Fun and action-oriented battle-system, but the story can be periodically bland
Overall Grandia 3 makes for a worthwhile quest, but it has its' distinct strengths and weaknesses. First the positive, which outweighs the drawbacks; the quest and events are pretty standard, but very good in a blue-collar, tried-and-true sort of a way. Nothing will blow you away in regards to the story, yet the quest manages to keep you engaged for the duration with minimal levels of tedium. The battle-system is a big factor in this; it is very action-oriented and keeps the player stimulated and involved. A real-time system, in the top-right corner of the screen you will have a circular diagram where the characters in your party and your enemies will be represented. All combatants' icons will be rotating around the display at various speeds until a point where they can attack can be reached. Depending on how close together character actions are, and where the enemies are situated, a healthy variety of attacks, combinations, special-attacks, and status changes are possible. The developers did a nice job of putting together various battle situations throughout the game that will require the player to really form an intricate strategy in order to deal with certain sets of enemies and boss-creatures; some of these battles--particularly later on in the game--can be quite challenging, even if your characters are adequately leveled. A lot of awareness of the battle conditions and enemy status is required in order to be effective.
The exploration is also well-done and features some nice interactive aspects to keep the player intrigued. When walking around the player can send out a wave of light to detect any points of interest, or things to interact with; you can also use your sword to trigger events that lead to game progression; simple things like knocking boulders into place, cutting branches so they can be used as bridges, and operating mechanical contraptions. It is nothing especially original, but it is still fun in execution, and the cinematic effects are a treat to watch. It certainly is a step up from the trademark point A to point B simplicity that is found in several role-playing games, where the areas feel only like a means to an end. The areas/dungeons are at least a little more intricately designed, and the action aspects are welcome, although this is not a full-blown action-rpg by any stretch of the imagination; the areas for the most part have some very cool layouts and designs. You also encounter enemies visibly on the playing-field and with a well-timed sword-strike it is possible to get a surprise encounter, which gives a modest advantage to attacking initially.
While the game has an interesting enough premise, I found that the in-game cut-scenes were quite mundane in execution. The character acting is a bit on the generic side of things, the attempts at emotion and expressionism are just not convincing at all and come across as awkward, and the storytelling through these cut-scenes are rather boring as a result. The main character in particular will seem to overact in heated moments almost in an effort to compensate and it just looks ridiculous. It is strange to watch what is supposed to be a compelling scene and not to feel anything resonate with me since the acting is so featureless. Towards the end of the game however I finally began to develop some kind of connection to the primary characters, a result of the story progressing long enough I guess. Oddly enough, these very same characters have plenty of personality and charisma when in battle, a total one-eighty from the rest of the game. The written dialog is also a bit on the uninteresting side, but most of it is optional to read so it is not a big deal. So while the story-telling and chatter can be a drag, the events and game-progression is enough to keep the player engaged in spite of this. Equipment, accessories, and skills are all handled in an accessible and intuitive manner, there are a variety of categories to boost your character with, but without things feeling overwhelming and unnecessary, the balance is just about right. 8/10
Visuals/Artwork: Grandia 3 is a very pretty game to look at, as there are plenty of lush environments on display, and the level of variety is impressive; each area has its' own unique setting; you get the full gamut of traditional outdoor environments, some modern high-tech areas, and some very creative otherworldly areas. The color-schemes used are bright and attractive, and it is easy to tell that a lot of effort was put into artistic value. Characters and enemies are all designed and animate well; magic and special-attacks look very impressive, probably the reason that the game requires two discs, you will not become bored with the battle animations quickly. The cut-scenes are not that well executed visually, everything looks passable however more style and visual enthusiasm could have been implemented here, in game cinemas are a minor portion of the overall visual presentation however so the importance in the grand scheme of things is negligible. 9/10
Music/Sound: The music is decent at best; there are a small handful of strong tracks, one of them being the outdoor over-world music. This piece is used in many different areas and does get stretched thin after a while. Even though there are some other worthwhile compositions dotted throughout the game, I only found the common outdoor music to be particularly memorable. The chatter among your party members during battle is pleasant enough; the typical taunts and proclamations during attacks is standard role-playing fare, but it is executed well and adds pizazz to the battle sequences. 7/10