TGS: Grandia Xtreme impressions

   "Enix/Game Arts presents." So began the Grandia Xtreme video at the recent Fall 2001 Tokyo Game Show, signifying the deep ties the two companies have formed for this game's production. More than just a publishing arrangement, Enix will be contributing staff and development resources to the third game in Game Arts' flagship series. The full effects of this partnership have yet to be seen; however, if the promotional movie at TGS is any indication, Grandia Xtreme will be the darkest title to come from Game Arts yet.

   The TGS footage began with sepia-toned footage of a terrible disaster wiping out a town. As the footage fades into color, we see that it is not some relic of the past, as we might expect, but an actual event happening in the world right then. Fireballs rain from the skies, burning buildings to the ground. Villagers flee from rapidly expanding clouds of smoke. Next, we see tanks and planes enter the scene, implying that Grandia Xtreme's world has reached a certain level of technology. However, these war machines were still somewhat "steampunk" and did not detract from the fantasy setting. Atop the lead tank stands a marauding general, clearly some sort of major antagonist. Though anime-styled and super-deformed, the opening is dark, brooding, and packed with scenes of destruction darker than any we've previously seen in a Game Arts title.

   After this CG introduction, we cut to real-time footage of field map and battle sequences. Graphically, Grandia Xtreme's style is nearly indistinguishable from Grandia II's. The increased processing power of the PlayStation 2 has led to slightly more complex environments, but characters and battle sequences appear nearly identical. Of course, Grandia II was one of the more polished titles ever to hit the Dreamcast, so this isn't a bad thing by any means. One major change is that spells effects in battle are now rendered in real-time, as opposed to the FMV overlays of Grandia II.

   Also on display was the new "Synchronicity" system. The Grandia series' real-time / turn-based hybrid battle system lets more agile characters attack more quickly and more often. Each character's turn arrives independently along the "battle line." In Grandia Xtreme, the battle line has become a circle--the line has always behaved like a loop, but this new visualization emphasizes the cyclical nature of the characters' turns. When more than one of the four party members receive their action phase during an extremely short time period, they can unleash a multiple-character attack. This should add another exciting timing element to Grandia's already enjoyably complex battle system.

   Grandia Xtreme has a current release date of Spring 2002. A U.S. release has not yet been announced, but given the series' success on these shores, one is extremely likely.