Grandia: Parallel Trippers

Bangin'

   Handheld RPGs are making a comeback recently. The original Final Fantasy games are going to Wonderswan, the Game Boy Advance has a launch RPG in Golden Sun, and the Game Boy Color has Grandia: Parallel Trippers to look forward to. Though it's based on the original Grandia for Sega's Saturn, it's been changed quite a bit for its GBC appearance.

   The bad news is that the graphics have, of course, been radically simplified for the Game Boy Color's low-resolution, low-color screen. The beautiful, extravagant art found in previous Grandia titles has been necessarily sacrificed for portability. For Grandia completists, though, this probably won't matter much. The "Parallel" part of "Parallel Trippers" seemingly refers to a variation on the original game's plot. Feena and Sue are back to star this time around, but they'll meet brand new characters (and tote around a brand new mascot, Pinkey) during the course of their journey.

   The overworld system is similar to Super Mario RPG or Lunar: Silver Star Story. Enemies appear on the overworld, and touching them brings you to the battle screen, which will be done in the Dragon Warrior style of seeing only the enemies. The actual battles should carry over some of the esteemed Grandia gameplay, with staggered attacking depending on how powerful the attack choice is. Spell and attack combos are also available. Importers should look forward to Grandia: Parallel Trippers on December 15, while American fans will just have to wait for someone to announce a localization.