Grand Kingdom

I love it when I play something that doesn’t quite feel like anything else I’ve played before. Maybe it’s just because the “safe” way to go is used so often in this industry, but — fun times with the games aside — I more often than not feel like I’m playing just another variation on a familiar formula. Now, Grand Kingdom’s not so radically different as to alienate anyone; on the contrary, it’s perfectly in keeping with some of the most venerable traditions of the strategy RPG genre. But I knew as soon as I played the demo at PAX East that it was doing just enough new things to potentially be a...

Grand Kingdom might have a few small gameplay faults and a lackluster story but the exceptionally handled combat system makes it a very enjoyable title.

Turn-based strategy RPGs could always use a little variety. Thankfully, Grand Kingdom is here to provide an immersive and unique experience but is it a war worth fighting? Keep marching forth and let's find out.

The strategy/RPG genre has seen its share of growing pains in this modern age, and plenty of games have tried to shake things up, such as Fire Emblem's relationship system and The Banner Saga's choice-driven narrative. Grand Kingdom is paving its own way, ditching grid-based combat, offering a bevy of customization, and putting more action into the gameplay. It does a wonderful job, and I enjoyed the challenging battles, building up my party, and competing online.

Since the land being fought over in this game was once an empire instead of a kingdom, one could argue that its title is inaccurate. Though even if it was a republic or a theocracy, the quality of its tactical action wouldn't change. Time to put things down!

Grand Kingdom is a Tactical RPG for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Developed by Monochrome Corporation, it uses a 2D anime art style and a unique battle system that mixes that of action RPGs and turn based RPGs into an entertaining JRPG experience. Is it good enough to stack up to the console's other JRPG options, though?

Boasting a compelling battle system, this RPG has a few missteps in its ambition to expand the genre in creative ways.

Grand Kingdom had me really interested in the beginning (especially with that sweet intro theme), and I enjoyed my first few hours of play. Over time, though, the game started to lose me. The story didn’t hold up and made some interestingly bad choices in the way it handled single-player gameplay. Since I really enjoy offline play at times, that just didn’t sit well with me. I do have to hand it to the game for its great online mechanics, its interesting class system, and its wealth of content, which a lot of games don’t offer.

Grand kingdom is the perfect example of why you should never judge something by it’s appearance.