Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that answer the question.
Query: When was Grandia developed?
Grandia[lower-alpha 1] is a role-playing video game, developed by Game Arts and published by ESP Software for the Sega Saturn console as the first game in their Grandia series. Released in Japan in 1997, the game was ported to the PlayStation in 1999, with an English version of the game appearing on the platform in North America in the following September by Sony Computer Entertainment, and in Europe in 2000 by Ubi Soft. The game was produced by much of the same staff who worked on the company's previous role-playing endeavor, the Lunar series, including producer Yoichi Miyagi and composer Noriyuki Iwadare.
Uses the same characters and music as the first "Grandia" game. The actual game areas are different from those of the original "Grandia", though many of the items, moves and enemy names are the same. A group of schoolchildren who live in the "real" world are sucked into a portal while playing in an abandoned shed next to their school and end up in the world of "Grandia". They must find three special keys in order to make their way back home, and enlist the help of Justin and friends, who are always keen for new adventures.
An "aggressive" marketing campaign was planned to push the game and the series as a "brand for the future, not a one shot deal". "Grandia Xtreme" was showcased with a trailer at the Tokyo Game Show in August 2001 and in playable form at the World Hobby Fair of Tokyo in January 2002. A video of the game was also featured in an issue of "Famitsu Game Wave DVD". The game was released in Japan on January 31, 2002 in either regular or limited edition, the latter including as bonuses a "Grandia Xtreme" pocket watch and a small "Geo Gate" diorama depicting the protagonist Evann. Customers who pre-ordered the game also received a "Grandia" miniature tote bag.
In December 1997, selected music tracks from the game were released in Japan on the Grandia Original Soundtrack by King Records across two discs, which were organized as "Orchestra Side" and "Synth Side" according to the type of instrument samples used to compose them.[28] A follow-up album, Grandia Original Soundtrack II, was made available in June 1998, containing an additional two discs of music not featured on the previous album.[29] One year later, in June 1999, a compilation album entitled The Best of Grandia was released by Twofive Records containing some of Iwadare's favorite music from the game, including a never-before released track, "Pavane".[30] Iwadare also produced a special arranged album called Vent: Grandia Arrange Version,[31] with "vent" (IPA:[vɑ̃]) being the French word for "wind", which Iwadare chose because it "carries the image of cool pleasant wind".[26] The album was released in February 1998 by King Records and contains 12 arranged tracks, which Iwadare designed to be "an album, which people would listen at leisure on Sunday mornings".[26]
Artwork and storyboards - Several pieces of rare artwork and storyboards. Each one carries a small collection which can be viewed. Character Portraits - The character portraits that pop up each time a character is speaking. Sound Theatre - A collection of sound or radio plays featuring the Grandia cast. Grandia 1 saves - Allows the player to download a save file for use in the full Grandia 1 game. Bestiary - A library of all the monsters and their characteristics. Arcade - An arcade with mini-games. Including games such as baseball, archery, an eating competition, and a text-based game.
The English version of "Grandia III" was announced in December 2005 in the form of a teaser website from Square Enix, which revealed that the game was scheduled for release in North America the following February. In January 2006, the game was given its final release date of February 14, along with the announcement that Game Arts would be continuing development on their "Grandia Online" project, which at the time was also scheduled for release that year.
"Grandia III" was first announced in a March 2005 issue of Japanese "Weekly Famitsu" magazine, which revealed that Game Arts and Square Enix would be bringing the game to the PlayStation 2 console like the previous installment, "Grandia Xtreme". The project was headed by director Hidenobu Takahashi, who previously served as art director for "Grandia II", and stated that the game would follow the series' themes of "adventure, drama and dreams", and would continue in the direction of taking the series to a more "adult" sensibility while still retaining an overall optimistic tone. Character design for the game was provided by You Yoshinari with Takahiro Hasebe serving as scenario writer, both of whom had worked on the original "Grandia". CGI movie cutscenes were placed in the game help advance the story, which were produced by Mikitaka Kurasawa who had also worked with Capcom on "". According to a Square Enix representative, the amount of cutscenes in the game are roughly equal in length to three movies. Combat in "Grandia III" was designed to be a variation of the system seen in previous games in the series, and was described by Takahashi as being "very complex but very easy to learn", adding that "The combination of the story, fast-paced battle system and beautiful environment will prove to be an extremely enjoyable adventure." An official website was launched for the game in April 2005, which detailed the game's final release date the following August, as well as offered updates on the game's mechanics and characters.
The music for Grandia was written by Noriyuki Iwadare, who had previously worked with Game Arts as composer for their Lunar series on the Sega CD.[24] Iwadare was called upon to write the music due to his relationship with the company, and claims that his work on Grandia was "a turning point in my career",[25] and described the music-making process as "very interesting".[26] Grandia's sound team utilized the "latest technology" available at the time to create the game's background themes,[26] included the game's main theme, "Theme of Grandia", which was composed by Iwadare in just one night after looking at an illustration for the game.[25] In addition to music, the game also features voice acting during battles and certain story scenes, with the Japanese version featuring a number of anime and video game veteran actors. Two of the English version's main characters, Justin and Gadwin, were officially left uncredited.[24] "It's the End" by Japanese rock group L'Arc-en-Ciel, from the band's 1999 Album Ray, was used as the game's official commercial theme song during its re-release on the PlayStation.[27]
Nearly ten years after Grandia's release on the PlayStation, Game Arts announced in April 2009 that the game would be released as a downloadable title on Sony's PlayStation Network service in Japan in celebration of the resuming development on the company's long-dormant Grandia Online project.[23]
Grandia: Digital Museum(グランディア ～デジタルミュージアム～,Gurandia Dejitaru Myuziamu) is an extension of Grandia, developed by Game Arts and published by ESP Software for the Sega Saturn. Released exclusively in Japan in May 1998, the game features character graphics, textures, and music lifted directly from its predecessor. Players can also swap save data between the core Grandia disc and the Digital Museum on the Saturn memory card.
"Grandia Online" was first announced by Game Arts in late 2004 as a collaborative effort between their company and GungHo Online Entertainment under the codename "Project: GO". The game was first revealed during a GungHo Games panel at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show in Tokyo, Japan, where the company announced that they would be working with Game Arts to bring their "Grandia" role-playing game series to the PC as a "real adventure-themed MMORPG." Development for the game began shortly after completion of Game Arts' previous endeavor, "Grandia III", released earlier that year in Japan, and was overseen by GungHo president Morishita Yoshikazu and Game Arts producer Yoshitada Iwata. Inspiration for the game came from Gravity Corporation's "Ragnarok Online", as well as to fill the need for "Japan's increased demand for online games." The following October, one month after the game's announcement, GungHo announced plans to become a majority shareholder for the Game Arts corporation, turning the company into a subsidiary and making "Grandia Online" an in-house production. An open beta test period was originally planned for the first quarter of 2006, with the game's final release following later that year, which was pushed back to the following September, and then an undetermined date due to development issues.
Not officially a sequel, but a bonus disc using the same engine as the Saturn version of "Grandia". Though it only consists of four dungeons, each one is very large compared to the ones in the original "Grandia". Justin, Feena and Sue must explore them in order to recover artifacts from a museum of the original game that Liete has created. These unlock storyboards, special sound plays known as "Radio Dramas", saves for the original Saturn game, mini-games, bestiary listings and original artwork.
Grandia was developed by Game Arts over a period of more than two years beginning after the release of the company's previous role-playing video game title, Lunar: Eternal Blue for the Sega Mega-CD.[9] The project, headed by producer Yoichi Miyaji and directors Takeshi Miyaji and Toshiaki Hontani, was also originally intended for the Mega-CD system, but was shifted to the Saturn early in development due to Sega's abandoning the platform. According to a spokesman for Game Arts, Grandia was created as part of the company's on-going effort to "provide consumers with good games rather than try to follow market trends", opting instead to create a product that would tell a compelling story catering primarily to their existing fanbase.[10] The Saturn version was released in December 1997 exclusively in Japan, along with a special Limited Edition for those who pre-ordered the game between October 25 and November 30, 1997,[11] which included a fold-out cloth map of the Grandia world, as well as a mini radio drama disc featuring voiced scenes from the game.[12] In November 1998, Grandia was re-released in Japan as the Grandia Memorial Package, which featured new instruction booklet artwork and a lower sales price.[13] Sega of America had commented that they had no plans to bring an English version of the game to North American audiences on their system,[14] which prompted an online petition originating on the role-playing game fansite designed to alert the company of consumer interest.[15] Despite gathering several hundred signatures in only a few days, as well as promotion from gaming website GameSpot, the Saturn version was never released internationally.[16]
Grandia may refer to:
Background music for "Grandia Online" was written by series veteran Noriyuki Iwadare, the composer for all previous "Grandia" titles. The game also features voice acting during certain story sequences that the player will encounter during play, which are provided by several prominent anime and video game actors including Kikuko Inoue, who reprises her role as Liete from the first "Grandia". Player characters are also voiced, with sound clips used during combat and certain emotes, and vary by the character's race and gender. "Grandia Online"s official theme song, "Earth Trip" by Minami Kuribayashi, was released as a single in July 2009, alongside a limited edition version that contains a code which can be redeemed for special in-game items.
The music of "Grandia III" was composed by series veteran Noriyuki Iwadare, who contributed the soundtracks to all previous "Grandia" titles. Shortly after the Japanese version was released in August 2005, the "Grandia III Original Soundtrack" was released by Two-Five Records, featuring background themes from the game across two discs. "Grandia III" also features the theme song "In the Sky" performed by Japanese pop/rock singer Miz, which is featured in the game's opening demo, and was released as a single one day before the game in both regular and limited editions by Victor Entertainment. Players who pre-ordered the game in Japan could also received a special promotional album featuring three songs from the game recorded live by the game's music staff, including the vocal theme "To the Moon" performed by Kaori Kawasumi. In September 2005, "Melk Ruins", a music track from the game that was unable to be included in the official soundtrack, was made available on the game's official Japanese website as a free download. In addition to music, game contains voice clips during battle, as well as in story certain story scenes, with voices provided in Japanese and English for each region by veteran anime and video game actors.
"Grandia Xtreme" plays very similarly to the rest of the games in the "Grandia" series, which all resemble a traditional role-playing video game with somewhat random battles that occur within dungeons or during scripted situations. Combat takes place on a three-dimensional battlefield where the characters move around, striking enemies as they get near them. Very similar in both style and execution to "Grandia II"'s battle system, with the notable exception being that the Battle Gauge, formerly stylized as a horizontal line, is now a circle that the character icons move along clockwise. Each icon represents a character or enemy currently in battle, and they move along it at a rate which corresponds to their "speed" rating. Once an icon reaches the top of the circle, they are allowed to either attack, use items, defend, or flee the battle.
"Grandia Xtreme" received mixed reviews from critics. It received a score of 71.12% on GameRankings and 68/100 on Metacritic.
GungHo would remain quiet on "Grandia Online"s progress until early 2007, when Game Arts announced that the title had been sold by GungHo to online software producer Online Game Revolution Fund Number 1 for ¥2.6 billion, and that development would continue under the game's new name, "Grandia Zero". Game Arts would later re-acquire the game's production rights some time later, as well as return the game to its original title, yet development activities remained undisclosed for several months. During this period, industry rumors began to surface that the game may have been cancelled.
Since its release, Grandia has become notable for its combat mechanics which have been carried over to future games within the franchise, and has spawned an expansion disk (Grandia: Digital Museum) and a spin-off title (Grandia: Parallel Trippers) - both released exclusively in Japan. In celebration of the announcement of renewing development on Grandia Online, which acts as a prequel to Grandia, the game was re-released on Sony's PlayStation Network platform in Japan as a downloadable title on April 22, 2009 and in North America on February 25, 2010. It was re-released in Europe on November 10, 2010. A high-definition remaster of the game will be released in 2019, together with Grandia II, for Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.[3]
"Grandia: Parallel Trippers" was announced in July 2000 by its publisher Hudson Soft, who revealed that they, along with Game Arts, would be bringing the game to the Game Boy Color as the series' first handheld title. Game Arts president Hirokazu Miyazki explained that the game was created to make a "Grandia" that users could "play anywhere", and was designed under the philosophy that both new and veteran fans of the series could enjoy the title equally. Hudson Soft was personally chosen by Game Arts as the game's publisher due to their experience with handheld titles and enthusiasm in marketing the game to Japanese audiences. The game was first showcased at the 2000 Nintendo Space World expo the following August, and again at the 2000 Tokyo Game Show in September, where the game received its final release date. Following the game's release, Huson Soft launched its "Grandia Nippo" (lit. "Grandia Daily") website that featured fan art, interviews, and special downloads related to "Parallel Trippers" in order to increase enthusiasm for the game. The music for "Parallel Trippers" consists of downsampled versions of tracks from the original "Grandia", originally composed by Noriyuki Iwadare.
"Grandia: Parallel Trippers" is a traditional role-playing video game that is presented using two-dimensional graphics and character sprites and is presented using an overhead perspective. Players must guide the main character Yuuhi through a number of environments containing non-player characters, enemy monsters, traps, and puzzles that must be overcome in order to advance. Obstacles such as ledges and pits may be overcome by jumping, and other hindrances such as barricades and walls may be crossed using switches found in the area. The accompanying character Pinky, a rotund, flying creature with large ears, can also be used to manipulate objects from a distance. Treasure chests containing beneficial items such as healing herbs and equipment are scattered throughout each area, in addition to hidden items that must be found by searching certain objects. Like the original "Grandia", enemies in "Parallel Trippers" are visible on the map screen, and are only engaged when a player comes in contact with one.
"Grandia II"s English release met with an overwhelming positive response. It received an aggregate score of 88.81% on GameRankings and 90/100 on Metacritic. "GamePro" magazine found the game to be "solidly-built and features stunning visuals, dead-on controls, and a innovative combat system" yet remarked that that game's scenarios seemed too linear at times. On a similar note, GameSpot stated that "While the first Grandia had lengthy dungeons full of puzzles and side routes, Grandia II's dungeons are more compartmental and linear affairs," and ultimately found the game to be "a solid RPG... even if it isn't as deep or difficult as the original." IGN granted the game an Editor's Choice distinction, calling it a "classic" of the Dreamcast and remarking that its battle system was "arguably the most advanced system in play today", yet found the game's story and character development to be cliche and predictable. Eurogamer also found the game's story and gameplay to be largely methodical, and despite being dubbed "the best RPG on the Dreamcast in Europe" and "strongly recommended", editors felt seasoned role-playing game players would find the game too generic, calling it "an incredibly tough game to call". "Electronic Gaming Monthly" granted the game a 9 out of 10, earning it a Gold Award.
The game's story is set sometime after the events of the original Grandia, with the main characters Justin, Feena, and Sue being transported to a large museum created by the sorceress Liete made to honor their adventure during the first game. When most of the exhibits go missing, Liete uses her magic to transport the three to four separate dungeons each containing remnants of their previous journey to find and restore them to their proper place. As players progress through the game, bonus material becomes unlocked in the museum itself, which includes music files, artwork, and movie clips related to Grandia, as well as minigames.
In April 2009, news of "Grandia Online"s progress was finally made public, with the launch of an official countdown website that opened on April 21, revealing that the game was not only still being produced, but that a new open beta test would be launched the following July. To celebrate the occasion, Game Arts announced they would be re-releasing the original "Grandia" on Sony's PlayStation Network download service, as well host a limited, 60-person public test period for a demo of the game the following may in Tokyo's Akihabara district. The game is to utilize the BigWorld Technology Suite, which was previously used in GungHo's "Hokuto no Ken Online", and "promises a development solution specifically for scalable next-gen MMOs and virtual worlds." The company had planned to release the game commercially by the end of summer 2009, with a final release still pending due to an extended beta period beginning in August.