Grandia

Grandia, from Japanese studio Game Arts, debuted in 1997 on the Sega Saturn as one of the JRPGs trying to blend traditional turn-based combat with more dynamism and clarity. It was defined by the IP timeline battle system, where movement, attacks, guarding, and interrupting an opponent's turn all depended on where a character's icon sat on a bar, giving the game a pace unusual for the genre at the time. Its colourful, adventurous tone favoured exploring an unknown world and the heroes' friendship and growth over the darkness and tragedy common in many JRPGs of the same era.

Grandia II in 2000 moved the series into full 3D graphics, launching first on the Dreamcast and later on PlayStation 2 and PC, while keeping the IP battle system from its predecessor and adding an elemental system where attacks of the matching element could interrupt an opponent's upcoming move. Many fans still consider this entry the series' peak, thanks to its balanced pacing, well-drawn characters, and a soundtrack that shaped the mood of each location.

Grandia III in 2006, on PlayStation 2, experimented instead with gesture-drawn controls during battle, but met a cooler reception among fans than the first two games, partly due to less likeable lead characters and a more linear story. The series then vanished from new releases for a long stretch, and among JRPG players it remains valued mainly for its first two titles, whose battle system is still cited as an example of how to speed up and clarify turn-based combat without losing strategic depth.