Long ago, the god Granas faced the demon Valmar in a struggle between light and darkness. Though the struggles’ scars remain, decades have passed, and the world’s people have constructed new civilizations and kingdoms to conquer the earth. The “Day of Darkness” will come sometime, marking Valmar’s resurrection.
Ryudo is a “GeoHound,” a mercenary who slays monsters and recovers stolen valuables. They will “do anything” for the right price, working with a talking bird named Skye, who sits on Ryudo’s shoulder. Ryudo is hired by a branch of the Church of Granas to serve as a bodyguard for a young priestess called Elena during a prayer ceremony. Strange events occur during the wedding, necessitating Ryudo to accompany Elena on a trek to the temple.
Grandia 2 is a 3D RPG played in a top-down perspective for most of the game and in the third person during battle. The user will explore locales, such as Ryudo, locating townspeople and objects to engage with. Towns and dungeons are depicted similarly, except dungeons are mazes packed with creatures, while towns are friendly spaces filled with discussion and shops. Any animals found in these places will be depicted as strolling around. Combat will begin if you approach and touch the beast in any way. If the monster detects the player coming, the action is considered regular; if Ryudo can approach unobserved, the player’s party gains the initiative; if the enemy approaches any party member other than Ryudo, the party loses the industry.
In battle, each character can select from a menu of activities such as “attack combos” (standard attack command), Special Abilities/Magic, “Critical Strike,” Guard, Evade, and Escape. Critical Strikes are weaker versions of attack combos with the added benefit of blocking an enemy’s action. This is primarily determined by the character’s location on the action bar, displayed at the bottom of the screen, and represents each character’s (and the enemy’s) time to act during the combat. Some magic spells and special abilities can also obstruct opponent actions, albeit this takes longer than typical strikes. Combo and critical attacks need the attacker to reach the target to complete the activity. This significantly depends on the character’s unusual movement and other symbols on the screen acting as impediments. In battle, beating enemies earns you experience points, power points, magic points, gold, and items.
