Finally!! GranBlue Fantasy Relink has been released after years of development and anticipation. Since the announcement this game in 2016 excitement has been on the rise. It was an immediate must buy for most Role-playing game fans. But it’s release is now surrounded by a litany of other great RPGs, including the sequel to the mega hit FF7Remake, FF7Rebrth. This is causing many players to wonder if they need to update their shopping list.
Well I’m here to help make that decision a little easier. In this Installment of first to 10 will be talking about Granblue Fantasy Relink. Lets delve into what to expect and of course, if it is worth your time.
In The Beginning There Was Granblue
Granblue Fantasy Relink is a fundamentally different game than I expected. What drew me to the game years ago was the graphic style and the promise of an alluring tale.
This means I expected a traditional save the world story with enhanced graphics and a few quirky mechanics to differentiate it from the pack. Instead GBFRelink felt like a combination of the best parts of other games that I have played, coherently put together and packaged for my enjoyment
The towns in Granblue Fantasy RElink feel lived in and busy. This combined with the music and art style really brings immersion and imagination to the forefront of the player experience.
Firstly, you need not fear being out of the loop when playing Granbluefantasy Relink. Although the series has years of story already set up from its mobile game roots, it does not even entertain the idea that you have any knowledge of it’s history. GBFRelink does a great job of including you in the story an bringing you up to speed without feeling like you’re watching a series recap.
The relationships between the main character gradually unfold along with the history of the world. There is also a feature in the game that allows you to further delve into the histories, stories, music and re-watch cut scenes, but all that is completely optional. The choice is yours.
You don’t have to be a veteran of the Granblue story to enjoy the unique personalities and connections of the characters in GBFRelink
The game has a main story and side quests of course, but the layout is more akin to Monster Hunter and a MMORPG than a standard JRPG. The user interface (UI) is also a hero of the story. The main quests are highlighted separately from the side quests in the menu system. You go complete the side quests by speaking to an NPC who will let you go out on missions in a manner that feels very Monster Hunter.
This NPC serves a hub to select missions to be loaded up and executed. But in order to keep this from being too boring and straight forward, you pick up the side missions from various NPCs in town and they are categorized in ways to let you decide how you want to tackle your growing mountain of side content.
There is horde mode, where you fight waves of enemies, boss battles where you take on one big powerful enemy, and survival mode to name a few. You get rewarded and graded based on your performance, further incentivizing you to level up your gear characters and learn effective combos and team layouts.
Fasten Your Sword Belts
The game play in GBVRelink can be described as familiar and fun. Familiar in the sense that its an action RPG so its nothing that we haven’t seen before, yet the way they execute this formula is enthralling. The battle system, for example, is quite chaotic at first but as you become more familiar with the flow, it feels much more natural. .
There is a combo system that can be understood and followed or you can just mash buttons and do damage. Being better acquainted with the ins and outs of the battle system will reward you more damage and faster clear times in mission. however, both play styles will get you to the finish line in battle depending on your difficulty settings.
It all looks and sounds great thanks to Final Fantasy veterans like Hideo Minaba doing the art and Nobuo Uematsu doing the music. There is also a choice between performance and quality mode on the ps5 that can make the game look better or play faster, further increasing your ability to tailor your experience.
Siegfried is a great example of the depth possible in GBFRelink. By timing your button presses you can increase your attack and finish with a massive combo ender that has many other benefits beyond damage. its not necessary to enjoy the character but it makes battles much more engaging
Where the artistry comes into play for me is in the way all the characters interact with each other during the battles. There is an abundant assortment of one liners, praises and thinly veiled sibling like insults that are thrown around during battle. It really makes you feel as though you are both watching and orchestrating an anime battle of epic proportions.
There are 19 unlockable characters in the game that feel very different from each other and have their own individual skill trees. Along with this goes the linked attacks where characters will in together for a coordinated assault on an enemy. These look amazing and further increase your affinity for the characters and certain team setups.
In The End There Was GranBlue
Granblue Fantasy Relink has the potential to be one of my favorite games, not only of the year, but of this console generation. I have to admit that my perspective may be a little bias because I watched the anime, read the manga, played the mobile game and the fighting game before GBFRelink was released.
All of those actions definitely increased my affinity for the characters and the world of Granblue. I embarked on that journey since the announcement of GBFRelink wrangled my interest and set me on a path to investigating the series. I wanted to have as much connection to a game that looked so compelling as I possibly could. I did this, as I often do, in hopes that on release I could be fully immersed in the world without asking my asking myself questions about what was happening in the story.
The mission seems accomplished so far, but to my surprise, it was not needed. I feel certain that even without all of my eager preparedness I would have still enjoyed this game. There is definitely enough in the main story to keep you compelled and satisfied with your play sessions for hours to come.
There is even online co-op play that I haven’t even started that, looks quite interesting. Some of my friends and i are planning on jumping into the online portion once we get enough of the single player campaign. Also since playing online can unlock certain things for the single player mode, it feels like a quiet necessity.
In short, Granblue Fantasy Relink is a game that was long promised and well delivered. If you’re a fan of the series or any of it’s incarnations, then you already know the wealth of story available and the quality expected in this series. Those of you on the fence with apprehensions of feeling lost and overwhelmed shouldn’t worry either, you will be handled with care as you get more acquainted with the cast and crew. There are going to be a lot of great options in the RPG genre this year, so make sure you keep Granblue Fantasy Relink is on your list.
Did you already pick up this title? let me know what you think so far. Does it meet your expectations or are you a new comer to the world of Granblue Fantasy Relink? Comment below.