Developer: Varie Publisher: Varie Release: 02/26/91 Genre: Action RPG
Action RPGs are few in number on the NES. I do not know why that is the case; Japan was brimming with titles begging for a localization. Some of the games we missed out on are baffling; the first three Ys games received Famicom ports and the first one even hit the Master System in the US. But for the West? Nada. We got frigging Legacy of the Wizard but not Falcom’s flagship series, where is the justice in that? One of the most obscure releases in the genre is Grand Master. There is little information on the internet even to this day which is a shame. The game has its flaws but makes for a quick afternoon of fun.
Rody is an elite bodyguard to the royal family and is charged with protecting Princess Serena. Unfortunately the Demon lord Dante takes a fancy to the princess, defeats Rody and takes her away. Humiliated by his defeat Rody resigns to save the Princess on his own.
The story unfolds using dramatic cutscenes throughout the game. The cast of characters is small but impactful, not just by their presence but also because of the way the story unfolds. Because you can play through the game in any order certain events will play out differently. A character you may rescue in one run may end up dying if you decide to visit a different area first. The branching paths are a cool idea in theory. But in practice they lead to a frustrating element that I will go into later that should have been handled better.
Grand Master starts off on the right foot in terms of its gameplay. The controls are tight and highly reminiscent of A Link to the Past which is prescient as the two games released close to each other. The default sword attacks in an arc like Link and the game has eight-way movement. There are a number of other weapons that have different attacks to play around. The rod produces a wide blast but uses a lot of MP and has a short recharge time. The axe is your only long range attack but is weak and uses 1 MP per shot. The Morning star is the best weapon in the game. It has a long reach, hits multiple enemies and doubles as a hook shot to cross chasms. You build up an inventory of items but these only produce secondary effects such as blocking attacks or increasing weapon speed.
While Grand Master is an action RPG its role playing elements are minimal. You earn experience to gain levels but the max level is only 10. The only character stats are HP and MP that both top out at 99. There is no currency, towns, or NPCs in the game. All equipment such as weapons, armor, and items are found in the numerous stages. Even these are few in number and some items are entirely optional. The game has more in common with action games in this regard and that extends to its world design.
Rather than an expansive overworld to explore you select stages from a map. Even though there is little story the game gives impetus and background for every location you visit which is cool. Each stage is a unique location with its own enemies and traps but the object remains the same: find the key that opens the boss room to fight and end the stage. The maps are of decent size, small enough that a map is not necessary but just large enough that you might get lost. Finding certain items early will make your journey a lot easier. The Morning star and its ability to latch on to walls enable shortcuts throughout the game and is indispensable.
There are no puzzles which makes the levels short at 10-20 minutes long. I can appreciate the focus on action but the RPG elements make me wish had leaned into them a little harder. As well final level, Tower of Death sees a marked shift in design focus. This final level is as long as the rest of the game and features light puzzle solving and mazes, some of which are very creative. You will use all of your available tools in some fashion and while it is a bit too long for its own good shows what could have been.
The elephant in the room is that Grand Master only offers the illusion of choice. True it is fun to run through the game in different ways to see how events will play out. But unless you play through the levels in a specific order not only is the final boss inaccessible but you will also get the bad ending. To be fair if you have gotten that far you can easily run through the game again in a little over an hour. But it is still a bitter pill to swallow once you realize you have to do it all over again. It would be one thing if there were clues as to which locations to tackle first but there are none. This is a massive oversight that sucks but does not ruin the game.
The difficulty in Grand Master is slight. If you follow the necessary path it is possible to almost level cap after two stages. Even if you decide to chart your own path the game is not particularly hard. Enemies are slow and not aggressive until the final tower. Despite most levels featuring a scant two healing potions chances are they are not necessary. Weapons like the Morning star are too convenient and powerful. There is only one boss battle that is tricky but outside of that the rest were a cakewalk. Your jaw will drop at how fast the final boss goes down. I thought it was a joke at first. I suppose it had to be this way. Since you can start on any stage they all feature the same static difficulty by default. The lacking challenge is not a negative but it is notable as it sticks out.
In Closing
Grand Master is a solid action RPG that is short but fun while it lasts. I have no doubt in my mind that it would have found an audience had it released overseas. With so little text it would have been an easy localization too. There is a fan translation but the story is so brief you are not missing much without it. I recommend it either way.
