Why are RPGs and JRPGs always so good?!

One of my favorite games ever. The battle system is my favorite of any jrpg ive played.

I remember playing this back in '99, but for the life of me I can't remember if I finished it! The fact that I still remember the characters so vividly though must mean it was pretty great. I should give it another go someday.

The list of things Grandia 1 does well is incredibly long, but the single most important factor to why it feels so good to play even now is that the story is fully earnest in its delivery. The dialogue is heartfelt to the point of being absurd, but somehow it gets to you when you realize just how invested you become in the journeys of these kids across an unfamiliar world. Justin reading his mom's letter when he leaves Parm (reading it is crucial, Lily's voice acting is possibly as perfect as you can get from a side character) Feena's speech when leaving the "adventurer's society" Seeing the "End of the World" Gadwin's introduction (the best video game introduction ever) Guido's introduction (everything feels a little bit racist when you don't know anything about a different culture, a lesson on learning to listen) Sue's goodbye (literally can't be watched without getting choked up) Feena + Justin's boat conversation There are dozens of iconic moments in are still hallmarks of good storytelling despite being essentially a game for teenagers coming to grips with a changing world that they're trying to find a place in.

Grandia is one of my favorite games ever. The characters and charm in this world are just phenomenal.

"Fall for each other" while the characters are falling Nice timing there.

This was probably the greatest "adventure" jrpg I've ever played.

This rpg has a special place in my heart, I remember renting it from blockbuster, and adoring it. Then when the blockbuster was selling old games, I bought it and chrono cross. And when I got my psp go, and saw I could get grandia, in a hand held device, just shut up and take my money. I remember the hokey voice acting, using a cheap trick to level my water magic early on by using a ruin trap that was like 5 steps from a save point to reduce my hp to 1, heal with my magic, then restore my mp, and how it felt to clear the hardest optional dungeon and getting Heaven and Earth Cut. So yeah, seeing you cover this and play this was wonderful for me. Thanks Jirard.

You should Complete Skies of Arcadia: Legends for the GameCube

I'm so happy you did this game, it's such a well made game that hardly gets any love. This game is rich with great characters and journey, and the combat! The combat system is one of a kind. RIP Takeshi Miyaji for leaving a awesome batch of games.

Grandia... now that's a name I've not heard in a long time...

"The Way Those Two Fall For Each Other Feels Natural." *shows the couple falling* What a wonderful pun! 👏😊👍

Grandia is still today one of my all time favorite JRPGs ever. Few people that I've met ever played it (usually they've all played Grandia II) and I'm glad that more people are getting to experience for the first time.

RIP kid me. I had such a hard time with this game back on PS1. Hearing how "easy" it is is kinda bumming me out. =( I have to get my revenge.

I remember playing through Grandia as a teen. One of my favorites of the generation. I absolutely love Grandia 2. It's the game that get's me to hook up my Dreamcast every few years.

This was my very first JRPG and I spent so many hours into it! I found out about it from the PlayStation demo discs I would receive in the mail💕 My grandma found it and got it for me! The music was my favorite part about it 💕

I’m looking forward to his look at Grandia 2, it’s a game that has a special place in my heart because quite simply it was the game that truly introduced me to RPGs.

I love that people are still loving this game. While I've always been a gamer from the earliest I could remember (my grandparents had an Atari, and our parents bought us an NES), Grandia was the first game that made me truly FEEL something. It's like the concept of wanderlust made manifest. And I LOVE the relationship between Justin and Feena. They don't fall in love at first sight--Justin fanboys over her because she's an accomplished and famous adventurer. They fight, they argue, they make up, they laugh together, they support each other...and despite the bad voice acting and the dated graphics, I still feel certain scenes are the most romantic I've seen in any media: the beach of Gumbo, the boat ride to the eastern continent, the fall from the airship. Such a masterpiece.

Gadwin’s secret move! Dragon king slice!!!

I will never forget when I finally climbed the wall, watching the sunset and the epic grandia ost playing

So glad you completed this amazing gem, it's such a masterpiece, hope you complete the second two because it's just as good.

I purchased this a few years ago on the PSN store. I vaguely remember trying a demo disc version of it. This game was great, charming, great humour and a pleasant surprise. "JUUUUUUUSTIN!!"

I was a kid when I first played this on PS1. And that memory will always be a feeling of warmth for me. I felt that I was their friend going on that big adventure with them. Glad you played and enjoyed this one.

I remember this series quite fondly, definitely one of my favorites. Glad you've enjoyed it! Now I will quietly hope you do a video on Grandia 2 next ^^

I'm really glad you enjoyed this game. Its one of my favorites. Here's to hoping you give us a second video on Grandia 2.

Grandia and Grandia 2 are amazing, though I'd skip anything past that.

Ugh, as soon as Sue's theme started playing at the beginning... shivers and tears. Freaking love this game. You hit it right on the head. THIS GAME MAKES YOU FEEL THINGS. That's it's reason for existence, that's what it loves to do, and that's what it does SO WELL. I've found myself coming back and playing it again every few years just to feel that again. It is EXACTLY what it needs to be.

You hit everything right on the head! Literally what you said during this review is exactly how, not just me, but all the fans of the game feel while playing through. It's one of those games that every 3 to 5 years you start thinking of again and make another file. Same goes for the second game for sure. G3 isn't bad by any means by itself, but when compared to the first two games it just doesn't hold up the same. It's so nice hearing positive things about this. I honestly thought it got overlooked, even as an hd collection on Switch. Unfortunately I heard quite a few say the never got out of the first town because of it being boring. If people just took their time to read dialouge instead of just wanting all voice acted scenes, I feel that a lot more would enjoy it :) hopefully you brought some light into this. Amazing review again, man

I want to see a Disgaea episode just to see Jirard lose his mind

"Been There, Played That, Completed It." One of these day's you'll complete all the games in the world!!! 👏😊👍

Must complete all The Completionist videos!! Hats off to ya, Mr. Khalil!

Whenever I feel lonely, I just listen to the grandia intro and it makes me happy. I use this game's story as an inspiration whenever I make a decision. Really struck my heart. Thank you for making a review. Really love it.

This game gets me everytime! The music and the story along with the battle mechanics. This game genuinely had me feeling emotional at all the right moments. I give it a Jirard/10!

Play Grandia Redux, it fixes all the complaints about difficulty that you raise. Random enemy encounters can completely wipe your party

Jirard, I am so happy that you did Grandia! It has always had a special place in my heart as it was my first JRPG! Thank you for bringing attention to this rarely mentioned amazing game!

I have been wanting you to play this for years. Glad you enjoyed it.

Considering how long these games are, they're a long shot but: -cough- Trails in the Sky -cough-

I remembered how blown away i was with the intro sequence. And then the voice acting made my jaw dropped. Back then VA was rare, especially on JRPGs

Amazing review! I love seeing people’s reaction when they first play this classic. I remember first playing this back on PS1. The amazing sprite models, music, voice acting, combat and story made a lasting impression and to this day after playing decades of RPGs at this point Grandia still remains one of my favorites.

Wow thank you so much for reviewing the re-release! This is actually my favorite JRPG and no one I talk to has ever heard of it, or played it! I really hope more people will give it a chance and love it like I do. The voice acting is pretty bad for today's standards but is actually really good for a time where voice acting wasn't even the norm in games I remember hearing the characters speak dialogue is what made want to keep playing way back in '97

Holy shit, this is literally my childhood defining game, and one of my favorites of all time!

There's legend of legaia in the background!

This is my all time favorite game out of everything I’ve ever played! It was my first full game that I got so emotionally invested in. Thank you for doing this!

We love you Jirard! Also, thank you for this. Been meaning to look at Grandia

Try some of the "ys" games, "Ys seven" is a really good one.

im stlil waiting for legend of Dragoon one of my favorite games of all time

So much love for Grandia. I’m glad it hasn’t been forgotten. I didn’t experience this game as a kid. But getting to discover a gem like this as an adult is an amazing experience in itself.

It's always fantastic to watch someone become a fan of a series you have loved for years. Grandia is special and like was said, it will make you feel things.

Holy shit, this is one of my favorite games ever. Very underrated

Try the Legend of Heroes: Trails games if you want a game with a fully turn based version of this battle system, with top notch writing and world building.

Going to play this on your recommendation. Didn't watch full video so I could go blind. Looking forward to watching after!

Ugh, what a nostalgia trip this was, I remember picking up a used copy of this in a gamestop 19 years ago on a whim, one of the best finds of my teenage years

I remember when I first played this game years ago, the boss battles on disc 1 were tough to beat.

Why did you title this as New Game Plus? Pretty sure you never completed it before.

DUDE! HECK YES!!! Grandia is hands down my favourite game of all time! Thank you for covering this!

Dang now I just super want to play this game. Thanks for sharing your experience and getting me excited for trying something new!

Id really like to see Lunar 2: Eternal Blue completed. Probably one of my favorite jrps ever made and i only found out about by a friend who had to sneak it to me so i could borrow it. Such a great story and the combat was intense at times.

eeeeeeeeeeee! XD someone is actually talking about one of my favorite games ever!

Just started replaying grandia after a few years and the gut punching bits still hit as hard (Sue's goodbye is just done so well) with the slightly silly moments to help lighten the mood. Combat can definitely become easy with grinding but if the ai gets a rhythm going then you may just end up getting your arse handed to you (got stun locked by trinity attack and the balloon attack) still absolutely love this game

This was cool Jirard, I'm one of those crazy fans of grandia (i was fortunate enough to learn of it thanks to my older sister's BF at the time) and i fell in love with it in the late 90s and "mastered" it upon my 2nd and 3rd playthroughs and then a few years back getting it on the psn (where i tried all 3 secret dungeons, the 3rd the tower i had to stop because it was too hard for me to navigate) anyway i'm glad you enjoyed the game i found it fun and interesting and while i did enjoy grandia 2 it didn't feel like it lived up to the greatness of the original game (i loved the leveling system with magic and weapons, in 2 you earn coins and put those toward the levels while gaining normal exp) keep up the good work sir :)

Definitely an underrated game. Love this one.

*Notices Legend of Legaia in the background* I will always...ALWAYS hope...

Yesssssssssssssss, this is one of my favorite PS1 games that I almost always go back to play when I'm hankering for an old RPG. More people need to play this one.

Grandia is completely underrated! This was a pleasure to watch. I remember when this got released back in the late 90's and I picked it up at Electronics Boutique because of the character designs looking like anime 😂 Best decision I ever made! FF7 was my first encounter with this genre and although it is still my favourite game, Grandia shares that spot for me. It has a completely different feel, but it is so brilliant. The characters, the story, the world building, and the music. The addition of voice acting was also an amazing experience at that time! Just pure brilliance, glad you got to experience this! I have yet to get the HD collection, but I regularly play it on my old PS1!

This game actually looks really cool

0:56 I see Legend of Legaia on the shelf! Please do that game for it is 1 of many hidden gems

I found this series after completing Skies of Arcadia and wanting another huge RPG to play. I remember the character interactions giving me the warm and fuzzies in my chest! I just adore these games! ❤️

Omg thank you! I had no idea this game was remastered. I loved this game back in the day and to be able to replay it now.

been a while since i last heard about this game

FF7 who? That was my reaction after playing Grandia back in the day, even being crazy for FF back then. It's a shame Game Arts stopped after Grandia III.

I think it's really cool that you gave this game a shot. It was one of my favorites back in the day, and I am happy to hear that it still plays well after so many years. As for the difficulty and grinding however it seems like they've toned it down a bit. I remember there being many skills that demanded me to grind spells/weapons up to level 30, 60 or 99, the latter of which I never accomplished during my playthrough. Maybe it's because I was lacking these powerful abilities that the game still remained rather demanding up to the very end, i.e. they may have made the game a tad easier. Also, overleveling early on in the game can break most RPGs out there.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS VIDEO MADE ME!! This was my first ever jrpg... I love this game so much as a kid that I have Feena tattooed on my arm, I actually... omg thank you Jirard And this game looks gorgeous on the switch, that’s awesome

I'm really sad that they discarded the gorgeous fonttype they had in the original for this bland, crappy font now. Doesn't make the rest of the game worse in any way, though! Thanks for playing it, Jirard. EDIT: HOLY FREAKING CRAP JIRARD. I think I had maybe a handful of abilities maxed by the end of the game, and that's with completing every bit of optional content, too! You MEGA-grinded! No wonder you found the whole game other than the bosses so dang easy.

HERES MY CHILDHOOD Played this in u.k as a child and a memory that sticks is when they get fired out of the cannon and she says "owww my fanny" which here means vagina I quickly turned it off thinking it was gunna get weird 😂😂😂

Love your videos Jirard! Keep up the great work! However, I've got to say.... I wish you gave more credit to Grandia's soundtrack. The music in this game is absolutely beautiful. Iwadare-san totally earns his place among the great composers of gaming history from this remarkable score alone (not to mention his equally stunning work on the Lunar series). This game is a fantastic masterpiece in every sense of the word. So glad you had a chance to experience it. Keep up the great work! 👍

I see Grandia as the sister series of Lunar. Both pubd by Game Arts, but different devs. Both series are bright, have cast of kids with emphasis on their relationships, both have a love story- moreso in Lunar. Both feature the same brilliant composer, Noriyuki Iwadare. Producers of both games are brothers. Unfortunately, Grandias producer passed away some 5 years ago. Great video, guys!!

Grandia is easily my favorite rpg on the ps1, and that's saying a lot.

Why does the title say that this is a New Game Plus episode?

Jirard, thank you so much for reviewing this game. I hope this and the switch release get more people to play this beautiful hidden gem cause it's easily my favourite game of all time. I've fully played through this at least 15 times and i cry harder every time at the sad spots. It just gets to me that little bit more every time i get to experience those characters again and realise how well they are written. This isn't just some cheesy jrpg about saving the world. This is about a boy setting out on an adventure and growing up through role models and friendships he meets along the way. Early game justin and endgame justin are just two entirely different people. The combat system is indeed amazing and super satisfying once you master it although it really doesn't challenge you. All i really want is for modern game developers to almost copy this exact system and put it into a new adventure to explore. Grandia II did this very well but that game never had the charm the original has. (Let's just imagine the other games never existed in the first place lol) Thank you for reviewing this. Hearing someone else experienced the same things i did when i was 12 years old genuinely made my day and gives me hope that word of this amazing game spreads and maybe even sprouts into a newly made grandia game.

Grandia II is my favorite RPG ever - I have never played the first one, but I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the first one. I need to grab the HD collection myself for Switch and I love that you had a great time with it. :) Thanks for sharing.

I'm still waiting for a physical for the HD collection. (hopefully, they do one anyway)

Obligatory "It's not a New Game Plus, Jirard!" comment.

Love the grandia episode, it was a nice surprise. I hope you do grandia 2 at some point. That's been one of my favorite games since the dreamcast

Hey! Went to your live show last night. It was great! It was a treat getting to meet you in person.

Dude! the initiative bar is big D&D vibes! The whole combat system, even!

One of my favourite game’s since I was a young’un lol shame 3 was a US and JP title T_T

An RPG on the completionist! And Grandia to boot! Great choice man. Would love to see more like this.

Grandia is one of my favourite video games of all time. I was so excited to play it again on the Nintendo Switch and I even did a video on my first few hours playing it. It recently got an update that fixed a lot of the minor issue I had with it. I'm glad you like it, Jirard and the point you brought up are fair and understandable. Looking forward to your eventual review of Legend of Dragoon. Oh, and do Suikoden II as well.

I remember showing Grandia 2 to a friend, and I was very excited to show him how, with good strategy, you could go an entire fight without getting hit once. My friend's verdict: "you can go an entire fight without getting hit? Then this game is too easy. I'm not interested." To this day I'm baffled by his logic.

Whenever I think of Grandia, another RPG immediately also springs to my mind. Alundra.

Great episode, always love to see you cover a JRPG.

So glad this game got some love with it coming out on switch! Also can’t wait to see the show in Milwaukee tonight!

I'm confused. you said "the game is super easy the whole way through" "i got a bit ahead with some accidental grinding early and was overpowered for the rest of the game" but then past the halfway point, you also say "there's a lot of grinding to do" "i spent a lot of time grinding" "these powerful items helped me with my grind" so... if the game is easy, then you don't have to grind and can blow right throw it, but you spent 60 hours on it grinding? I'm getting mixed messages here

This game ruined JRPG battle systems for me for a loooong time. I just found anything other JRPG's thrown at me to be super boring.

Thank you for doing a video on this game. It means a lot.

This and Lunar Silverstar Story Complete 2 were my favourite RPGs back in the day. The writing and characters were so memorable!

Grandia is literally the reason I met my first and then current girlfriend. The game's a poon magnet, no question.

Man.... I really love your videos!

To be honest it took me 2 years to complete it from 1999 to 2001. im 36 now and playing it for the 3rd time and still amazed by how good it is. it brings so much nostalgia when i watch this but you rounded up perfectly the feeling i have about this game XXX

Thank you Jirard, you just gave me a game to help bridge the time until spring next year.