Grand Chase Review: Carry a BIG sword and use it

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg writer
 
Think of girls carrying big swords and swinging them around like toothpicks. Or of archers that shoot more than 3 arrows in one shot or of mages summoning meteors that came out of nowhere hell bent on blowing the life out of you.
 
Sounds like one of those anime show’s you get to watch on the tv right? Well, I can say that you get points for trying to figure it out.
This is but a glimpse of the characters you get to choose from Ntreev’s beat ‘em up MMO, Grand Chase.
 

Grand What!?

Grand Chase is set on a fantasy world of Bermesiah where the two kingdoms of Kanavan and Serdin were at once war due to one, Kaze’aze’s tricks. The Grand Chase are the elite soldiers made by both kingdoms to search and finally eliminate the cause of all the strife Bermesiah has experienced.
 
Your part in this entire hubbub is to become one of the numerous Grand Chasers in this perilous world. The safety of Kanavan, Serdil and all of Bermesiah is iin your hands.
 

The main Players

Unlike in most MMOs where you get to choose only one character among the roster, Grand Chase allows it players to switch from the first three main in-game characters. Lire, Elesis and Arme.
 
The total number of characters that the game is currently 7, aside from the three main characters you get to use Lass, Ryan, Ronan and Amy. You can acquire these character add-ons either by purchasing their scrolls in the premium shop or accomplish mission scrolls that you can acquire using in-game currency.
 

Gameplay

Grand Chase’s gameplay is simple and easy to grasp. The game has arcade controls that you can easily grasp from the first try.
Moving is very simplified in the game because trying to figure out the game controls because you can’t get yourself all mixed up trying to move your character because that is not how you roll in Grand Chase.
 
As you move through he world in Grand Chase, you accomplish series of quests, from trying to eliminate certain monsters to finishing a map within a certain limit. You get gold to buy equipments as you finish stages and level up.
 
The leveling and equipment system in Grand Chase is linear. As you level more and more equipments armors and whatnot are available to you. You can use necklaces, bangles that have special attributes that help you out in Grand Chase. You can also refine your armors using cores to enhance the damage rating or defense rating of your armor and equipment.
 
Besides your usual attacks, each class in Grand Chase has its own set of special skills. Each class has two sets of skills with three types of attacks each. You need to acquire enough energy points to use each one. The problem though with the skills is that if its interrupted then not only can you not use the skills but also lose the amount energy point that is required to use the skill.
 

In-game pet system

Besides the customary equipments, leveling and job classes found in the game, you can also acquire pets in Grand Chase. You can either acquire the egg from monster drop or buy it from the in-game store. The pets in Grand Chase vary yet retain the cuteness factors that are staple to pets.

 
However, the game’s pet system is more than just eye candy. Your pets in also help out in dealing damage and even immobilizing your enemies, pets can also adds to your moves list that can ante up to your skills.
 

This is what Grand Chase is about

The bread of butter is not its quests or even its flashy armors and sound, it’s the PVP where Grand Chase shine. PVP can be done either by 1:1, 2:2 or 3:3. You get to choose from a variety of maps. You also have the option to make the maps drop temporary items that help out in those battles ahead.

 
The game’s PVP has two options, team vs. team or deathmatch. In team battles the goal is to eliminate all the enemies from the other team, the team with the remaining members win. In deathmatch it’s a free-for-all brawl and this basically is the epitome of survival of the fittest.
 

Conclusion

Grand Chase is one of those MMOs where you can easily pick up the basic controls of the game but mastering it could be a handful. This adds the element of challenge for those players who are already fed up with the usual side scrolling MMOs.
 
The sheer energy you get from finishing quests and seeing your Lire, Elesis, Arme, Lass Ryan, Ronan or Amy kick brightly colored monsters to a pulp pumps not only adrenaline but also of  the satisfaction of feeling your hits connect as you play.
 
Though it may be hard to explain it, but Grand Chase has successfully made the connecting combos such a delightful experience. Through the mix of flashy in-game sprites and audio, you can “feel” your combos making damage, thus enhancing the satisfactory feel of doing something cool and powerful that some of the games in this genre fail to accomplish.
 
Grand Chase literally jumps off from the complicated controls of serious MMOs and gives us the most basic yet the most exhilarating experience in gaming. No, complicated quests nor mind-numbing puzzles are found in Grand Chase.
 
The other thing that makes Grand Chase is so appealing is the competitive edge it provides players. The quests and stages in Grand Chase are just the front acts that you need to go through to reach the core of the game, the PVP action.
 
PVP in Grand Chase is one of the most brutal experiences a player can have. Brutal in the sense that unlike in other MMOs where the character’s level and equipment rule supreme, here the skillful are smiled upon by the goddess of victory. Grand Chase is a game that teems of stories where low-level characters with decent equipment beat characters ten levels above them due to sheer skill and of course luck. Sure, having better equipments can be advantageous but if you don’t know how to utilize them effectively they only become dead weight and would eventually make you a laughing stock.
 
The variation of characters you can choose from also gives the players of various fighting styles the chance to get the character that really suits them as a player. Not only that, the game also gives players something to look forward to as they level up because you get to change jobs if you meet the requirements.
 
The game’s pet system is another thing that makes the game sought after. Your pets aren’t just there for eye candy but the usefulness of them in fights raise up the ante competitively. With PVP decisions almost decided in split-second decisions, they have become an amusing and critical part of the gaming experience.
 
Of course, we can’t ignore the flashy equipments players acquire in the game. The variation from cute-styled armors to the more serious and cooler designs brings players the satisfaction of both kicking ass while looking good and just plain grandstanding.
 
Grand Chase is one of those fast-paced MMOs that has is has everything pegged down right. There’s basically nothing wrong in the overall gameplay however, the game has its own shortcomings, but majority of the game’s shortcomings are not due to the lack of trying from the company behind the game but because of the genre itself.
 
There is lack in depth story-wise In Grand Chase, true the game has a running storyline but if you compare it to other MMOs, within the genre, the story is not really shall we say top-class.  Plus, as most beat ‘em ups, button bashing tends to be tiring after rounds of playing. Another thing is that sometimes the disparity of skill within players really puts the pressure to those who are just there for the fun.
 
As far as competitive playing is concerned, not all players are top notch and this can really dampen your experience if you are just one of those ‘local joe’ type of players.
 
Overall, Grand Chase is a PVP game through and through, half of the fun in Grand Chase is found in the PVP rooms. Questing is just your springboard to getting better equipments for the PVP room. If you want some old school button smashing goodness then Grand Chase is the game for you.
 
Pros
- A lot of characters to choose from
- The game is energetic and action packed
- Competitiveness is nurtured within the game
- The mix of sprites and audio is superb
Cons
- The Background and sprites can be too flashy hindering your game
- Bashing gets repetitive in the long run
- If you lack the game skills, its going to be hard for you to be toe-to-toe with other players.

Grand Chase Videos

  • Grand Chase Archer class trailer Video 0:34
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    36%
    Grand Chase Archer class trailer
    Mar 18, 2009Views: 1,641
    A presentation of the Archer class in the 2D free MMORPG Grand Chase. Take a look at this fascinating class and learn everything about... Play Video
  • Grand Chase SwordMaster Video 0:43
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    40%
    Grand Chase SwordMaster
    Aug 25, 2008Views: 595
    What a well animated 2D Fantasy MMO looks like? Well, if you are going to play a SwordMaster, this is it! Even though it's supercute it... Play Video
  • Grand Chase Animation Video 0:54
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    21%
    Grand Chase Animation
    Aug 18, 2008Views: 994
    Sit back and relax while Grand Chase introduces itself; Lire, Elesis, en Arme. They will help you save the world and beat various... Play Video

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