Before E3, GungHo Online Entertainment America broke its almost year-long silence on the Grandia and Grandia II remakes to say it would be announcing more about the game at the annual conference, including a release date.

However, that release date didn't arrive until now. GHOE said today that the games will release on August 16 for Nintendo Switch. The PC version will release at a "later date."

The Switch is getting the Grandia HD Collection, which includes Grandia and Grandia II, while the PC will get each game separately.

The Grandia Collection on the Switch will include handheld support and, of course, improved visuals compared to the originals. The PC versions will receive keyboard and gamepad support on top of the improved visuals, and those improvements extend to the original cinematic videos as well.

Both will have dual audio with Japanese and English options available, and there will be new French and German translation as well, making the games more accessible to an even wider audience.

Grandia and its sequel were two sleeper hits from the late '90s that developed a loyal following. The first originally debuted on the Sega Saturn before making its way to PlayStation, while the second was a Dreamcast game later ported to the PS2.

Developed by the legendary Game Arts (the makers of the Lunar games), they featured the studio's signature characteristics, including a deep plot, memorable characters, and a beloved soundtrack composed by Noriyuki Iwadare.

One of the key components of these games was their battle systems, though, which were ground-breaking at the time in how they handled experience and skill growth.

Final Fantasy VII remake might be ditching its original turn-based style, but with the Grandia remakes, Persona 5's upcoming expansion, Fire Emblem: Three Houses plus Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield on the way, it seems the turn-based RPG still has a lot of life left in it yet.

Many gamers might feel a ping of nostalgia when mentioning the game Grandia II and the time is to finally rejoice in an anniversary edition being released on Steam today. 

Grandia II was first released back in 2000 on the Dreamcast and further on the PS2 and PC in 2002. While Steam was just a twinkle in Valve's eye at the time, Grandia II Anniversary Edition is now available and remastered.Straight from the horse's mouth

Steam put out a Tweet earlier today welcoming in Grandia II Anniversary Edition to their massive game store with hearty 25% off. Normally priced at $20, Grandia II is now temporarily at $15 until August 31st, and becoming a popular option for gamers looking for that classic JRPG.  

Now Available on Steam - Grandia® II Anniversary Edition, 25% off!: #SteamNewRelease http://t.co/8ncqKNIvFY

— Steam (@steam_games) August 24, 2015

For some of the gamers out there who aren't familiar with Grandia II, it's an adventure story focusing on a mercenary whose mission is to find a weapon once possessed by the gods. While along the way an array of friendships, storyline, and immersing music takes the player on an adventure they never expected. 

By adding plenty of new upgrades in the game, GungHo Online Entertainment brought a game from the early 2000s up to speed and appealing to not only older gamers but the new generation. 

"Grandia II is back and better than ever!"

• Visual upgrades to textures, lighting, and shadows
  
• Original classic Japanese voice option
• Additional difficulty level for those daring enough
• Steam Trading Cards and Achievements
• Steam Cloud Save Support
• Selectable Video Options
• Remapable Keyboard & Gamepad Support
• 100 Save File Slots
• Dreamcast VMS Save File Support

A representative from GungHo Online Entertainment divulged further information regarding the VMS save file support. The support will surprisingly reach out to emulator support so anyone that's been keeping up with the game can consolidate their saves in one place. 

“The VMS file format is the same file format used by the original Dreamcast console. Because the Anniversary Edition is based off the original Dreamcast code, we also write and read to the VMS save file format within the data/save file directory. This allows the player to import their own VMS save files that can be downloaded from any Dreamcast community websites like Blue Swirl.”

“Also, since Dreamcast emulators also use VMS save files, they can also bring any of their personal save files over from their emulator and continue on within the Anniversary Edition. Any Grandia II VMS save file will work. This allows the Grandia community to share VMS save files easily between their friends & fanbase regardless of platform.”

-GungHo Online Entertainment Representative

GungHo Online Entertainment took complete thought into what would appease the older generation of gamers and the new; resulting in a beautiful game suiting for the year 2015. Do you plan on picking up this new remastered Dreamcast game? What do you absolutely love about it? Share your opinions on this re-release below!