Xorn, the Fallen Guardian, is a force of destruction who destroyed the Verse Realms many years ago and seeks to return to turn everything into a lifeless void. Using Emelious as a vessel, Xorn had him kill the remaining Guardians for his return, invading and causing countless deaths and ruining the natural balance of the world. Having been resurrected by Grau, Xorn begins disposing of his pawns by turning them into glass before turning everything into a wasteland through his tendrils or spawn, mocking Alfina and the party by disparaging Emelious's final stand against him before trying to kill them as the final step towards perishing all life.
Grau is the sinister lackey of Emelious who is later revealed to be the one responsible for his "master"'s actions. Having stumbled upon Emelious after he was corrupted by Xorn, Grau began using him as a figurehead to resurrect Xorn in a bid of power. Guiding Emelious to kill the other Guardians knowing it would bring destruction upon the world, Grau also enlisted their personal army to ruthlessly carry out their plans, apathetic of the casualties they caused. By the time of Xorn's return, Grau, revealing his true colors, tries to backstab Emelious and kill Alfina after their role was complete before trying to command Xorn with the Godkiller, laughing the world was his amidst the desolation caused by his resurrection.
Contested Sequel: The game was highly anticipated by fans of the Cult Classicoriginal and first sequel, particularly after the highly divisive interquel, but it just didn't catch on the same way (like Xtreme, it didn't even receive a PAL release). There was a certain air of It's the Same, Now It Sucks! about it, with a lot of the game's tropes and character archetypes being reused from the previous ones and the plot as a whole being something of a Cliché Storm, and while the combat system had been polished to a mirror sheen, the game ended up being overshadowed by other PS2 JRPGs. While still unquestionably a very good JRPG in its own right, it ended up being the last proper installment (not counting the short-lived and Japan-exclusiveGrandia Online). Unlike the first two games, it has also never been ported to PC or another console, or given an Updated Re-release.
Difficulty Spike: The game peaks in difficulty once you reach the Melc Ruins.
Goddamned Bats: Any enemy that can cast the Sleep spell, which is high accurate and affects the entire party.
The Melc Crystals. They have two forms that they can switch between at any time, each form with its own characteristics. Its first form is just like any regular old boss, albeit slightly more powerful. However, its second form, that of a bird, is an incredibly fast and powerful monster of a boss that can tear players to pieces. Did we mention that simply changing forms deals damage to everyone and can cancel?
Also, Emelious has given players some trouble. The player must not only deal with the onslaught by three opponents (the sword, the orb, and Emelious himself), but also must keep the aptly named God Slayer from reaching its acting point—if it gets the chance to do so, the entire party will be instantly killed.
. What's jarring is that the music was done by Noriyuki Iwadare, and the rest of the games music is fine.