Granblue Fantasy Relink: A Comprehensive Review of the Long-Awaited Action RPG for PS5 and PC

2024-02-12 01:27:12

8 years from first announcement to release. This is the time it took to meet ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’. Since its first release in 2016, it was officially released on February 1 following going through many twists and turns, including a change in the development team.

‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ is an action RPG developed by Cygames. It is the official sequel to the mobile game ‘Granblue Fantasy’ released in 2014. The difference is that it adds action to the Japanese-style RPG (JRPG) feel that was a feature of the original. It is a choice to increase immersion by adding real-time control elements.

‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’, which I actually played, was a game with many advantages. The first thing is that you can enjoy high-quality action with simple controls. Compared to recently released Japanese RPGs (JRPGs), the graphic expression and art style are also highly complete. Another attractive point is that if you delve into the training, you can enjoy it for a sufficient amount of time.

■ ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’, which is similar to the original but different

‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ tried to save many parts of the original work. You can meet the main characters (Gran and Zita) as well as various colleagues. The story flow is standard enough to be said to follow the royal road of JRPGs, but it is filled with colorful characters and events, making it a lot of fun to read.

The addition of a system to briefly review the character’s story and obtain rewards is also related to this. This is a consideration so that novice users can immerse themselves in the story. It was structured so meticulously that even Korean users who did not enjoy the original work would have no major problems understanding the plot.

Usually, these systems have no or little compensation. On the other hand, ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ has sufficient merit in that it allows you to obtain plenty of goods necessary for early training.

The way of playing has completely changed. This is because real-time actions were introduced. In addition, the method of dealing with enemies in a four-person party is the same. You can still use Oui, Chain Burst, and Overdrive to attack enemies with your party members.

Even though quite a few combat systems have been added, the learning difficulty is low. It notifies you of the moment the conditions are met, so all you have to do is use it when you need it.

■ Easy but fun thrilling action experience

There is also consideration for users who are unfamiliar with action games. Even in normal mode, where action and story are balanced, the battles are not difficult. There are plenty of chances to fail or try once more, so just attack calmly. A mode that focuses entirely on the story is also provided. It is a type of difficulty adjustment that can be changed at any time in a waiting area such as a village.

The action system uses the three elements of attack, blocking, and evasion appropriately. It is advantageous to seize the opportunity to attack by avoiding or blocking the enemy’s strong attack.

If you dodge at the right moment, you will be declared invincible with a ‘ping’ sound effect, but there is no need to obsess over it. This is because the strategy of quickly escaping to a safe area and catching the enemy behind is advantageous in most situations. This reminds me of the hunting action genre represented by ‘Monster Hunter’.

It is convenient to block some attacks from boss monsters. This is because the attack speed is very fast, making it difficult to know the timing of evasion. There are almost no restrictions on dodging, but you cannot avoid all attacks that intersect quickly. At this time, you can continue stable play just by mixing the blocking once. Just pressing dodge (R2) and block (L1) alternately is quite enjoyable.

■ Equipped with digging elements through a rich training system

One of the characteristics of ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ is the digging element. The system for collecting and nurturing various characters has been established at a high level.

Each character can be fostered by creating and strengthening dedicated weapons, strengthening characters, breaking limits, and Jin. It feels like the training system in the original mobile game has been reinterpreted for an action RPG. Collecting the goods needed for training through sub-quests and distributing them appropriately is also similar to the hunting action genre in terms of experience.

Of course, this kind of digging is not compulsory. Sub-quests remain secondary only. At the beginning of the game, it is enough to play just one or two to obtain insufficient reinforcement materials or to raise the level.

If you are a user who considers the story important, you can prioritize the main quest. The reason I mentioned delving into it is because it is valuable in that it guarantees a play time worthy of a full-prize game.

■ Light hitting feeling and strange targeting support are the best

‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ was completed at a high overall level, including story, visuals, and music, which are the strengths of JRPG. However, if you look at the details, there are quite a few parts that leave much to be desired. It has a light feel and only the main character can be used as the story progresses. This is difficult to understand because you have to give up all the benefits of the attribute system when progressing through the main story.

I would also like to point out the strange targeting (target lock) system. The targeting system in ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ works similarly to the Soullike system. Targets nearby enemies first, and automatically searches for the next enemy when the enemy is defeated. At this time, if you use a link attack in which your ally attacks the enemy at the same time, the distance from the targeting monster increases and the flow is disrupted.

When dealing with a huge boss monster, there are many moments where you are interrupted because you cannot see the floor. This is because the gaze camera points upward the moment it targets the enemy’s head, legs, or tail. In this case, we had to respond by instantly resetting the targeting. Although it is a method that may have different likes and dislikes, the disadvantages seem to be greater at the present time when hunting action and the soul-like system have become the standard.

■ A masterpiece suitable for users who enjoy stories and action

‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ is a JRPG with a good overall structure. I would like to praise it more than anything for creating a unique world with unique artwork. The action system that matches this is also fun.

It’s also great that it provides a variety of things to enjoy, such as raising your favorite characters and using them in multiplayer. As pointed out earlier, there are some details, but they are not enough to affect the evaluation of the game as fun. I would like to express ‘Granblue Fantasy Relink’ as having clear advantages that make you forget the small disadvantages.

For reference, I would like to recommend playing on the PlayStation 5 (PS5) version. This is because you can enjoy Dual Sense’s unique vibration and trigger response in certain events. The PC version allows multiplayer with more users, so you won’t regret whichever platform you choose.

Reporter Seo Sam-gwang [email protected]

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