral Knights slaughtering the townsfolk. They fight their way to the cathedral, where Elena reveals her true mission: to absorb the pieces of Valmar so the Granasaber can destroy them. Selene reappears and transforms into the Heart of Valmar, but the group destroys it. They catch up to Zera, who reveals that Valmar was victorious in the battle against Granas, who was killed. He actually plans to use the absorbed pieces within Elena to bring Valmar back to life, and abducts her to the Moon of Valmar.
The group uses the Granasaber to reach the moon and save Elena. A wounded Mareg later sacrifices himself to allow the group to escape from the moon. Crashing near Cyrum, now besieged by monsters from the moon, the group rejoins with Roan and defends the town. Soon, Valmar's Moon crashes into the Granas Cathedral, and the new Valmar emerges. Unfortunately, the group finds itself without the means to defeat him. Roan suggests traveling to the nearby Birthplace of the Gods for answers, which reveals much about the ancient war and the origins of both gods.
Meeting another Automata named Elmo, Ryudo chooses to confront the Horns within and is beset by many trials. However, he overcomes his fears and insecurities and is granted the true Granasaber. The party challenges Valmar and enters his body. Inside, they are confronted by Zera, who attacks them before sending a false Millenia after them. Ryudo's party is victorious, and the true Millenia, now separated from Elena, joins them. Zera divides the group and launches a final attack against Ryudo, Elena, and Millenia. They defeat him and destroy Valmar for good, restoring peace to the world.
The ending shows the different characters one year after Valmar's defeat. Roan is still king and embarks on a journey to find his friends. Tio has become a nurse in Cyrum, Millenia is a teacher, and Elena tours the world as a singer in a troupe. In the last scene, Ryudo says goodbye to Granasaber and buries it under a tree in a remote area. He concludes that humanity will care for themselves and no longer depend on gods to continue living.