Akira Ichijou is an ordinary Japanese high-school student. One fine Sunday, he goes out to meet his lovely girlfriend Kanami. Suddenly they see a strange glowing ball. When they touch it, they enter a portal that leads to a parallel dimension named Grounseed. It is a medieval world with spirits and magic. Naturally, it was no coincidence that Akira ended up there: the balance of both worlds is in danger, and only a person from our dimension can restore it. To do that, Akira has to travel to the spirit kings of the five elements, and complete a magical ritual that would prevent both universes from collapsing.
Grounseed could be called a “minimalist Japanese RPG”, since many typical elements of the genre are omitted: there are no usable items, no money, no equipment, no world map navigation, no random enemies, and even no levels: the characters become stronger immediately after having defeated an enemy (increased strength, HP, etc.). Enemies can be seen wandering on the screen, and usually there aren’t many of them around. Akira and his two companions can attack physically or utilize techniques, which deplete technique points (TP). One of the characters also has healing magic spells. To counter the lack of “hardcore” Japanese RPG gameplay, the game has extended cut scenes and long conversations between the characters..
