Grandia HD Collection Impressions! Nintendo Switch - Experience Points!

SuperDerek examines the Grandia HD Collection, and inspecting the remaster, determines what worked in the HD remake and what did not. The Grandia HD Collection contains both Grandia and Grandia 2. Grandia 1 was originally released on Sega Saturn and ported to the PlayStation in the west, and Grandia 2 was originally released on the Sega Dreamcast, and eventually ported to the PlayStation 2. The HD Collection appears to be based on the PlayStation release of Grandia 1, and the Dreamcast version of Grandia 2.
The good: The games both run well at a constant 30fps and I didn't notice any frame-drops in the course of my time with each. The Japanese audio options are also fantastic, and will be preferable to many people out there except for nostalgia nerds like myself. Finally the wide-screen support is also really nice overall.
The not so good: The $40 price tag is a big ask for a couple of digital-only remasters, and the smoothing on the game is also not fantastic. Ideally I would like to be able to turn off the smoothing on Grandia 1, and maybe add some difficulty options, but none of these gripes take away from the overall experience of either game.
So unless you're a purist, I would recommend taking a look at these games. because even with the retail price tag, the games will still be cheaper than if you were to purchase them physcially on their original platforms.
Grandia 2 is already available on Steam for $20, and Grandia 1 will be joining it on Steam in September.
#ReviewUnit superderekrpgs...

[@SuperDerek]

While editing I noticed that both games run at 30fps, for those really curious. :)

[@SuperBibilou]

i hope a 60fps on pc #GrandiaFandum

[@ARocketsPocket]

SuperDerek RPGs thanks for letting us know. :)

[@AngeAlexiel]

sorry but grandia 2 combats are 60 fps confirmed , and for Grandia 1 port, they started off the PS1 release despite being the worst one, then they shifted to the saturn one, so no it is based on the Saturn code... just read some interviews...

[@capcom23]

maybe 30fps on Switch. On Steam i'm sure it will be 60fps

[@stricknine6130]

I downloaded it and played 1 last night. I'm happy with my purchase I have the originals on PS1 and Dreamcast but having them on the Switch is just awesome! The Switch is perfect for giving these old RPGs new life in my opinion. Thanks for the video!

[@EdreesesPieces]

Thank you for confirming the inability to turn off the smoothing filter. Guess I"ll have to pass on this. Oh well. I am a die hard purist, lol.

[@ashtonanchors4896]

Bought the collection yesterday and have played grandia 1 for a couple of hours now. So far no complaints. runs smooth and looks good. I thought the price of 40 euro's was a reasonable price for the two games.

[@k2montgomery419]

This will be a good opportunity to finally check out Grandia.

[@PelvicGaming]

I've never played this series but I'm excited too! Although right now I'm Holding Out for a physical copy. Hoping limited run games picks this up. :-)

[@SuperDerek]

Oh you've got some great times ahead of you! I had never played Grandia 1 before reviewing it years ago, and it remains one of the most surprisingly great games that I never saw coming. :)

[@PelvicGaming]

@@SuperDerek you sure know how to hype a gamer up!! I currently suffer from the so many games not enough time to play them all syndrome. Haha. Hoping to get to this sooner than later!

[@alritedave]

Grandia I (or Grandma I as my autocorrect want to call it) is ohenomenal!!

[@WateryStar]

@@PelvicGaming oh yeah, I relate with you on there being too many games to play. I have a sizeable backlog but also want a lot of games that have recently come out or coming out soon. This collection is definitely on my wishlist.

[@AsakuraEX]

Grandia is an amazing series

[@HybridAngelZero]

Oh, interesting side note, yes, believe it or not, the PSone version of Grandia 1 DOES have Right Analog camera control! It's one of the earliest games that I can think of that does (and one of the only on the PSone). The filter on Grandia 1 isn't my favorite, but dood, it's Grandia on the Switch! I'm probably gonna hold out just a little while to see if a physical version gets announced, but either way, this collection is definitely gonna be a must-buy for me. EDIT: This is a side note.not exactly related to the video, but apparently Gung-Ho is the parent company that owns Game Arts now, so Lunar rereleases could be a thing! :D

[@TIDbitRETRO]

I was looking forward to this, and I might’ve been persuaded to pay $40 if this was a physical release, but as digital-only I don’t think it justifies that price sadly. This is a $30 package at best in my opinion in its current form. This is definitely a “wait for a sale” situation.

[@NovaV000]

you can find a physical, I did Its great.

[@saldanamoreno]

It was easy for me to make the decision to pay 40 bucks for this. I wanted to play these games back in the day when they first came out and missed out for whatever reason. nows my chance finally!!!

[@alritedave]

Have the original on PS1 and Saturn lol, along with Grandia Museum on Saturn. Literally my 2nd favourite game ever!!

[@TylerEdlin84]

I’ll be playing 100% in English audio. It’s one of my favorite aspects

[@antonioleao8267]

Hey Derek! I'm revisiting your videos about Grandia series because I'll pick them both from my Steam account. Hugs from Brazil and happy 2021!

[@lobban2]

Great review, I like that you don't sugarcoat it. You've earned a subscriber.

[@futureking1138]

One of my top rpg's. I went all out grinding in this one. After acquiring Heaven & Earth, I felt like a god.

[@mediaglitch]

I'll have to check it out.

[@AllieFettig]

I'm getting anything that has to do with any good games I don't care how old they are I just will play games over and over cuz I'm so bored constantly.

[@alritedave]

A lot of old games are phenomenally awesome. Limiting yourself to just modern stuff would be idiotic.

[@biohacker2781]

Ever played Lunar? It's absolutely amazing!!!

[@alritedave]

@@biohacker2781 Indeed.

[@ronfreecss8851]

Grandia ist einfach nur Love ❤️

[@Sinn0100]

I just bought two copies of this collection. The Grandia Collection is worth the price of admission. Currently my fiance is playing in handheld mode and I'm docked on a high end 4K UHD. I would have easily paid $60.00 for this. Unfortunately, it is digital only and that almost made me pass on this. I make it a point generally to avoid all digital games like the plague. I have been playing the Grandia titles since the first title on the PSX. I got the second on my Dreamcast and the re-release on the PS2 (I still have them). I wish this were released on either the PSPRO or One X physical. Even though it does look spectacular on a 4K screen...native is always better.

[@deceased_goat]

Well, it's been 4 years, but Limited Run Games' preorder of this collection goes live Friday! (On PS4 and Xbox)

[@retroprogamer7009]

I reeeeeeaaaalllly would love a Physical Release. Also Grandia already had different Languages. At least it was released in German. And i hope they make another Collection with Grandia 3, Extreme and maybe even Parallel Trippers. Those where never released over here. And the last one only in Japan. That would be awesome.

[@thermothrock]

jep, the german version of grandia 1was allready in german text. Funfact: In the PS 1 Version even the animated sequeneces were subbed in german language.

[@retroprogamer7009]

@@thermothrock Ah ja das hab ich ganz vergessen^^ Gibts die eigentlich auch in der Version hier?

[@thermothrock]

@@retroprogamer7009 Leider nein. sind hier komplett englische Texte in den VIdeo mit untertiteln

[@Cool750Boy]

SuperDerek RPG, I love your reviews and I appreciate your review of Grandia. I was on the fence. I will wait for a sale. 😊

[@billyblack6381]

The first Grandia is one of my favorite games of all time. I’ve never played the second one. I really want to play the second one but I don’t think I’d pay $40 for a digital copy.

[@Venoix]

I love Grandia, but years ago I did a Let's Play of the game, in which I did the optional content too. The grinding that I needed to do in order to complete that really killed any enjoyment for the late game, and made the final boss a cake walk due to the stat increasing items you can get regularly dropped from monsters in the optional dungeon. I do want to check this out again at some point, but I am not sure when I'll find time to prioritize it over other titles, due to the above reason. Thanks for highlighting the changes and updates in the remaster. I'll probably jump on the second game, as I've only played that once when I was a lot younger.

[@xxnike0629xx]

The things I dislike how Grandia HD Remaster and Grandia II HD Remaster are both not coming to the PS4. The graphical filters look good and not that bad. It's awesome the games have both English & Japanese voice acting. I've never actually much of the series. The only ones I played was Grandia II on the DreamCast and then again on PS2. Then on the PS2, I played Grandia III. 9:25 Oh I remember this. That must'v been awesome with the guys that did Grandia and Evangelion. 10:26 Yea I can imagine how amazing it must be to have a one of a kind drawing and signature from the guy that created Justin (Grandia 1). What I'd _really_ like to see is a physical disc release for PS4 that has the *complete* Grandia series in HD. - Grandia: HD Remaster - Grandia: Digital Museum HD Remaster - Grandia II HD Remaster - Grandia III HD Remaster - Grandia Xtreme HD Remaster Maybe then we can see GungHo Online and Square-Enix can work together and make Grandia IV. I agree it'd be nice if they could do something like this for the Lunar series with a collection/remake/remaster first that has: - Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (remaster on PSP of the first entry) - Lunar: Eternal Blue (remaster it like Silver Star Harmony) - Lunar: Genesis (remaster it like Silver Star Harmony)

[@mikedl1105]

Grandia on the PS1 has camera controls on the analog stick. I know because I played through the first area using the shoulder buttons before realizing that I had to turn on the analog stick before I could use it for the camera

[@duncanbowie1043]

I missed out on playing this series, I look forward to picking it up. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@TheNameIsSR]

For those on PC who are still on the fence about buying the remaster, I'd say emulate the Saturn version. Even running it at it's native resolution it just looks so much better. The 'remaster' excludes some sprites (protagonists had unique sprites for their left and right sides, now they're mirrored) and loses lots of little details because of it's filter (Sue's freckles are gone for example), it's sad to say but the emulating the Saturn version is still objectively the best way to play grandia

[@krillarbran]

No physical copy would be a deal breaker for me if I was into collecting remasters. Looks like a decent (although not perfect) effort though. I look forward hearing about a new entry in the series as the battle system is very engaging and almost unique (Ubisoft 'copied' the battle system fairly recently).

[@7thangelad586]

It’s always been a beautiful-looking game to me. I missed it upon first release. But I might eventually get it this time! Thanks for the honest reviews!

[@lojakz]

Am glad you took at look at this. I've been excited for this remaster since it was first announced. I loved the first game (and still have my original copy for PS1) and have never played the 2nd (though I have a copy for PC). I'm trying to justify the $40 expense. I pretty much exclusively play my Switch (occasionally I still pick up my 3DS). I'm going to waffle on this for a bit. I may have to wait for a sale, or see how I feel once payday comes around.

[@CT-lh3xp]

Watching this a second time I've only just notice how great the music is

[@jb0258]

Grandia 4 or lunar 3 would be amazing! Loving this collection so much. Been waiting for a remaster of these games for literally years lol. As a big fan of this series and still have the original copies, I couldn't be happier with this collection. It looks great and runs so smooth :) Only complaint is there's no physical copy

[@Alianger]

Yeah that's a bit steep for me. Thanks for the deets, Derek!

[@rikib3652]

I have the grandia on ps1 and grandia 2 on dreamcast and ps2 but I sure did buy this when it came out yesterday. Nice to be able to play this when I want without having to hook up my old systems

[@Starcat5]

Holding out for a physical release (Limited Run, fingers crossed), or until I finally break down and get a memory card bigger than four gigs (seriously, my Switch's internal memory is full with patches ALONE). That said, I will be getting the Steam Grandia HD release day one. Also, Grandia II Anniversary hasn't actually rebranded yet. The patch got delayed until the G1 launches.

[@Flareboxx]

I'm going to hold off on buying this for a while in the hopes that we'll get a physical release. Either officially in stores, or through Limited Run Games. I'm patient, I'll probably wait at least a year haha

[@BlindGardener]

People, Read the hints at save points. It's more fun when you really understand the whole battle mechanics :)

[@Zodia195]

I gotta ask this, but how were the camera controls on the games? Dreamcast had my fav remote controls due to how the camera worked. The buttons were under the controller which made easy access to use since all I needed to do was use my index fingers and I could smoothly move the camera around with them. Same thing applies when I play Skies of Arcadia. Honestly I wish current game controllers were more like the DC controllers.

[@DuoBeard]

After some big purchases like Builders 2, Three Houses, the upcoming Mana Collection physical, Astral Chain, and Dragon Quest XIS, I am already strongly considering picking it up as well. Although I’m no purest, this looks pretty rock solid. For $40 it’s a tad steep for me at the moment

[@Chelaxim]

They should have just added Xtreme and III to make it a can't miss, to get more bang for your buck. It's kind of like Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, Final Fantasy X/X-2 or the Kingdom Hearts HD collections sure you weren't intentionally seeking out some of these games but why not play them anyway. 💁🏾‍♂️

[@AsakuraEX]

Grandia Xtreme was trash and Grandia III was honestly lack luster

[@Jaggybabs]

I think they did a great job on Grandia 1. Its my favourite game and iv finished it multiple times but i felt like i was playing it for the first time again.

[@toolman4745]

i played Grandia back in the day (still have my PSX copy) but never played Grandia II (not sure why, I had a Dreamcast but I bought it in its twilight). Great review. I think I'll pick up Grandia II on steam and stick with my PSX Grandia. The deal breaker is those new textures not being optional.

[@derekd1997]

I'm liking the art style. I haven't played an old rpg in quite some time, might have to check this out

[@jthe1eyedgamer332]

I never had the chance to play both this games plus now with Limited Runs games giving us a physical version I can finally play both these old school JRPG's also I hope they do a Lunar HD collection to at some point.

[@vinztheroxor]

So glad the put Grandia 2 in french ! Grandia 1 was already in french on ps1

[@ct5431]

Grandia is high on my list. I think I'm gonna go with the original. great to see Exp Points back.

[@swardsonisgod]

Just discovered you. Great video thanks for the info

[@Zooniek]

instabuy for me to show support regardless, played both original games and loved them :)

[@bobseesall]

I plan on getting this one day. If Lunar came back I only ask for the option of the original voices.

[@ARocketsPocket]

I already own Grandia 1 on PS Vita (digital download) but since I also own a Switch and it’s much more comfortable to play on the later one I guess I will buy this game again. Hopefully I will be able to play this game for longer than a few hours. :3

[@MissNeonNyx]

I bought Grandia on psp and vita years ago. Loved it when I owned it on ps1.

[@elena_m19]

I just pre-ordered Luigi's mansion 3, Collection of Mana and Astral Chain. The switch is full of RPGs now.

[@SuperDerek]

Yeah, switch owners have a wealth of choices ahead of us, huh? :D

[@ryanoliver9131]

SuperDerek RPGs just downloaded grandia collection. Starting it now I can’t wait. I never played it before so I hope it’s good

[@Lamasis2]

Does Collection of Mana have a physical release?

[@ryanoliver9131]

Viktor Ilievski yes it does

[@ryanoliver9131]

Have man collection preorders as well. And I have to play bloodstained yet

[@loto5919]

I bought this package just for Grandia II, and I'm enjoying it so far. I kind of wish these were sold separately on Switch, though

[@SuperDerek]

Yeah, me too man.

[@AltoAtik]

Im replaying grandia 2 right now. I forgot how beautiful this game is its packed with alot of little details and pixel art

[@taketime0626]

On sale for $20 right now in the eshop... that’s why I’m here. Lol. Never played these but I think now is the time to check them out. 👍

[@yokaidigital3033]

Hey advice for anyone needing more about this game Derek reviewed both original versions on his channel, found them very helpful I loving Grandia 1 I haven’t started grandia 2 yet

[@scarpg7882]

Thanks for this. Think I will wait for a physical release, if one comes at all.

[@joeb2588]

Thanks for the review. I was going to grab it last night while it was on sale on nintendo's eshop. However the sale ended..I will grab it next sale. Now for a game I would love to see...I WOULD LOVE YS 1 OR SKIES OF ARCADIA ON SWITCH!!

[@guyinapandasuit2691]

Same with Secret of Mana, Im waiting for a physical. If they never make one, i may pick it up down the road if it goes down in price. $40 is too much

[@Norrbottning]

Lunar: SSSC and Lunar 2 remastered. Make it happen. Btw they could easily make mods for the Steam version to make Grandia HD Collection look more like the PS games

[@sonny5082]

Given the huge fe three emblem hype would be cool to see a video on some reccomendations on the jrpg genre

[@DankBeard19]

I think at a 40 dollar price tag they shouldve added a bit more. Maybe old interviews with the dev team or anything but i say 30 dollars okay 40 they gotta add a bit more

[@atomicsamurai9742]

Should I buy this or wait for sky's of arcadia?

[@DuelingDragonAdventures]

I really wish they would have added more filter options, I think the 2xSai filter is terrible. I mean it just looks unplayably bad to me.

[@banedeath]

This collection is great and recommended, however... there is an issue with dialogue and voice acting randomly skipping, fast forwarding one or the other, or just not starting or freezing. Already knowing the story and scenes I was able to play through, but a first time player would lose a lot of dialogue and context of the scenes they are missing. There was a patch, but sadly the issue remained unresolved for myself. *edit* P.S. We really need a port of Grandia 3, my ps2 is dead so no way of playing it.

[@DrLevelUp]

I'm going to wait for the PC version because it is digital. Already have Grandia 2 on PC.

[@stevenewhen]

Now, Let's get Lunar HD!

[@gothjoeevil]

Love these,now we need suikoden,arc the lad collections, & Sky’s of Arcadia

[@geoffreychauvin1474]

Arc won’t be anything but PlayStation if it ever happens. Sony owns the ip

[@gothjoeevil]

Geoffrey Chauvin I have them in the vita,But would love updates

[@TotemoGaijin]

*cough* and Lunar *cough*

[@Masertmaster]

Yay i hope someone mods grandia 1 to perfection

[@captawesome42]

the textures in the original Grandia were so bad that even when it came out it hurt my eyes to play, consistently giving me a headache whenever the camera moved, which is does in combat constantly. the new textures are a god send and the thing that allowed me to actually play this.

[@captawesome42]

I loved Grandia I btw. haven't gotten to Grandia II yet.

[@jullemasa2182]

Also best thing on this port as this game download times are that fast that it probably is like 1-2 hours faster to speedrun. That was the biggest thing what normal ports haven't done really well on all games. Even as game doesn't have lag as some music was done work with lag and then on this they didn't sync them right but that is small thing. I haven't got yet played as weekend I don't have time but always tempting to look Grandia community and look what they say about it and some parts I read and most skipped. Also deck cleaning minigame is now many times slower on Switch HD release than original.

[@Suhamer]

Sadly the starting town in G1 looks just as buggy as in the PS1 version. I was really hoping for them to base this on the Saturn version instead. :(

[@afistfulofpimples1745]

It IS based on the Saturn version.

[@Suhamer]

@@afistfulofpimples1745 In some ways maybe, but the starting town definitely looks the way it does in the PS version, on Saturn it is very different. I only played the PS version extensively, so I can't really tell if there are other defining similarities or differences.

[@NordkapSounddesign]

As far as I know, all these graphical glitches and disorted textures from the psone version are here aswell. So it must be based on that inferior version. And yeah, the Saturn version had shadows from buildings. Just one example. And way diferrent ground textures. A true Saturn Port would be far better...

[@thomaspolaino3188]

Do both games have hard modes? Do you have the option to play in the original 4:3 mode?

[@SuperDerek]

Only grandia 2 has a hard mode. Neither have a 4:3 option

[@thomaspolaino3188]

@@SuperDerek thnx man. Little disappointing. I always felt Grandia was a bit too easy.

[@charleschudley4661]

The colors are better, the sprites are better and move smoother. I loved this game on psx and the game feels better and looks better.

[@jsmute]

I would love them to remaster Lunar on Switch with physical release.

[@greenyxi]

I'll be nabbing this really soon! Both games are some of the most fun I've had with jrpgs, even if grandia 1 does repeat very similar dungeons too often after a bit. I'll probably end up let's playing the switch version.

[@dmen0563]

Kind of a bummer they didn't include Grandia 3 but I forgot Square soft was involved with that one

[@d4t6ix]

Yeah, that filter is just terrible.

[@tallguy112]

Picked this up day one for $60 AUD. So far so good. Played the PS1 classic version of grandia 1 although it is a bit muddy looking. Just wish it was 60fps but I am sure there are reasons why it isn't like ffx

[@rstar7770]

For the amount of hours upon hours of gameplay you get for this collection I’d say $40 is totally worth it!

[@ajtstvandmusicarchivechann1585]

I'd love to see a physical release. I already own these so until a hard copy comes out im not interested. Also I really hope that they do a lunar remaster

[@WichardDuvenage]

Never played this but I wanted to for years, will probably wait for a sale. Now I'm just waiting for SEGA to bring out Skies of Arcadia, another RPG I've never played.

[@celesgriner2411]

I found the Dreamcast version for $5 at a pawn shop only to pay $40 for digital remasters 4 years later.....I need to rethink my life.

[@SuperDerek]

LOL! Well think of it this way, supporting GungHo improves the chances of seeing other great games remastered that you didn't already find for an amazingly good deal :)

[@DooDooSmile]

This was a great game collection, I hope they remaster the other two grandias.

[@SuperDerek]

I'd be down to review them if they are down to remaster 'em! :)

[@goldpieceleo]

They should remake Grandia like FF7 remake.

[@heaf]

Grandia just needs publicity so it can get the proper love and treatment

[@SuperDerek]

I'm doing the best I can! :D

[@heaf]

@@SuperDerek I know it and I thank you so much for it.

[@IaconDawnshire]

Will Grandia Collection 2 have Xtreme and 3? 🤔

[@timbermaniac5756]

Yeoooww! That's hot!

[@Feelin_DanDy]

Grandia 1 I solely wanted it for, but I've seen and heard tons of audio fuck ups. For me that knows this game in & out being an audiophile that I am, too annoying for me. Maybe if it gets patched to fix these issues and goes physical, I might pick it up. But I'm happy with my original copy using it on my PS3 to reduce the frame rate and slowdown.

[@Xunu22]

I love this game its my favourite of all time already played it on the PSX and on the PS Vita and i will love to go again on Steam now. By the way there was always a German. Fun fact in the German Version they had english dub for most voice scenes but for some reason all cinematic scenes had a terrible German voice 😂 I will download it today and give it a shot :)

[@carlmarcoux2391]

hey superderek, i was under the impression that grandia 1 hd was a port of the sega saturn?

[@carlmarcoux2391]

the best version by the way

[@SuperDerek]

Nope, almost certainly the ps1 version. Leading up to release though there were rumors they were drawing from both releases.

[@carlmarcoux2391]

ok that a bummer saturn was the better version and i am a playstation fan from the start my first console was the mastersystem , but , my first console i bought was the snes then ps1. thank you for the info derek i'm a fan

[@roguerifter9724]

I'm waiting for a big sale before getting this. If it had III I might be willing to pay full price but as it is I have I on my PS3, and II on my laptop digitally so I feel forty for two games I own is a bit much.

[@7thangelad586]

I’d buy it if it meant another Lunar or a remake in the future.

[@pdraggy]

lol you include the bugged cutscene on Grandia 2 (notice the bolt coming out of the priest's weapon disappears in the following millenia scene if you had it when the anniversary edition first came out on pc that broke the save they fixed that lol). anyway of all the cutscenes I thought it funny you pick that one lol

[@pdraggy]

isn't SE remaking Lunar though??

[@RossardJames]

Have only played Grandia 1 so far, but I think it looks good. A definite improvement over the PS1 version.

[@00GHeroes]

I got grandia on my psvita a few days ago for 5 bucks

[@josepartida1711]

That’s all you need. 👍

[@sweetpotato8548]

I'm stoked that Gandia is coming to PC! Now I don't have to buy a switch lol

[@mooks500]

Cute dog, Derek

[@SuperDerek]

Milo was low-key the star of the show :)

[@jmiller7068]

Any codes added with the games ?

[@modestyblaise4167]

I think you summed it up perfectly, Derek. While the HD label is pushing it, it’s all about being able to play these 2 classics easily on current hardware. The sad thing is these games should be given the respect they deserve and receive a physical release. Many people on Twitter were enquiring on the possibility, but the Gung Ho rep just rudely responded with, ‘Why? Why do you need a physical release?’ It really shouldn’t need an explanation.

[@josepartida1711]

$40? I wonder how much the original is on eBay?

[@HotTakeHQ]

Just gonna put this out there... who gonna dislike SDrpg?! That ain’t right. It doesn’t feel right!

[@ZurielMana]

Is this coming out on the PS4?

[@SuperDerek]

Not yet. It's possible down the line though if this sells well on Switch. Its also on PC if you have Steam, Grandia 2 HD is already out, Grandia 1 will be out in September.

[@ZurielMana]

@@SuperDerek Ohh :( Thank you for responding, greatly appreciate your time and your content is awesome :) Keep up the great work.

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks! Let's hope it gets ported before long! :)