Granblue Fantasy: Relink
MSRP $60.00
“Granblue Fantasy: Relink has all the thrills of Final Fantasy XVI, but in a much tighter package.”
Pros
Detailed anime visuals
Fantastic fight
Unique character playstyles
Deceptively deep customization
Cons
Weak fundamental story
Odd endgame
If any fashionable RPG goes to captain us into an uncharted future for the style, I belief Granblue Fantasy: Relink to steer the ship.
It’s a thought I can’t assist however have as I blaze via the riveting — and mercifully compact — journey. There’s been a number of speak about the place the style is headed up to now few years as studios like Square Enix look to reinvent its most iconic collection to match a shortly altering panorama. What does an RPG even appear like in 2024? Cygames’ console follow-up to its 2014 cellular hit Granblue Fantasy is the perfect reply I’ve seen to that query but. It accomplishes that by taking cues from a variety of its contemporaries, assembling gameplay programs like a ship captain assembling the proper crew.
Whether you like the high-octane spectacle of Final Fantasy XVI or the character assortment of Genshin Impact, Granblue Fantasy: Relink has slightly one thing for you. It’s a wise mix of concepts, even when it’s a bit torn between console and cellular gaming philosophies. More importantly, although, it does all that with out sacrificing the playful power the RPG style was constructed on.
Join the crew
While Granblue Fantasy Relink is a follow-up to a profitable cellular recreation that’s been round for a decade, it’s a completely completely different beast. It acts as a assured reinvention of the collection constructed with a worldwide viewers in thoughts. Rather than giving gamers a turn-based riff on Final Fantasy, it’s a contemporary motion RPG with flashy hack-and-slash fight. It introduces new gamers to the world of Granblue in a concise 15-hour fundamental story the place not an hour feels wasted.
As a newcomer, I used to be skeptical at first look. The RPG’s weakest hyperlink is its core narrative, which follows a ragtag crew of skyfarers as they defend the Sky Realm from the nefarious Church of Avia. It’s a serviceable, however drained story of some do-gooders defending the world from an evil cult hell-bent on summoning a god. Don’t count on thematic heft; it offers in additional foundational RPG storytelling that, whereas a bit dated, can be admittedly charming in its dedication to the style.
When it must be grandiose, Relink goes for broke.
Though the story lacks intrigue, it’s sufficient to make for some jaw-dropping, blockbuster thrills. Much of the hunt has the crew looking down “primal beasts,” huge creatures hidden within the Sky Realms. The story’s finest moments have gamers thwarting these monsters in spectacular battles — and no two of them are alike. The earliest set piece sees the crew preventing off an infinite dragon because it assaults their ship. A a lot bigger battle within the desert pits the crew towards a skyscraper-sized golem as they use fallen ship turrets to chip away at its weak factors and ultimately scale its large physique like a Shadow of the Colossus encounter. Each second is each bit as stunning and exhilarating as an Eikon struggle in Final Fantasy XVI.
It helps that Relink sports activities a slick and versatile presentation. In its quiet moments, the colourful visuals give the Sky Realm a bright-eyed sense of surprise. It feels as breezy because the wind in my ship’s sails. When the motion ratchets up, although, Cygames lets the deceptively easy look flex its kaiju-sized muscle tissues. The most astonishing boss fights are a blinding spectacle of sunshine, triumphantly soundtracked by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu and Tsutomu Narita. When it must be grandiose, Relink goes for broke.
Cygames
What’s most profitable is how Relink builds the world of Granblue via aspect tales and additional lore. Each member of the crew will get their very own 11-part backstory, and that helps fill in a number of the empty canvas left by the paint-by-numbers story. One story chronicles the lifetime of a former sword grasp who left his calling to turn into a fishing hermit up within the mountains. Others are extra emotionally resonant. I related with a crewmember early on once I be taught that her dad and mom had died in a lethal (and maybe mystical) pandemic. Every story builds out the broader historical past of the Sky Realm, whereas giving every member in a large crew of characters a compelling cause to struggle.
As an introduction to the broader world of Granblue, Relink appears like a steppingstone. We don’t see a lot of the world itself through the journey, as smooth story missions happen in small, linear slices of assorted islands (like some nondescript fields and lava pits which can be reused for aspect missions). Much of it’s left as much as the creativeness, however that’s tremendous for now. Like my skyfaring crew, I left Relink excited to see the place the collection takes me subsequent. I’ve the style for journey now, and that’s a sense any budding RPG collection ought to instill in gamers.
Full burst
What’s most spectacular about Relink is its shockingly deep fight system. On its floor, it doesn’t appear very completely different from what’s seen in fashionable video games like Tales of Arise. Each character performs combos with two main assault buttons and has a set of flashy abilities that function on a brief cooldown. I feel I’ve all of it down once I take management of my participant character (the crew’s captain), who can retailer power to carry out extra highly effective variations of abilities.
A number of hours later, I noticed that I’d barely seen something. Relink encompasses a vast solid of characters, a few of which might be unlocked through crewmate tickets all through the story. They don’t simply look completely different or include an elemental energy; they’ve radically distinct playstyles. The salty Eugen can anchor himself in place to activate sniper imaginative and prescient, permitting him to freely intention and shoot his blunderbuss. Rosetta, then again, vegetation roses that stage up throughout battles. I’d equip abilities on her that will add therapeutic energy to these roses, in addition to grant close by allies harm discount.
Cygames
The extra I experimented with new crewmembers, the extra I grew to understand how advanced the system is. That aspectespecially shines when constructing out the proper, four-character celebration. The most enjoyable I had with Relink got here within the late recreation once I’d familiarized myself with everybody and began working to assemble the proper endgame workforce. By the final struggle, I had a flexible crew that each one had completely different assault ranges and features that synergized with each other.
In a humorous manner, Relink’s method to characters virtually shares extra in widespread with a preventing recreation like Tekken 8 than an RPG (maybe it’s no shock that the collection’ final recreation was, in truth, an ideal preventing recreation). I spent a bit of my journey in search of my “main” hero. By the time I landed on Narmaya, a sword consumer who can swap between quick and heavy types mid-combo, it actually felt like I’d discovered a playstyle that suited my wants. And it was one I may personalize additional on a nitty-gritty stage with an infinite ability tree and perk-granting sigils — each of which add some deceptively deep customization that’s not instantly obvious till halfway via the journey.
Both endurance and teamwork are a advantage in Relink.
Considering that this can be a recreation a few united ship crew, it’s no shock that the fight is constructed round teamwork. Each character will get an final Skybound Art that fees up through a gauge and naturally ends in a flashy animation (they’re basically restrict breaks). If celebration members unleash theirs briefly succession of each other, they’ll band collectively for an additional Full Burst assault. Similarly, characters can hit enemies with a charged-up hyperlink assault. When your complete celebration’s hyperlink stage hits 100%, time slows down, permitting the celebration to pepper in some further hits. Both endurance and teamwork are a advantage in Relink, which matches a great distance towards making my celebration really feel like an actual crew as an alternative of a random assortment of misfits.
Any nitpicks I’ve with the system really feel small within the scope of what Cygames pulls off right here. Attacks don’t all the time really feel like they’ve a robust affect, and a clumsy soar makes my characters really feel like they’re floating in a wierd manner throughout platforming and dodges. I can stay with these few gripes, although, contemplating how briskly and strategic battles really feel.
Finding the formulation
The extra I play, the extra I see the DNA of a number of RPGs coming collectively. The concentrate on characters feels straight related to gacha video games like Genshin Impact, whereas the fight isn’t far off from Tales of Arise. Reward-granting, optionally available battles really feel like a nod to Monster Hunter. A late story chapter virtually turns right into a Dynasty Warriors-style Musou for the briefest of moments. I can really feel Cygames taking each profitable concept from an evolving style and making an attempt to tug all of them collectively into one unified imaginative and prescient – as soon as once more becoming contemplating its central theme.
For essentially the most half, these programs match collectively surprisingly properly. There’s a considerable story to finish for solo gamers, excessive scores to chase in boss refights, a slew of characters to gather (minus the microtransactions), and even full four-player co-op to essentially widen the enchantment. There’s actually slightly one thing for everybody, although I’d put a slight emphasis on little there.
It feels just like the scope of the venture modified fully someplace throughout its lengthy growth cycle.
I can’t assist however really feel like Relink struggles a bit to nail down its identification. It’s aiming to be a full-on console RPG with a robust narrative focus, however I can nonetheless really feel the collection’ cellular roots lingering round awkwardly. It’s not an MMO or a live-service recreation, but it surely virtually asks gamers to method it like one. When I completed the story, I used to be removed from the sport’s ceiling. There had been tons of weapons I may acquire for every character, doubling my present assault energy. Harder sidequests would grant me uncommon sigils, whereas late-game character missions would give me much more slots to place them in.
I hadn’t even gotten midway up the mountain, however attending to the highest isn’t precisely an thrilling climb. The late recreation would have me grinding out a listing of horde and boss battles both solo or with pals. Though I respect having extra to do, the hassle doesn’t really feel value it contemplating that Relink isn’t meant to be an ongoing recreation. It feels just like the scope of the venture modified fully someplace throughout its lengthy growth cycle — one which noticed PlatinumGames go away the venture in 2019.
Cygames
While the construction feels slightly confused at instances, there’s one thing oddly becoming about that. Beyond its generic story of gods and cults, Granblue Fantasy Relink is admittedly about characters discovering their identification in a brand new world. The crew’s aspect tales present us susceptible heroes which can be nonetheless determining their place within the sky amid change, failure, and tragedy. Those piecemeal tales unfolded parallel to my very own journey, as I locked down my very own distinct playstyle in an unfamiliar sea of choices.
The future isn’t simply vast open for the crew or myself, however for a collection redefining its voice too. Relink dares to think about an optimistic future for Granblue and the RPG style at massive, one which sees a strategy to unite fractured artistic visions that hover away from each other like floating islands in an enormous sky. With slightly extra exploration, maybe Granblue might be the collection that harmoniously hyperlinks all of them collectively
Granblue Fantasy: Relink was examined on PC and Steam Deck.
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