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Grandia II for PlayStation 2
Grandia II for PlayStation 2 follows Ryudo, a mercenary hired to protect the songstress Elena during a religious ceremony. An apparently straightforward assignment becomes a journey through towns, mountain paths and dungeons. New companions join along the way, each with a different outlook and a particular role in battles. Conversations within the party reveal why Ryudo's distrust clashes with Elena's faith, while strange events make their assignment increasingly complicated.
During battles, the IP gauge shows when each character and enemy will take their turn. At the command point, you choose an attack, spell, defensive action or movement; it is carried out later on the same gauge. A well-timed critical attack pushes an opponent back and can disrupt a dangerous action. You therefore watch not only damage, but also distance and preparation time. Sometimes delaying an attack helps more than immediately choosing the strongest spell.
Mana Eggs let you distribute magic among your party, while coins earned along the way help develop spells and abilities. Outside battles, you explore your surroundings, talk to residents and look for new equipment. You control the whole party alone with an ordinary DualShock 2; no extra controllers are needed. This is the original PS2 release, with Grandia II's story and combat, not the later HD rerelease.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Grandia II for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Grandia II
Game Arts originally developed Grandia II for the Dreamcast, where the role-playing game appeared in 2000. The PlayStation 2 conversion followed in 2002, with Ubi Soft publishing the European version. It allowed players on Sony's console to meet Ryudo, Elena and a new world within the Grandia series. The characters and events form a self-contained story; this is not a direct continuation of the first Grandia's heroes' journey.
The PS2 version retained the earlier release's storyline, maps and combat structure. In its announcement, Game Arts particularly highlighted revised cinematics and additional scenes. That presentation should not be confused with the much later HD version. The distinctive IP gauge remained the foundation of combat: a visible timeline that temporarily stops when you choose a command. The design thus combined the breathing room of menu choices with constantly shifting opportunities on the battlefield.
Character development also took its own approach. Mana Eggs provided access to magic that could be strengthened with coins, rather than relying solely on a fixed profession or an automatic learning path. Alongside its journey through a fantasy world, the story explored faith, trust and judgments about good and evil. Within the early PS2 library, Grandia II therefore represents a story-driven Japanese role-playing game whose entire journey is particularly shaped by the timing of party battles.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Final Fantasy X shares the journey with a growing party and the emphasis on conversations between characters. You also select commands from menus, but turn order works differently. Grandia II moves combatants along an IP gauge and gives critical attacks a role in delaying opponents. Final Fantasy X also uses the Sphere Grid for development, whereas here Mana Eggs and coins determine how magic and abilities are distributed.
Shadow Hearts likewise combines a personal story with party battles and supernatural events. Its Judgment Ring asks you to press at the right moment during an action. Grandia II places timing earlier, in selecting a target and interrupting its preparation on the IP gauge. The atmosphere differs too: Shadow Hearts uses a dark historical setting, whereas Ryudo travels through an entirely invented world.
Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King, like Grandia II, takes you across a fantasy world with a fixed group of companions. Its broad landscapes place greater emphasis on wandering, while Grandia II leads you through clearly defined areas. Battles also differ: Dragon Quest uses party commands entered each round, whereas here you try to influence individual combatants' visible preparations through carefully chosen attacks.
Dark Cloud combines a journey through dungeons with gradually strengthening your heroes. There, you directly control one active character in action battles and rebuild villages outside the dungeons using collected components. Grandia II revolves around a party fighting together, menu commands and an ongoing storyline. Both reward attention to equipment, but pose different questions: carefully maintaining a weapon or coordinating the timing and capabilities of several combatants.
Suikoden V shares the attention to relationships within a group, trust and conflicts that grow beyond the initial assignment. Political struggle and recruiting a large group of allies occupy much of that game. Grandia II follows a smaller travelling party and brings the tension closer to Ryudo and Elena. Battles have a different emphasis too: Suikoden V uses formations and combined attacks, whereas here the IP gauge governs individual actions and interruptions.
