<s>
was	O
a	O
Japanese	O
free-to-play	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
developed	O
by	O
Game	O
Arts	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
GungHo	O
Online	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
Grandia	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
retains	O
many	O
features	O
seen	O
in	O
previous	O
Grandia	B-Application
games	O
,	O
including	O
visual	O
themes	O
,	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
similar	O
combat	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Acting	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Grandia	B-Application
,	O
Grandia	B-Application
Onlines	I-Application
story	O
takes	O
place	O
many	O
years	O
beforehand	O
during	O
the	O
"	O
Age	O
of	O
Genesis	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
time	O
marked	O
by	O
adventure	O
and	O
exploration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
gameplay	O
,	O
players	O
interact	O
and	O
battle	O
with	O
others	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
with	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
partners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
a	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
presented	O
using	O
completely	O
three-dimensional	O
environments	O
and	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
contained	O
a	O
text	O
box	O
for	O
chatting	O
with	O
other	O
players	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
mini-map	O
for	O
navigation	O
that	O
shows	O
the	O
location	O
of	O
objects	O
and	O
building	O
in	O
the	O
vicinity	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
actions	O
are	O
performed	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
keyboard	B-Device
shortcuts	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
,	O
and	O
players	O
could	O
customize	O
macro	O
commands	O
for	O
single-click	O
movement	O
,	O
communication	O
,	O
or	O
combat	O
abilities	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
configuration	O
menu	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
placed	O
on	O
interface	O
's	O
hotbar	O
for	O
later	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
main	O
character	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
given	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
be	O
joined	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
partner	O
using	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
Partner	O
System	O
,	O
whose	O
actions	O
were	O
customized	O
by	O
using	O
the	O
appropriate	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combat	O
in	O
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
took	O
place	O
in	O
real-time	O
and	O
retains	O
many	O
similarities	O
to	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Initiative	O
Point	O
(	O
IP	O
)	O
Gauge	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
Ultimate	O
Action	O
Battle	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
fantasy	B-Application
world	O
that	O
occupies	O
the	O
same	O
universe	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
Grandia	B-Application
video	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
took	O
place	O
many	O
years	O
beforehand	O
during	O
the	O
fabled	O
"	O
Age	O
of	O
Genesis	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
by	O
Game	O
Arts	O
in	O
late	O
2004	O
as	O
a	O
collaborative	O
effort	O
between	O
their	O
company	O
and	O
GungHo	O
Online	O
Entertainment	O
under	O
the	O
codename	O
"	O
Project	O
:	O
GO	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
first	O
revealed	O
during	O
a	O
GungHo	O
Games	O
panel	O
at	O
the	O
2005	O
Tokyo	O
Game	O
Show	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
company	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
working	O
with	O
Game	O
Arts	O
to	O
bring	O
their	O
Grandia	B-Application
role-playing	O
game	O
series	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
real	O
adventure-themed	O
MMORPG.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
began	O
shortly	O
after	O
completion	O
of	O
Game	O
Arts	O
 '	O
previous	O
endeavor	O
,	O
Grandia	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
released	O
earlier	O
that	O
year	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
overseen	O
by	O
GungHo	O
president	O
Morishita	O
Yoshikazu	O
and	O
Game	O
Arts	O
producer	O
Yoshitada	O
Iwata	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
came	O
from	O
Gravity	O
Corporation	O
's	O
Ragnarok	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
fill	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
"	O
Japan	O
's	O
increased	O
demand	O
for	O
online	O
games.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
October	O
,	O
one	O
month	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
announcement	O
,	O
GungHo	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
majority	O
shareholder	O
for	O
the	O
Game	O
Arts	O
corporation	O
,	O
turning	O
the	O
company	O
into	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
and	O
making	O
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
an	O
in-house	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GungHo	O
would	O
remain	O
quiet	O
on	O
Grandia	B-Application
Onlines	I-Application
progress	O
until	O
early	O
2007	O
,	O
when	O
Game	O
Arts	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
title	O
had	O
been	O
sold	O
by	O
GungHo	O
to	O
online	O
software	O
producer	O
Online	O
Game	O
Revolution	O
Fund	O
Number	O
1	O
for	O
¥2.6	O
billion	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
development	O
would	O
continue	O
under	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
new	O
name	O
,	O
Grandia	B-Application
Zero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2009	O
,	O
news	O
of	O
Grandia	B-Application
Onlines	I-Application
progress	O
was	O
finally	O
made	O
public	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
an	O
official	O
countdown	O
website	O
that	O
opened	O
on	O
April	O
21	O
,	O
revealing	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
only	O
still	O
being	O
produced	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
open	O
beta	O
test	O
would	O
be	O
launched	O
the	O
following	O
July	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
celebrate	O
the	O
occasion	O
,	O
Game	O
Arts	O
announced	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
re-releasing	O
the	O
original	O
Grandia	B-Application
on	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
download	O
service	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
host	O
a	O
limited	O
,	O
60-person	O
public	O
test	O
period	O
for	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
the	O
following	O
May	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
's	O
Akihabara	O
district	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Background	O
music	O
for	O
Grandia	B-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
written	O
by	O
series	O
veteran	O
Noriyuki	O
Iwadare	O
,	O
the	O
composer	O
for	O
all	O
previous	O
Grandia	B-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
featured	O
voice	O
acting	O
during	O
certain	O
story	O
sequences	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
encounter	O
during	O
play	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
provided	O
by	O
anime	O
and	O
video	O
game	O
actors	O
including	O
Kikuko	O
Inoue	O
,	O
who	O
reprises	O
her	O
role	O
as	O
Liete	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Grandia	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
characters	O
were	O
also	O
voiced	O
,	O
with	O
sound	O
clips	O
used	O
during	O
combat	O
and	O
certain	O
emotes	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
varied	O
by	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
race	O
and	O
gender	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grandia	B-Application
Onlines	I-Application
official	O
theme	O
song	O
,	O
"	O
Earth	O
Trip	O
"	O
by	O
Minami	O
Kuribayashi	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
single	O
in	O
July	O
2009	O
,	O
alongside	O
a	O
limited	O
edition	O
version	O
that	O
contains	O
a	O
code	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
redeemed	O
for	O
special	O
in-game	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
