Throwback Thursday: Grandia Review

By Silent J

  In the late 90’s I was lucky enough to play Grandia, developed by Game Arts for the Sega Saturn. It was known as the Final Fantasy killer. It didn’t quite live up to that name, but it was a refreshing take on something old in a desert riddled with the same dark RPG’s. To me, Grandia is the best RPG ever made (yes, even better than FF7).

  When other RPG’s were about complicated themes like the meaning of life or does god exist, Grandia kept it simple: a story about a kid going on an adventure. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s so well written that you will be surprised at how something so simple turns out to be grandiose.

 Grandia’s graphics aren’t impressive: 2D sprites in a 3D environment. But after a while you realize that the style is what makes Grandia feel big and epic.

 Out of every RPG I’ve ever played, Grandia has the best battle system. First, there’s no such thing as random battles: you see every enemy on the map. It is up to you if you want to fight them or flee. But if you choose to run and they catch you, they will have the element of surprise on their side. While in the middle of a battle, you’ll see a bar that not only indicates each character’s turn, but also that of your enemy. This helps you decide the best strategy.

 Grandia’s magic system is one of my favorite things in the game. Throughout the game you’ll acquire mana eggs (source of magic) based on the four elements: fire, water, earth and wind. The more you use them, the stronger said spells become and they’ll be cast faster; also, the more you level up your magic, the more techniques you’ll obtain. Leveling up basic magic elements will combine them and make new elemental magic (for example water + wind = blizzard, wind + fire = thunder, water + earth = forest, etc.).

 There’s still one aspect I haven’t covered: the special attacks. Every character uses more than one type of weapon, for instance Justin uses swords, axes and mazes. Just like magic, the more you use one specific type of weapon the stronger it gets. Leveling up different weapons will give you new special attacks that combine with your magic.

 On another more artistic note, Grandia’s soundtrack is beautiful. One of the best I have ever heard in a video game. Do yourself a favor and search for it. You won’t be disappointed.

 If this throwback has enticed you enough to buy Grandia, you can get hardcopies on Ebay from $20 - $50; or you can buy it through the PlayStation store for around $10. If you have the time and money, I suggest you go buy it already! I assure you, you won’t regret it.

Retro Gaming Review: Ghosts ‘n Goblins

By. DigitaLoz

  When I decided to write my first Retro Gaming Review I was incredibly excited. I wanted the first game I reviewed to be important to my identity as a gamer, but also one that my generation would remember fondly. For a reason beyond me, I settled for “Ghosts ‘n Goblins”. I don’t know what drove me to make said decision, but I’ve been slamming my head against my keyboard ever since. 

  First thing’s first, Ghosts ‘n Goblins is a side-scrolling adventure game released by Capcom in 1985 for arcades. Contrary to current popular belief, it became a hit and was ported to many gaming consoles, and eventually spawned a whole franchise. But why did it become so famous? If you ever played it you will most likely remember it for being one of the most frustration inducing games ever released. Many a magazine and website has named it as one of the hardest video games in the history of gaming. And with good reason.

  I still remember the day I spent all my money and never even got past the first level. Hell, I don’t think I remember getting out of the cemetery.   In Ghosts ‘n Goblins, you play as a knight called Arthur whom seems to be doing something shady with a girl in a cemetery, when a hairy bat appears and steals the girl away.

 Arthur armors up and takes on a bunch of baddies whose sole purpose is making grown men cry and young kids broke.

As far as classic side scrolling action goes, Ghosts ‘n Goblins is not a stranger to the mechanic. You have a variety of weapons to pick up, even if most of them suck—especially the torch. I’ve concluded that the torch is a joke the developers put in the game so they could sneak into arcades and see people curse at them. Enemies are fast, way faster than Arthur can ever be; and to top it all off, if a baddie hits you once, you lose your armor; if you get hit again, you are dead. Good luck trying to find replacement armor. They are as rare as a save point. Jumping is clunky, which usually means a lot of dying. Death is about the only sure thing you will get while playing Ghosts ‘n Goblins.

  The game is not glitched or bad though. It was made infernally hard on purpose. In this day and age, difficulty is something incredibly hard to find. Gamers today are babied with infinite saves and infinite lives. It is refreshing to go back to the older generations of video games where a challenge always waited.

 

  But don’t think I’m recommending this game. Ghosts ‘n Goblins is not for the faint of heart. Stay as far away from it as possible or you will get an aneurysm.