Monster Primal Beast Hunter
Coming into the game already a fan, I was fully expecting to be satisfied just from the opportunity to experience another adventure with a cast of characters I’ve grown to love over the years. (I’d wager most Granblue fans would argue that the characters are the series’ best aspect.) And yet within my first hour of playing, I was surprised to find myself completely engrossed in the game’s action gameplay. It might just be the best thing about Relink.
Combat in Relink is fast and flashy, but never awkward. You have the option to play from a total of 18 characters including the protagonist, with more announced in the future. You’ll start with 6, but you’ll earn Crewmate Cards to eventually unlock each available character as you play through the story and complete quests, making it just a choice of who you want to unlock first. Adding to that, some skills can be equipped for each character depending on how you want to use them. There are also multiple ways to customize and upgrade characters, from weapon selection to weapon upgrading to Sigils you can equip that grant bonuses, to Mastery skill trees that grant passive buffs and unlock additional skills. It might sound like a lot, but it’s designed and presented with a clear enough UI to not feel overbearing and is simple enough to keep track of. There are a lot of small, yet meaningful QoL touches here and there, such as a tracker to keep note of the amount of upgrade materials you need. (No doubt something that Cygames learned to include from all the resource farming needed in the original browser game, where a similar feature also exists.)
Each character comes with different playstyles, utilizing simple two-button combo variations you can unleash a flurry of moves with. Some characters, like the mage Io, are long-range attackers who have the skills to heal the party. Others like the (self-proclaimed) cutest alchemist in the world, Cagliostro, are more flexible, with both offensive and defensive skills you can equip depending on how you want to tackle your next quest. There are characters like the hard-hitting martial artist Ghandagoza, whose moveset rewards you for mastering the game’s Perfect Guard mechanics properly. Then there are characters like the stance-based Narmaya, whom you can weave in and weave out of multiple stances with to keep the offense going indefinitely. Each crewmember is full of personality and feels unique to play as compared to one another. You’ll have the option to play as any character you want even through a majority of the Story missions, so you can cycle through your favorites and never feel bored with the combat of the game.
Yet what’s also true across the board for each character is just how great they all feel to play. It’s an accomplishment that the combat in Relink is somehow simple enough to pick up, yet with enough room & depth for mastery. Learning the ins & outs of each character and how they combo is extremely rewarding, but even just randomly mashing buttons both feels and looks great. Even if action isn’t your thing, the game offers an Assist & Full Assist Mode available in Story difficulty mode, where all you need to do is move your characters around and/or mash buttons, with the game taking care of your combos and skill inputs for you.
The flow of the combat itself is also extremely satisfying, and there’s never a dull moment with each encounter. Bosses move between several modes depending on the condition of their Mode Bar, behaving more aggressively in Overdrive, and being more open to attacks after a Mode Bar break. Enemies also have a stun/stagger meter that, once broken, will let players perform a Link Attack with a single button press that automatically launches the players toward the target. By performing enough Link Attacks to fill a gauge, players can activate Link Time, a bullet-time segment where enemies are slowed down and players have even more of an opportunity to launch a flurry of attacks. Players can also perform super moves called Skybound Arts, which can be chained together to activate a Chain Burst if performed by multiple members, dealing massive amounts of additional damage.
It’s the interplay of these carefully crafted systems that create such an amazing and polished action gameplay feel to Relink. It ends up becoming much more than the sum of its parts, and something truly special when the individual parts themselves are of such high quality. It goes without saying, but you can’t go wrong with an action game where every single button press feels meaningful, especially when you’ll be performing those actions hundreds, if not thousands of times. And that’s before you factor in the game’s stunning attack animations and visual effects, all of which remain clear & legible even when you’re facing off against dozens of enemies on screen. Perhaps the best example of the game’s achievement in action gameplay is in performing a Full Burst, by having all four party members perform their Skybound Arts in succession. It feels so incredibly satisfying to look at and execute, and it’s a testament to the game’s excellent combat design, visual design, sound design, and UI design all working in tandem.
At a glance, one might look at Relink and think that it has more in common with anime action RPGs such as Genshin Impact. But Relink‘s endgame follows a different formula, reminding me of games such as Monster Hunter. Up to four players online can undertake the game’s side missions from the quest counter in the game’s hub towns, and this is where the game’s real content lies. Completing the story will unlock high-end raid missions meant for fully geared-out players to tackle in online multiplayer. Given that Cygames has announced that they plan to keep adding more raid content in the future, it’s sure to provide hundreds of hours of additional gameplay even after you’ve completed the game’s main story. I’m looking forward to tackling these missions with friends online.
A Never-Ending Fantasy
Granblue Fantasy: Relink succeeds at many things: being a great introduction into the world & characters of Granblue Fantasy, being an incredibly polished action RPG that is accessible yet offers deep, engaging, & addicting combat, as well as being the best example of just what Granblue Fantasy is and why it’s so great.
If it’s not obvious by now, I’ll be completely honest: I love Granblue Fantasy as a series. I’ve played the browser game on and off since 2016, but I keep on coming back to its engaging story, its loveable characters, its gorgeous illustrations, and its incredible music. It’s a series that has a strong pedigree, with staff who’ve worked on Final Fantasy titles contributing to creating an RPG with incredible production values for a browser game. And it just gets better and richer in its content with each passing year.
Yet despite its popularity in Japan & around the world, despite its many media mix entries, it’s always been a challenge to introduce and explain what exactly about this franchise that worth experiencing. What makes this series so beloved? Why do tens of thousands of people line up to attend the series’ Granblue Fantasy FES fan events each year?
To me, nothing encapsulates Granblue Fantasy more than its main theme and the feelings it evokes. It’s a grand adventure across the skies with your friends, full of dangers & challenges abound. At times tearful & melancholic, but ultimately one full of discovery, camaraderie, and hope. And now with Relink, I’m glad that everyone will get the chance to experience the world of Granblue Fantasy for themselves, with the best showcase of it possible.
Game Information
| Title | Granblue Fantasy: Relink |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Players | 1 – 4 Players (Online) |
| Online | Supported |
| Release Date | February 1, 2024 |
| Platforms | PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Steam® |
| Languages | Voiceover: English, Japanese Subtitles: English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified) |
| Development | Cygames, Inc. |
| Publisher | Sega Corporation (Steam® version published by Cygames) |
The Indonesian Anime Times | Review by Caesar E.S | This review is based on the PS5 version of the game, which is provided by SEGA to KAORI Nusantara
