Grandia is the first installment in the Grandia series and was released on the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1997, and released in English on the Sony PlayStation in 1999. It was directed by Hidenobu Takahashi, written by Takahiro Hasebe and produced by Misa Usui. The music was composed by Noriyuki Iwadare and was well received by fans. Grandia features a mixture of 2D and 3D graphics, with 2D sprites being overlaid onto 3D backgrounds.