Grand Fantasia : ORIGIN

39%
Game Brain Score Based on 222 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • monetization
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New engine, New gameplay, New adventure, the classic MMORPG 《Grand Fantasia：ORIGIN》technological innovation, bringing an unprecedented gaming experience. Players can explore, fight, and grow in a broader world. Embark on a new adventure journey with your Guardian Sprite. [Engine Fully Upgraded]From the land to the forest, Rivers to the ocean, Villages to towns, the game's graphics will be sign…

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

39%
Audience ScoreBased on 222 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game captures nostalgia well, reminding players of their childhood experiences.
  • Some graphics have been updated, providing a fresh look while maintaining the classic feel.
  • The gameplay can be enjoyable for casual players who are not overly invested in competitive aspects.
  • The game is heavily pay-to-win, with many features locked behind expensive microtransactions.
  • There are numerous bugs and UI issues, including unreadable text and frequent crashes.
  • The game limits dungeon entries and has removed key features, making it difficult for players to progress without spending money.
  • story36 mentions

    The story aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with players noting that the quest system is chaotic and often leads to confusion due to poor text formatting and unclear objectives. Many quests are reportedly bugged or impossible to complete, and the removal of certain features has made it difficult for players to engage with the narrative meaningfully. Overall, the storytelling experience feels diminished compared to the original game, with players expressing frustration over the lack of coherence and the overwhelming number of quests that fail to provide a satisfying narrative journey.

    • “I have always loved Grand Fantasia: the lore, the graphics, the possibility of quests and dungeons. I farmed a lot and being a collector, I liked to accumulate reputations to unlock potions or rewards.”
    • “You are bombarded with new quests in a different area every time you level up, some of which are far lower or higher than your current level.”
    • “The story from the original game exists, but it's impossible to read 30% of it due to the awful text formatting.”
    • “It's especially bad when you can't even tell what the quest is asking you to do.”
    • “I played to level 43 and I still don't understand how the quest sequence is supposed to work.”
  • graphics24 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated and mediocre, failing to meet modern standards despite some claims of improvement. Numerous graphic bugs, particularly with slimes, and a lack of significant updates have disappointed fans, leading to frustration over the overall visual experience. While some appreciate the nostalgic feel, the consensus is that the graphics do not live up to expectations, especially for a 2024 release.

    • “It really captures the nostalgia of the game with improved graphics.”
    • “The graphics have been noticeably improved over the original version.”
    • “Great graphics update, unfortunately lots of unwrapped texts, texts overflowing boundaries.”
    • “This has some fairly mediocre/dated looking graphics that will understandably be a turn off for a lot of gamers, and it's a big contributor to the failure of the game to attract gamers despite having no up-front cost.”
    • “Lots of graphic bugs (mostly with the slimes), no graphic update whatsoever, no additions except for a few things, new popups that are annoying more than anything. I'm disappointed that the port to Steam was not at least up to the quality of the original game.”
    • “Extremely outdated graphics, severely pay-to-win, poorly optimized UI, login issues, non-responsive developers. I can't find a single reason to recommend this game, not even for free-to-play; simply not worth it in 2024, unless nostalgia.”
  • monetization18 mentions

    The monetization model of the game has been widely criticized as predatory and heavily reliant on microtransactions, with many players labeling it a "pay-to-win" scheme that exploits nostalgia for profit. Users report an overwhelming presence of ads, gacha mechanics, and premium currency purchases that significantly impact gameplay, leading to a consensus that the game prioritizes profit over player experience. Overall, the monetization practices are seen as a major detriment, making the game unworthy of recommendation.

    • “Characters look decently good for a very old game, combat is easy, it's a very chill game if you ignore the RNG/monetization.”
    • “This isn't really free as the game is infested with mobile app store-like microtransactions.”
    • “Tl;dr - pay-to-win cash grab that weaponizes your nostalgia against your wallet.”
    • “Extremely outdated graphics, severely pay-to-win, poorly optimized UI, login issues, non-responsive devs, typical Asian cash grab; I can't find a single reason to recommend this game, not even for free-to-play, simply not worth it in 2024, unless nostalgia.”
  • gameplay13 mentions

    Gameplay reviews highlight significant concerns regarding the introduction of pay-to-win mechanics and the use of "legal" bots, which detract from the game's integrity. While some players appreciate the nostalgic class system and the community's support, many criticize the frequent bugs, crashes, and overall lack of innovation, likening it to a low-quality clone of existing MMORPGs. Despite these issues, a few players still find enjoyment in the gambling mechanics and hope for future improvements.

    • “I still find it fun due to the gambling mechanics in the game.”
    • “Great gameplay, amazing community that loves to help, and the content is enjoyable.”
    • “They brought back the old class gameplay, which is one of the only good things.”
    • “The developers now charge players for 'legal' bots, allowing automated gameplay, which ruins the integrity of the game.”
    • “Horrible pay-to-win mechanics.”
    • “The game has critical bugs and crashes that can interrupt your gameplay very frequently, making you lose progress or unable to complete daily tasks (when you disconnect, it uses up a dungeon limitation).”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and frustrating, especially after reaching level 20, where training sprites and acquiring resources require significant effort and often feel like a pay-to-win scenario. The introduction of dungeon run caps and the removal of mission orders have made it even more challenging to earn in-game currency and items, leading to a sentiment that the game is designed to push players towards spending real money. Overall, while some enjoy the grind as a pastime, many express disappointment with the current system's limitations and the heavy reliance on grinding or spending.

    • “Once you reach past level 20, it becomes very grindy and costly to train your sprite(s).”
    • “Very heavy pay-to-play unless you don't mind grinding countless hours due to all the stuff they took away, and all the stuff they nerfed.”
    • “Without mission orders, bringing in enough cash to buy basic items from NPC vendors and perform item crafting is difficult. It feels like the game has been deliberately sabotaged to create a problem that can only be solved by paying real money or by doing an unreasonable amount of grinding.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The stability of the game is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs affecting sprite visuals, skill usage, and the functionality of the pause feature, which often fails to work as intended. While there have been improvements, such as better support for newer graphics cards, the overall experience remains frustratingly unstable and disconnected from previous iterations of the game.

    • “Looking at your sprite inside its home is a buggy mass made up of its model, the interior decoration, and its stats.”
    • “Its buggy sprite protection is supposed to have 4 hours per day. You can pause it, but it's not really a pause. Sometimes, after a while, even when you pause, time will suddenly drop by 30-45 minutes out of nowhere, as if it's a fake pause. I even had one day where I only used it for about 5 minutes and didn't use it anymore, and my 4 hours just disappeared like that.”
    • “Buggy as hell, so far detached from what Grand Fantasia used to be.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the nostalgic background tunes that evoke strong emotions, others criticize the volume levels and technical issues, such as music continuing to play despite being turned down in settings. Additionally, the game's performance issues, including frame drops when accessing menus, detract from the overall experience.

    • “The background music on the welcome screen brought a surprising wave of nostalgia and made me a bit teary-eyed.”
    • “Time to go, do quests, enjoy the music and just AFK around, because everyone knows that's what we all like to do.”
    • “You still skip a frame or two every time you open up a menu like the backpack or adventure log. The game seems to only run on a single CPU core (according to task manager), and you still get the map music randomly playing sometimes when you've turned the music down in the settings.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is heavily criticized, with users highlighting outdated graphics, poor user interface, and significant login issues. The only positive note mentioned is the water texture, but overall, the game is deemed unworthy of recommendation, even for free-to-play players, due to its pay-to-win elements and lack of developer responsiveness.

    • “The only graphical optimization is the water texture.”
    • “Extremely outdated graphics, severely pay-to-win, poorly optimized UI, login issues, non-responsive developers, typical cash grab, I can't find a single reason to recommend this game, not even for free-to-play, simply not worth it in 2024, unless nostalgia.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with characters described as flat and uninteresting, reminiscent of a low-quality browser game.

    • “The characters are like paper sticks, and the overall atmosphere feels like a no-show browser game.”
    • “The game lacks any immersive atmosphere, making it hard to feel engaged with the world.”
    • “The environments are bland and uninspired, resulting in a lifeless atmosphere that fails to draw players in.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional response to the game, feeling a sense of loss or betrayal despite it being free, indicating that the experience resonated deeply with them.

    • “This is the first game that made me feel robbed, even though it's free.”
    • “The emotional depth of the story left me in tears; I felt so connected to the characters.”
    • “I never expected a game to evoke such strong feelings; it truly touched my heart.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
3-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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