Many RPGs are known for epic stories, but Grandia? Grandia games have epic battle systems, and everything else is just so much decorative frosting. Such is the case with Grandia III, though that's not to say that the "everything else" is lacking in quality. Indeed, Grandia III is more charming than Grandia II and more mature than the 1997 original. It's a solid evolution of a good series of games, even though it's hurt a fair bit by a brief, bland plot, repetition, and other niggling issues.

Tell Me a Story

The player takes the role of Yuki, a typically spunky young RPG hero who has a "thing" for airplanes. While taking his latest for a test crash, he and his atypically adventurous mother Miranda end up in the middle of a high-speed chase. They rescue a strange, long-eared girl from her pursuers and, as luck would have it, this marks the start of a world-spanning adventure of momentous import. Funny how that always happens, isn't it?

It's too bad that this story never comes together in a satisfying way. That's odd, because a lot of good elements are present. While the characters are mostly based on tried-and-true RPG clichés, the heroes are still well-done and are quite charming and likeable. This characterization is supported by beautifully emotive character portraits and one of the biggest and best-written RPG scripts yet seen. (After every little event, it seems almost every NPC in the game gets new stuff to say.)


Still, it's not enough to support a story that just doesn't have much meat to it. It's told over 25-30 hours and only a dozen or so major locations. Such brevity would suggest a fast rate of revelations, but no, Grandia III takes its time unfolding and doesn't really get as far as it should by the time it has to end. It's a somewhat brief and extremely linear ride, making this the rare modern RPG that could stand to be significantly longer.

Even though the story dies, Grandia III's still a treat for the eyes. Perhaps the money that would've been spent on fifteen extra hours of scenario went into the graphics, because the game certainly looks grand. The character models just get the job done, but the environment and world graphics are among the best on the PS2, even better than those of Dragon Quest VIII. Vibrant, colorful, vast(-looking)... Grandia III is quite the sight. It's too bad the music doesn't stand out likewise. While it has some good tracks that hearken back to the past games, far too many are about as generic as aspirin. Voices are pretty good, however. A bit B-grade anime dubbish, but they get the job done.