From its announcement in 2016 to its release today, the development of "Granblue Fantasy: Relink" has not been smooth. Typically, games that go through a turbulent development process often fall short of expectations upon release, but this game exceeded my expectations and outperformed the previous demo. It’s clear that Cygames, a company known for its mobile games, has brought some fresh ideas to console gaming, which may also inspire future developers.

This review is based on the PS5 version.

Although the game appears to be fan-oriented, it actually doesn’t have a steep learning curve. Even if you are entirely unfamiliar with the original storyline, you can still enjoy the game. However, if you’ve played the original, watched the anime, or played the fighting game GBVS, "Granblue Fantasy: Relink" (hereafter referred to as Relink) will evoke strong emotions. Seeing the 3D models and rich moves of the characters, along with the dazzling combat effects, will provide fans with a pilgrimage-like experience.

Relink features an original story as its main plot, which takes about ten hours to complete. This process helps you become familiar with the combat and quest systems, and by the time you finish the main story, your most-used characters will likely be around level 50 (with a max level of 100). Without spoiling anything, the story itself is relatively average in terms of narrative technique and excitement, but the script isn’t the main focus. The game instead uses spectacular performances and boss battles to deliver one climax after another, making the actual content of the story secondary—the fun and excitement are what matter.

Cygames brings some fresh ideas to console gaming, as seen in Relink, where traditional RPG design concepts have been improved, or perhaps more aligned with mobile game development thinking. The game’s main story does not feature large labyrinths or small maps but instead offers a series of garden-like scenes. These scenes are simple yet not simplistic, and while there are no maps, they are not linear, providing enough content to keep things interesting without causing confusion. The number of random battles has been minimized, and each chapter of the story is kept to around an hour, ensuring a well-balanced mix of random battles, map exploration, boss battles, and cutscenes without dragging out any one aspect too long.

For traditional RPG players, this game doesn’t offer much in terms of open-world or free exploration elements. The two towns in the game primarily serve as hubs for gathering, and you can accept side quests from NPCs, similar to the towns in the "Monster Hunter" series. To maintain the smooth and exhilarating flow of the main story, Cygames has separated the grindy elements from the main story and placed them in the mission center. You simply accept missions, launch them with one click, and start fighting. Part of the scenes from the main story reappear as mission areas, and after completing the mission objectives, you automatically return to town.

The real game begins after you complete the main story. You’ll need to keep grinding various missions to level up, strengthen characters, and obtain more character unlock tickets (you can earn four or five tickets during the main story). The difficulty of the missions increases steadily, and some post-game storylines, including the true ending, require continuous grinding. Some missions allow for significant level increases, and each mission can be completed in just a few minutes. With three NPC teammates and fully automated combat, grinding is still fun and easy.

However, once you reach the MANIAC difficulty missions, automated combat is no longer available, and with limited resources for skill upgrades, your team’s overall strength might start to feel a bit strained. Therefore, it’s recommended to invest all your resources in your favorite character, and at this point, try matching up with other players online—playing together is where the real fun of grinding lies.

The combat system of this game will leave a strong impression, especially if you’ve tried the demo. Each character has many moves to explore, and for seasoned action gamers, there’s potential to deal massive damage in spectacular fashion. With the equipment system and various factors (similar to skill gems), each character can develop in different specialized directions. Currently, there are over 20 playable characters, with more characters and bosses planned for future updates, so you don’t need to worry about running out of content post-game—there’s enough to keep you playing for hundreds of hours.

Beyond the main story, each character has 11 chapters of "Fate Episodes," though unfortunately, most of these are presented as visual novels, with only a few key chapters featuring combat levels. These episodes provide background stories for each character, and after completing each chapter, the character’s abilities receive a slight boost, making them worth experiencing for dedicated fans.

Another noteworthy aspect is the game’s attention to detail. For example, you can teleport directly to the quest NPC upon completing a side quest, automatically skip result animations, and when skipping cutscenes, the game provides a brief summary of the skipped content. These features make the game feel more fluid, rather than wasting time on running around or grinding against weak enemies, as in traditional RPGs. While some people might still enjoy those traditional elements, I believe that in this fast-paced era, it’s time to make some of these traditional aspects more user-friendly. For instance, having voice acting for the protagonist doesn’t reduce my sense of immersion—though opinions on this may vary.

Summary and Score: 9/10

"Granblue Fantasy: Relink" is divided into two parts—the main story, which lasts over ten hours and delivers roller-coaster-like thrills with a smooth pace, and the post-game missions, which can provide dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of gameplay. You can explore each character’s moves and enjoy cooperative play with online players. Even if you’ve never played or watched the original "Granblue Fantasy," there’s still plenty to enjoy in this game. And for fans of the original, "Granblue Fantasy: Relink" will not disappoint.