You may not be familiar with Granblue Fantasy despite it having a pretty big footprint in Japan. A mobile game that has been translated into a manga, an anime, and four years ago made its console debut with the exceptional fighting game, Granblue Fantasy Versus.
Granblue Fantasy Relink hopes to delight fans of the franchise but also be a good entry point for those less invested in the story of the Grandcypher and its crew of skyfaring adventurers. Focusing on a self-contained story, you are immediately thrown into the steampunk-inspired action as you face off with a dragon trying to ground you permanently. This cinematic moment gives a good indication of what you’re in for. Relink has no pretensions about being anything more than a mid-budget RPG and uses every ounce of its graphics, world, and combat to give you the kind of epic adventure you’d expect of a Final Fantasy. A focus on bite sized levels with engaging combat and a healthy sprinkling of memorable cinematic moments makes Granblue Fantasy Relink a surprisingly addictive game.
From the plot perspective, you won’t be blown away. The crew of the Grandcypher land on a new sky island where they get into some trouble trying to tame an elemental creature gone rampant and make enemies of a religious cult. Each of it’s ten or so levels will have you complete a few objectives, beat up some baddies, then take on a boss. Sprinkled in there are the cinematic moments and cool gameplay shakeups such as controlling a giant monster or taking control of the Grandcypher’s cannons.
As you make your way through the plot you’ll grow to love (or hate, depending on your tolerance for anime dialogue) the members of the crew. All of them (with the exception of Vyrn, the weird mascot dragon) are playable and each has a unique playstyle to give you the chance to find who fits your style more. Djeeta, Gran, and Katalina are button-pressing sword-swingers that give fans of Devil May Cry or Nier a similar feeling style of combat. You can play Io, a mage focused on elemental attacks and healing…and other have guns and bombs. The variety extends to a dozen-ish characters you can unlock in the later game, meaning there is a lot to enjoy if building characters and experimenting with playstyles is your thing.
The game’s main story is pretty short and sweet. You can beat it in a weekend. But after you’ve done so it opens the post-game, the bulk of the game. Here you start to feel the series’ mobile game origins come out. Mini-missions put the focus on grinding characters strengths and defeating monsters in a handful of game types. While there is story related content and new bosses to encounter, the grind means your mileage may vary. Many of the enemies are reskins with new attack patterns, so the attempt has been made to offer a semblance of variety, but you’ll still feel a bit of déjà vu if you decide to continue beyond the main story.
Graphically pretty, with exciting combat and a surprisingly fun but succinct story, Granblue Fantasy Relink is a wonderful JRPG full of character and charm. From beginning to end I had a smile on my face, enjoying every little character interaction and how pure and comfy it all is. More characters are set to release in future DLC that will add even more dimensions to this already beefy game. With such fun combat and the sheer number of characters I couldn’t help but love, Relink is well worth your time and the first surprise hit of the year.
Rating: 8/10
Publisher provided PS5 code in return for honest review
