‘Grandia II HD Edition’ Coming To Steam And GOG This Year

“Grandia II” will be making a comeback, as the original Dreamcast game is now heading to the Windows PC. Published by GungHo Online Entertainment, the retitled “Grandia II HD Edition” is an enhanced port of the original game, with smoother graphics and a number of new features added to the title.

According to GameSpot, this new version of the Japanese Roleplaying Game (JRPG) will come with enhanced visuals, a new difficulty level for veterans of the series, Japanese voice acting and gamepad support. Previous versions of “Grandia II” did not have the option for Japanese voice acting, so the new soundtrack could be of interest to older fans of the game.

The original version of “Grandia II” was a Sega Dreamcast exclusive before the console eventually died out due to low sales. The game was then ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2002, resulting in a bigger audience for the JRPG.

Prior to the official announcement, an HD version of “Grandia II” was teased when GungHo surveyed fans on their interest to see PC ports of older titles from GameArts. A report from Techno Buffalo confirmed that the titles listed in the survey included both the “Grandia” and “Lunar” series, both of which were popular with RPG fans in the 1990s.

The game’s story revolves around a mercenary named Ryudo, who is tasked with escorting a songstress named Elena to a tower for a ceremony, before a number of mysterious events force them to band together. Eventually the two form a party and must save the world from the forces of Valmar and Elfice, who just happens to be Ryudo’s evil brother.

Fans of the “Grandia” series praised the sequel’s unique combat system that mixed turn-based combat with some real-time action. The premise of the system involves running, striking and retreating in quick succession. If the player times it right, the attack can cancel the opponent’s move, forcing them to wait their turn.

No release date has been given for “Grandia II” HD Edition,” though GungHo promised that it would be available later this year. No timeline on the game’s possible release was given. Fans will be able to purchase the game from Steam or GOG.