Grandia HD Collection

 Switch
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 46
  3. Negative: 10 out of 46
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. FreeRPGer
    Dec 31, 2020
    10
    I still own both of these for the PS1 & Dreamcast, and I never usually buy digital releases, but seeing as Nintendo presented me with coins for my B-day that took a good chunk off the price, I decided to purchase it again from Nintendo's e-Shop 9 months after it released on there.
    Love both games, especially the 1st Grandia, and I think they both look MUCH better in Widescreen HD. Worth    I still own both of these for the PS1 & Dreamcast, and I never usually buy digital releases, but seeing as Nintendo presented me with coins for my B-day that took a good chunk off the price, I decided to purchase it again from Nintendo's e-Shop 9 months after it released on there.
    Love both games, especially the 1st Grandia, and I think they both look MUCH better in Widescreen HD. Worth buying a 2nd time.
    .....EDIT: Actually, worth buying a 3rd time, because a half-year after I bought the HD Collection digitally, Limited Run Games have done a physical release. So? I bought the HD Collection yet again.
    But I am a physical collector, and I'd rather "own" it, opposed to just renting it till its no longer supported online.

    For those that are up in the air on purchasing this collection, the battle system of both is terrific, and story-wise, the 1st Grandia brings a great sense of adventure with a subtly unfolding plot, whereas I Grandia 2's plot is a more detailed.
    Truly, the games are cleaned up nicely, so I'm not sure why I see so many complaints.
    Then again, I'm just happy to have these games brought into a newer generation in general, and I'd say that even if they were nothing but straight up 1:1 ports.
    Older games like this deserve to live on, seeing as video games is the only media that isn't well preserved, being that most come & go in short 6-to-8 year generations.
    I'd recommend if you're a fan of old school JRPGs.
    Thanks for the physical release, oh, Limited Run Games!    … Expand
  2. monby
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    It definitely takes you back, Dreamcast port is still the best way to play because this one has random gram drops but the hard mode gives it a little bit more of a challenge. Not as hard as expected but fun none the less.
  3. Faol777
    Aug 20, 2019
    10
    You pretty much get exacty what you'd expect. It's a faithful port of 2 games with high-res sprites. Worth the money if you're a fan of the series or 90's rpg's in general.
  4. Remy2012
    Aug 18, 2019
    10
    Very good remaster. Yes it's missing some of the Saturn effects, but why is everybody rating this a 1 and turning away people that have never played the games? Especially when you dont on the remaster and are rating it a 1. All because you dont like the HD effects and are sour over the price? These games are must get for any RPG fan. Stop rating the games
  5. whiskeyknight
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    Great ports of amazing & timeless games. Though seemingly pricey, there’s 100’s of hours of content. Physical edition would be nice, however.
  6. mkbillabo
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    People shouldn't be rating the game that have not purchased it. Two great games updated for modern TV's. From what I have played so far, both games run great. Two fantastic RPGs that every fan of the genre should play. Do yourself a favor!
  7. EpsilonEagle
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a great surprise to me, two of my favorite role-playing games ever, 2 masterpieces of the sega Saturn and Dreamcast ages. I played them a few hours again on playstation one and Sega Dremacast some months ago but now they seems brand new games remastered in hd and playable also when you need to move out. The hd remastered is excellent, give a chance!… Expand
  8. Cmdshepard
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    This game takes two fantastic classics and makes them playable on current technology. Grandia itself is the weak link in this collection but that is not saying a lot for the small upgrade it received the real gem is grandia 2 which has upgraded character models and some redone music for ones that where lost I am having a blast and hope everyone's gives this game a fair chance a 100 plusThis game takes two fantastic classics and makes them playable on current technology. Grandia itself is the weak link in this collection but that is not saying a lot for the small upgrade it received the real gem is grandia 2 which has upgraded character models and some redone music for ones that where lost I am having a blast and hope everyone's gives this game a fair chance a 100 plus hours of gameplay for less than a full price game even if a bit dated still worth it in my opinion.… Expand
  9. lipbochud
    Sep 9, 2019
    10
    Fantastic game, the visuals, the sound, everything was updated. I’m glad to play this game in a 65” tv and having this wonderful time! :)
  10. Aeiden
    Aug 17, 2019
    0
    Great games, grandia 1 is a lazy port of the ps1 port of the saturn original. Grandia 2 is grandia 2 anniversary edition with widescreen support. Avoid these ports on switch. The modding community might eventually be able to salvage these abominations on steam but for now it's a hard no.
  11. zzkaiser
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    The BEST RPG in 1997, returns with HD filter, 22 years late, but, it's a good chance for replay this game
  12. VariaSuited
    Sep 10, 2021
    10
    I bought this collection JUST to play Grandia (1997) for the first time.
    A masterpiece of a game.
    I'm not always happy with my life. I'm in college at the age of 24. I don't have an interesting routine. But for the most part, I breathe in oxygen and breathe out CO2. Super fun. It took me one month to beat this game, and it has been the greatest month in a long time. I'm not an unhappy    I bought this collection JUST to play Grandia (1997) for the first time.
    A masterpiece of a game.

    I'm not always happy with my life. I'm in college at the age of 24. I don't have an interesting routine. But for the most part, I breathe in oxygen and breathe out CO2. Super fun.
    It took me one month to beat this game, and it has been the greatest month in a long time. I'm not an unhappy person, I'm just so damn tired of not being where I wanted to be in life. That's life though.

    For two hours a day, everyday. I was somebody else. I was enthralled by the characters, stories and places. Mesmerized by what Grandia had to offer. A rich and intentional story. Memorable experiences and feelings. Characters that I would instantly fall in love with, that would grow and shape into who they become. For two hours a day, everyday, I was somewhere else; Somewhere adventurous and exciting. This game enriched me in a way no other game could. Instead of being complicated and convoluted, Grandia knew what it wanted to be. Like a good cup of java, I enjoyed every sip.

    Story 10/10:
    A couple of strange moments in the story that need clarification. Otherwise, its an easy to follow and satisfying plot. I got emotional, and even teared up from time to time. A story that truly gets you emotionally involved.

    Graphics 9/10
    Let players experience the pixel art of the game untainted by the rather lazy filter. It doesn't look bad, but sometimes it blends things it shouldn't. Like Character's tears, and some details on their clothing.
    otherwise, it looked great on my 4K 70in TV. No staircase effect on the final image, backgrounds and foliage looked amazing with the filter used. All of the CG animations and cutscenes were an absolute delight to watch. Since I was on the Switch, the game looked gorgeous on the 720p screen, at times it looked a little more crisp on the smaller display.

    Combat 10/10
    You choose what skills/magic you want to improve per character. It's as easy as using the spell/special art to improve it; heal can be leveled up outside of combat which is a big convenience.
    This is a simple combat system that you can master, and you can behold the results. There is a choice for auto combat, yet it is severely inferior to the player manually taking control of each character, as the A.I. is un-coordinated. The system is still essential since it is extremely convenient for grinding quickly.

    Exploration 10/10:
    The rotating isometric camera can make an environment look totally different. I was always trying to find things in the game, very rarely getting lazy. I would grab any items I would see on the map, and I would do my best to solve the puzzles and beat the bonus dungeons. Exploration is extremely rewarding, and is an essential element to the game.

    Don't miss this experience.    … Expand
  13. drewezbreezee
    Dec 8, 2022
    10
    I put 105 hours in so far and beat Grandia. The Grandia HD collection has exceeded all of my expectations on what videogames should be and I'm mad at myself for letting it sit on my wishlist so long. Excellent collection. I'm not sure what they were like before the patches and updates but where they are now is exceptional. Especially Grandia. It's been a fantastic journey. I uncovered noI put 105 hours in so far and beat Grandia. The Grandia HD collection has exceeded all of my expectations on what videogames should be and I'm mad at myself for letting it sit on my wishlist so long. Excellent collection. I'm not sure what they were like before the patches and updates but where they are now is exceptional. Especially Grandia. It's been a fantastic journey. I uncovered no flaws, botched saves, skipping or frame drops. The writing is cringe and the voice acting is bad, but the characters are lovable and the game has a lot of heart. Outside of final fantasy 7 and shining force, Grandia is my favorite rpg. There is no need for quality of life adjustments like faster battles, auto saves, or quicker summonings like some people have complained because battles and magic take place rather quickly and save spots are always within reach and right before a boss battle. There is no reason to make the games any easier so if I oversaw this collection release I wouldn't opt for qol adjustments either. Grandia 2 however is a different problem as it has already crashed on me once at the very first save point, it has forgotten my settings and I don't really care for Ryudo's attitude after seeing Justin's. He grows on you though. However it is 3d and looks really good. The writing is still cringe, but the voice acting is better. It could use some speed adjustments to the spell casting and their brief victory speech sometimes gets on my nerves. Grandia is a 10/10. Grandia 2 is a 7.75/10… Expand
  14. brontogeist
    Aug 28, 2019
    9
    I don't know who reviews these games anymore, but I might read user reviews elsewhere. Theses games are both great and even better on the Switch on the go. If you don't like old school JRPGs or turn-based RPGs in general, then no these aren't for you. That should be common sense. But from the 0s I see on here, I guess common sense isn't so common anymore.
  15. Gaming69
    Jan 2, 2021
    10
    Great games, grandia 1 is a lazy port of the ps1 port of the saturn original. Grandia 2 is grandia 2 anniversary edition with widescreen support. Avoid these ports on switch. The modding community might eventually be able to salvage these abominations on steam but for now it's a hard no.

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. GameCritics
    Oct 10, 2019
    75
    Both Grandia and Grandia II are absolutely dynamite JRPGs that deserve to be remembered for their great stories and outstanding combat. They’re quite traditional so they won’t change the minds of those who don’t care for the genre, but any fans looking to play some exceptional examples from the heyday of JRPGs should absolutely pick this compilation up. While the ports aren’t perfect and Grandia III isn’t here, it’s still the best combination of affordability and quality these two titles have ever received.
    Read full review
  2. Switch Player
    Sep 23, 2019
    80
    While a little pricey and devoid of extras, GRANDIA HD Collection nonetheless means you have two excellent classic JRPGs that gives its unrivaled battle system another chance to shine.
    Read full review
  3. RPG Fan
    Sep 20, 2019
    75
    It may not be quite the package we were hoping for, but this port is still the best way to experience these two charming classics.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »