Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an actual online game (and it is fairly enjoyable, too)

Introduced all the best way again in 2016, it has been straightforward to surprise if Granblue Fantasy: Relink really exists – nevertheless, for anybody that has had the possibility to attend Anime Expo 2023, the sport’s existence is now not in query; as Cygames has granted attendees an opportunity to play the newest demo construct of the sport. In the course of the expo we took the possibility to attempt the demo twice, with two totally different characters – Siegfried and Katalina.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an motion RPG whose core gameplay loop revolves round cooperation; not solely will the total sport help as much as 4-player co-op, however even when tackling the sport solo mechanics like Hyperlink Assaults and Chain Bursts will tax gamers to work alongside their occasion members with the intention to extra effectively clear missions.

Whereas we weren’t in a position to check any of the RPG elements of the sport for the demo, we did get to place to proof Cygames’ declare that characters themselves will play radically otherwise from one another; each Siegfried and Katalina had radically totally different gameplay kinds, even when the core battle system stays the identical whatever the character performed. Siegfried makes a speciality of precision-timed assaults, the place gamers completely timing assaults is not going to solely strengthen their combo, however finally enable for a novel finisher that may deal important injury. Katalina’s combo finishers will increase her distinctive Ares gauge, and upon being crammed her instructions will probably be buffed; permitting for a form of metagame the place gamers may need to save her SBA till her Ares gauge has been crammed.

The demo itself tasked gamers with clearing an space of a bunch of enemies, earlier than then being thrown right into a boss battle towards a Goblin Knight. If gamers managed to defeat the Goblin Knight inside 5 minutes, they had been then granted a further Griffin boss to deal with. Whereas each the Goblin Knight and the Griffin got here with a novel set of assaults, the Griffin particularly was a setpiece encounter. 

If I had been to explain Relink’s fight; properly, the obvious comparability could be Monster Hunter. As a substitute of fixing out weapons, nevertheless, every character themselves acts as a novel moveset, with gamers with the ability to degree up and customise every member of their occasion individually. Whilst you will not have the ability to swap characters on the fly in fight, gamers can swap which characters they will deal with every mission with earlier than loading in. In the course of the Granblue Fantasy panel through the expo Cygames clarified that the sport itself wouldn’t be an open-world, however fairly divided up into linear missions and aspect quests that may be loaded into from the principle hub.

In apply, Relink was a pleasure to play, and gameplay was fluid, responsive and a number of enjoyable to become familiar with. Most significantly, nevertheless, the sport feels polished and the businesses’ claims that it is nearing completion really feel far more plausible now that we have had the possibility to get our hands-on with the sport for ourselves. The sport seems unbelievable on PlayStation 5, and the complete presentation seems able to go for launch; which, hopefully, must be later this 12 months. Keep tuned for our additional impressions as we get nearer to launch!