This year at E3, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Takeshi Minagawa, Director of Game Publishing for GungHo Online Entertainment America. We took some time with their recent work on the Grandia HD Collection, a software bundle containing remasters of both Grandia and Grandia II.
Longtime fans will be pleased to know that Minagawa and his team are adamant in their resolve to retain the feel and soul of the original releases, adding only modern graphical flourishes to deepen the experience for the next generation. Both titles now display at 1080P with a 16:9 aspect ratio while additional assets have been added to match the new and improved resolution. Minagawa showed me a few areas from both titles and the frame rate was solid during both combat and exploration. The goal is a stable 60fps experience throughout both adventures and from what I’ve seen, GungHo is going to deliver the smoothest Grandia experience yet.
Both adventures will come under one package, offering audiences the convenience of a single download and the ability to switch games without having to quit out to the home screen. Also new to the HD Collection are French and German translations of both games, giving new life to audiences who have never been able to play these classics in their native language. Both games come with the original Japanese and English audio tracks as well so that everyone can enjoy whichever version they prefer. Minagawa and his team have done a masterful job at utilizing modern technology, ensuring that nothing comes between the players and their experience while playing.
Like many players who grew up with the original titles, I am beyond excited to finally have the best versions of these games with me wherever I go thanks to the portable nature of the Switch.
The Grandia HD Collection will be a digital release priced at $39.99 for both PC and the Nintendo Switch. For more updates on the Grandia HD Collection, visit GungHo Online and follow them on Twitter.
