In Grand Kingdom, a player’s mercenaries fall into four different class categories. There are melee, magic, ranged, and specialist units to use. All 13 of the available classes, including the Noble class that was originally DLC in Japan, can be grouped into these categories.
The melee classes are all heavy hitters that deal direct damage in close quarters and can guard. Fighters are solid in most areas. Blacksmiths are good for destroying items on the field. The Lancers are slow, but have good reach. Nobles lack shields, but can attack groups and attack multiple times at once. The Rogues can cloak themselves and reach ranged units quickly.
Grand Kingdom’s ranged units are ones that can attack from anywhere on the battlefield and halt a mage in the middle of casting a spell, though someone would be smart to move them to higher ground. Gunners have bullets with different effects and can attack a row, but it’s hard to find ammo. Hunters are the more practical unit, using arrows to attack and having good defense against magic.
The mages are characters with range that falls between melee and ranged units. Their attacks are powerful, but need to be charged. Arcanists can create status-influencing zones on the battlefield, as well as attack with magic. Shamans casts curses using her health, but friendly fire is an option with them. The Witches are the standard magic users with area of effect spells, but they also have a problem with friendly fire.
Finally, there are the specialists. These are units that don’t really fit into the other groups, due to their unique natures. The Challenger uses explosive barrels, placing them on the battlefield. Naturally, these can hurt friends and foes. The Dragon Mage takes up two spaces on the field, but can use magic or attack with her dragon. The Medic heals allies and poisons enemies.
Grand Kingdom will come to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in Europe first, on June 17, 2016. It will arrive in North America a few days later on June 21, 2016. North American PlayStation 4 owners will soon be able to pre-order a $49.99 standard edition of the game, which doesn’t include the Launch Edition’s 32-page art book or soundtrack CD.
