Grandia Xtreme - Gameplay

Gameplay

Grandia Xtreme plays very similarly to the rest of the games in the Grandia series, which all resemble a traditional role-playing video game with somewhat random battles that occur within dungeons or during scripted situations. Combat takes place on a three-dimensional battlefield where the characters move around, striking enemies as they get near them. Very similar in both style and execution to Grandia II's battle system, with the notable exception being that the Battle Gauge, formerly stylized as a horizontal line, is now a circle that the character icons move along clockwise. Each icon represents a character or enemy currently in battle, and they move along it at a rate which corresponds to their "speed" rating. Once an icon reaches the top of the circle, they are allowed to either attack, use items, defend, or flee the battle.

Players are able to progress in the game by going through various dungeons and completing a number of puzzle-based problems. Instead of saving the progress using the recurrent rainbow-colored save points, a few "Geo Gates" are to be located, which transport the player back to the city - the only place with a save point in the armory. Some gates are one-way, and can only be used to return to Locca not leaving an opportunity to return. After using these gates, players are required to begin the dungeon again.

Unlike story-driven RPGs, Grandia Xtreme is a grind-heavy game, meaning there is far more focus on leveling up and acquiring new equipment and skills than similar titles like the Final Fantasy series. There are only 7 main dungeons and three random dungeons (one of which becomes unavailable after the final boss is defeated). For a first-time play through, it will usually be necessary to play through some areas multiple times in order to become strong enough to advance past certain difficult battles.

After the first set of dungeons, each related to one of the four elements, the game's difficulty ramps up in all areas (known as the first boost). The second boost takes place after the first randomized dungeon (a thirty-floor tower which links to three other dungeons every 10 floors), and a final boost occurs at the end of the main game. These can be markedly frustrating for inexperienced players, as the abilities of all monsters will increase simultaneously—meaning if under leveled at the time of a boost, the player will find it exceedingly difficult to proceed forward in the story or even train at the now-deadly earlier areas.