Grandia HD Collection: Simultaneously Remastering Two JRPG Landmarks

Grandia HD Collection, a JRPG remaster by Game Arts, ported to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One by Sickhead Games

Title: Grandia HD Collection
Release Date: 2019, 2024
Developer: Game Arts
Publisher: GungHo Online Entertainment
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Engine: Custom PS1/Saturn C Engine, Custom Dreamcast C++ Engine

Grandia HD Collection is a remastered compilation of two beloved JRPGs from Game Arts, published by GungHo Online Entertainment. Grandia and Grandia II are known for their innovative timeline-based combat and are considered landmarks of the late-90s RPG era. Our work on them went well beyond a typical port.

The two games came from very different starting points. The Grandia remaster was based on its PlayStation release, with some enhancements from the original Sega Saturn version. Grandia II was built for Dreamcast and had already seen a PC release a few years earlier. For both, the goal was to preserve the look and feel players remembered while delivering a genuine HD upgrade.

We had the rare advantage of the complete original PlayStation and Sega Saturn C codebases for Grandia. Rather than relying on emulation, which can have performance limits, we reimplemented the hardware layer for modern platforms, including shaders and a geometry transform engine that faithfully reproduce the game’s distinctive original render style. We built tools to extract the original sprite sheets and textures so our technical art team could upscale and enhance them. We presented all FMV content in full widescreen by extending the original frame, with no cropping or letterboxing. Finally, we rewrote the text rendering systems for both games to support a large-scale relocalization effort.

The collection launched on Nintendo Switch and PC in 2019, followed by PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2024.


Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, bringing Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to console and handheld including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. From codebase assessment to post-launch support, we're trusted by solo indies and major publishers alike, including Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We've shipped over 100 releases, among them Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, Axiom Verge, Space Engineers, and Celeste. We specialize in bringing retro masterpieces, indie darlings, and PC classics to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.