Granblue Fantasy: Relink had many odds stacked against it. Originally announced seven years ago as a collaboration between PlatinumGames and Cygames, Relink underwent several project changes as the former developer left. Fans feared the worst. Yet, these trials and tribulations eventually gave way to a superb Action JRPG — Relink is a love letter to the world of Granblue Fantasy in its sincerest form.
Cygames delivers a heartfelt title brimming with addictive, accessible, and diverse gameplay wrapped in an engaging and tightly paced story, lovable characters, gorgeous art style and set pieces, exceptional original score, and greatly polished experience. There are several aspects that slightly detract from this experience, including the surface-level complexity of the hub, side mission, and exploration system, the simplicity of the Mastery Points system, and some technical mishaps like the lack of online quest cross-play between PC and console, iffy lock-on targeting camera, and the PS5 Performance graphics mode resolution.
Nonetheless, Relink is an outstanding package, succeeding where many others falter. That’s because the game honors its legacy by bringing back fan-favorite characters from the original mobile game, while also embracing the future through its original story and accessible presentation. New players and returning veterans will be equally impressed with the result.
Story
Relink features an original storyline to the series, making it accessible to new players. The action takes place in the yet unexplored Zegagrande Skydom. Our ragtag crew led by protagonist and captain Gran/Djeeta (player choice) is in search of the fabled Estalucia, the Island of the Astrals, at the end of the skies. Yet, plans take an unexpected turn as the Church of Avia is also searching for the same place, although for different reasons. It is safe to say that plans and swords collide between the two.
The original story is engaging and tightly paced. It won’t surprise you with very complex plot points, but it will command your attention and keep you on your toes for what’s next. Our crew will be tested through carefully staged set pieces, ranging from cozy towns, lush forests, and icy peaks to endless blue skies involving airship combat. Compared to traditional RPG games, Relink’s story is a fast-paced experience at around 20 hours. It is not an open world, but it involved a hub and missions. This is a brave choice from Cygames. It works well because filler content is non-existent. Unlike sprawling epics like Final Fantasy XVI, Relink never overstays its welcome or loses sight of its narrative.
Nonetheless, the story experience does not end here. Fate Episodes provide character background and expand the lore, which is especially welcome for new players. These character-driven short cutscenes are found at the hub quest counter. They reveal character histories, ties with the crew, and thoughts about where the story is heading. Some of these episodes are accompanied by gameplay focused on particular characters. Other characters, however, only receive cutscenes to accompany their background. Perhaps this is a future DLC area that can be expanded upon by Cygames to round out the experience.
The characters are a highlight. Whether it is the duty-bound knight Katalina, the hope-filled captain Gran/Djeeta, the wise-cracking flying dragon Vyrn, or the seasoned one-eyed skyfarer Eugen, the characters are simply endearing. There is an exceptional sense of camaraderie here, of not only shared pain and loss but also of joy, love, and support as the story tests their bond. These characters are brought to life by the exceptionally talented English and Japanese voice actors, who all bring their “A” game.
Players wanting a longer main story may consider other more traditional RPGs. Those who want a tightly paced engaging story with rich main character relationships should look no further.
Gameplay
Granblue Fantasy: Relink combat is addictive, fun, accessible, and surprisingly varied. Button mashers will feel at home with the fast hack-and-slash system as they chip away at enemy HP. Those looking for more depth and variety will be able to try out no less than 17 different characters with unique skills and sigils. A link attack system is present. This is a simultaneous full-party attack that increases the stun gauge on enemies. Once the link level reaches 100%, another successful link attack triggers Link Time, which temporarily slows down all enemy actions while granting players beneficial status effects. Players can also chain Skybound Arts, which are special character attacks dealing heavy damage, into a properly timed Chain Burst that deals the most damage to enemies. Each character also has their own special elemental damage and weakness — Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark — to spice things up.
Characters like Gran and Katalina are perfect for players who like hybrid styles focusing on sensible damage output coupled with healing support. Others looking for more challenging gameplay styles may consider the heavy DPS-oriented Charlotta, Siegfried, and fan-favorite, stance-switching Narmaya. If ranged DPS is your preference, then sit back and let Rackam or Eugen cause mayhem with their guns. Regardless of who you choose to play as, these experiences feel diverse and rewarding.
The fun combat is put to the test at the hub quest counter. After the main story is complete, players continue their journey either online with three other party members or with CPU companions. This is the most substantial part of the game, taking the overall experience to over 60 hours of gameplay. Nonetheless, higher level enemies will test your party’s skills, making the experience satisfying and more challenging than the main story. However, I did have trouble finding other players to join me. This is because of the lack of online cross-play between PC and the PlayStation line, which curtails available player numbers. This is a missed opportunity from Cygames, one that I hope will be implemented in future patches. More players means a more active community on all systems. Nonetheless, even if you play these quests alone, the companion AI is smart enough at linking attacks and using special skills.
However, there are several limitations to the gameplay. There is a skill tree for each character, called the Mastery Points system. The player unlocks nodes on offensive, defensive, and weapon-based stats. This functions as the character leveling system. Mastery Points leveling is easy to unlock as players farm these points by completing quests, unlocking chests, and naturally leveling up by playing through the story. This system, however, is based around only the main three stats. I hoped for added complexity to this by including more varied nodes and subsets, specifically the opportunity to go deeper into hybrid builds like ranged DPS with a melee component (e.g., Eugen’s skillset). I can’t fault the game too much because this is provided another way through the diverse character roster.
Speaking of the lack of complexity, the hub and exploration system is surface-level. The world is beautiful to look at and explore, although NPCs cannot be interacted with beyond standard thought bubbles. Side missions are handled in a streamlined MMO pick-up mission/return objects style. Surprisingly, there are also very few interiors that can be explored. For example, being the captain of the Grandcypher airship is an experience that many fans were looking forward to. However, players cannot explore the actual airship interior or search for carefully planned series memorabilia and easter eggs. If you are looking for deep NPC interactions and complex exploration, this is not that type of game. Cygames knew exactly what to focus on to make the fast-paced combat stand out — that meant throwing traditional RPG concepts out the window.
Technical
Relink is simply gorgeous in art style and graphics. As you traverse the world and hubs, you feel the warmth and comfort emanating from beautifully lit environments like the hub town of Folca, the wind onboard the Grandcypher airship as it soars above the clouds, or the chilly peaks of Leautagne Island. The beautiful graphics and highly detailed character models bring out a palpable sense of wonder and curiosity. During boss fights, the grand set pieces shine, bestowing on-screen spectacle and many satisfying flying particles that can seldom be rivaled in this genre. The DualSense controller is also effectively employed to complement the action with interesting haptic feedback and adaptive trigger situations like firing cannons or performing ranged attacks.
The original score provided by veteran Final Fantasy composers Nobuo Uematsu and Tsutomu Narita is masterful. It perfectly complements the story and action. The score knows when to tuck at the strings of nostalgia and when to amplify the urgency of battle. Intimate moments between characters are punctuated by subtle musical cues to ground the story emotionally. This is JRPG royalty at work, and it shows.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is also an exceptionally polished game. In my 30 hours of playtime, I did not experience any game-breaking issues. I also did not encounter noteworthy localization or functional challenges. However, two aspects stood out. The optional lock-on combat camera, which targets enemies, is cumbersome as it can lock to objects in the environment during the heat of the battle. When it locks onto the enemy, the camera has a tendency to get stuck too much to the left of the locking cursor, making up-close large encounters particularly frustrating to navigate. Luckily, this lock-on camera can be toggled off at any time.
The Performance graphics mode is at the lower resolution of 1080p, although it features a steady 60 fps. While this is a cross-gen title with PS4, I nonetheless hoped to see an 1440p resolution on the PS5 aided with dynamic upscaling. As such, there is a certain visual difference with regard to texture quality when going from the Graphics mode 4K resolution to Performance. However, this difference is not pronounced because Relink is aided by the exceptional art style and cel-shaded visuals, which are always easy on the eyes. Nonetheless, I hope Cygames will consider adding future patches to improve these aspects.
Summary
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is one of the best games of early 2024. It is a superb achievement for the series and action JRPG genre. However, don’t mistake Relink for a traditional RPG. This is a lean mean action machine. Relink impresses with its fun, addictive, accessible, and diverse character combat, tightly paced story, lovable characters, and beautiful presentation. Several aspects detract from this experience, including the surface-level complexity of the hub, side mission, and exploration system, the simplicity of the Mastery Points system, and some technical challenges like the lack of online quest cross-play between PC and consoles, frustrating lock-on targeting camera, and the PS5 Performance graphics mode resolution.
Relink is a resounding success for Cygames and players alike — it brings the series to Western audiences with aplomb, continues the success of the Granblue video game releases after Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and sets up a promising future for Granblue as a franchise. Remember, Granblue Fantasy is only 10 years old as a series. With recent announcements by Cygames of new characters and bosses to come, there is much more to look forward to for Relink. I leave you with the hope that Granblue Fantasy: Relink captures your curiosity for the series as it did with me. Remember, no one outruns the Grandcypher!
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is available for PC and PS4/PS5. It can be purchased on the PlayStation Store.
The Review
Superb
