Granblue Fantasy Versus
Granblue Fantasy Versus may have introduced an entirely new fanbase to Gran’s grand adventure in 2020, but as a fan of the mobile RPGs before it, I came into Granblue Fantasy: Relink with very different expectations. Finally making the jump from phones to PC and PlayStation, the series has embraced exhilarating real-time action that feels right at home alongside other ambitious story-driven games like Final Fantasy XVI or Star Ocean: The Divine Force. But its clear mobile roots are a double-edged sword – the storytelling may be tighter and less bloated than its contemporaries, but other parts just don’t feel quite up to snuff for a game of this scale. Still, Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s fun combat and charming characters have kept me entertained for more than 35 hours already, even well after the credits have rolled.
Story and Characters
Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s story follows a skyfaring crew on their search for a mysterious island called Estalucia that can make wishes come true. You play as a mostly silent protagonist (your choice between Gran and Djeeta) along with a young girl named Lyria, whose incredible summoning powers play a key part later in the story. The central cast has a nice mix of personalities – Io’s anxious demeanor balances out Rackam’s more steadfast confidence, and that well-rounded party creates plenty of interesting interactions between them.
Gameplay and Combat
After recently playing a pair of incredibly long RPGs in Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I was expecting Relink’s main adventure to take at least 30 hours – however, its story is structured much more like a mobile game, which largely works in its favor. Each of its 10 chapters are concise and don’t drag their feet with more unnecessary dialogue than they have to. You have your objective for the chapter, go to a new location to complete it, defeat a boss, and then move on to the next one. It’s a refreshing change of pace to play an RPG that doesn’t want to waste your time and just gets straight into the action. As a result, I always felt like I was making some sort of meaningful story progress, and the main campaign can be completed in a satisfying 15-20 hours.
Character Diversity and Combat Features
Relink isn’t short on cinematic moments, either. Right from the beginning, your crew is ambushed by monsters and you’re forced to fight them off as they try to board you. Some of the more amazing moments are even on par with Final Fantasy XVI’s biggest confrontations. For example, one chapter has you controlling Bahamut similar to those thrilling Eikon battles, while another has you climbing on a stone giant like you’re playing Shadow of the Colossus. Although Relink’s story doesn’t have the grandiose scope of something like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, it’s no less charming or emotional.
Fate Episodes and Multiplayer
Every character has something called Fate Episodes, which are special scenes that provide lore and background on them, and even increase that person’s stats when you finish watching. Unfortunately, the vast majority are just cutscenes that simply describe what’s going on in a comparatively boring way that made me wish more of them were fully fleshed out. Completing Quests rewards you with materials needed to forge and upgrade weapons, as well as improve Sigils. Sigils are equippable orbs attached to your weapon that add a variety of different effects, such as decreasing skill cooldowns when hitting foes or increasing your base attack stat. There’s a lot of cool effects to play around with and tailor your specific playstyle toward. Some of the hardest post-game bosses and Quests aren’t for the faint of heart, so you’ll need proper Sigil planning in order to beat them.