character a command. The icon then enters the red area of the gauge. Spells, skills and criticals progress more slowly during this period than combos. When the icon reaches the ACT point in the gauge, the command is carried out, and the icon is sent back to the start, where the cycle continues. Characters on the field have two standard attacks: combos and criticals. With combos, the character will swing/stab/shoot the enemy a number of times as per their weapon's use and any applicable skills. They do more damage overall than Criticals, whose purpose is to knock the position of an enemy on the Turn Dial backwards. If a character is hit by a Critical or other "cancel" attack while in the red area of the gauge, their attack is canceled entirely, which is one of the main strategies for boss battles in the game. If a combo is performed upon an airborne enemy, then a special Aerial attack is done. If an enemy is defeated with an Aerial Finish, the monster may drop more valuable items. Plot Characters The characters of Grandia III were designed by You Yoshinari. The game centers on Yuki, a 16-year-old boy who dreams of becoming an ace pilot like his idol, the legendary Sky Captain Schmidt. Together with his friend Rotts, he builds his own magic-powered aircraft in an attempt to fly over the ocean, but becomes sidetracked due to the intervention of his mother, Miranda. When Yuki and Miranda meet Alfina, a beautiful young girl with the ability to communicate with Sacred Beasts, the god-like guardians of the planet, they become involved in an adventure. During their journey, the party meets four other characters who become playable at certain points in the story: Alonso, a sailor who dreams of completing his map of the world; Ulf, a simple man who rides a dragon named Shiba; Dahna, a cynical cartomancer with a hidden soft side; and Hect, a sullen musician from a troubled village. The unprincipled brother of Alfina, Emellious, can also communicate with the guardians, but abandoned his duties as a Communicator to seek the power of Xorn, a rogue guardian with the power of darkness, and become a god. Emellious is assisted in his endeavor by Kornell, a large, imposing man with an iron gauntlet; Violetta, who serves Emellious out of a desire for the sibling relationship he shares with Alfina; La-Ilim,