The original Granblue Fantasy was a JRPG mobile game only released in Japan, but that didn’t stop enterprising westerners going to the effort to play it. That’s mainly because it counted Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu and art director Hideo Minaba among its developers.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is set in the same universe and has the same Final Fantasy vets involved, but it’s a big, splashly 1-4 player action RPG blockbuster, with combat reminiscent of some Platinum Games. You’ll find the latest trailer below.
Relink has been a long time coming: it was first shown in 2017, its name was confirmed in 2018, and it was originally due to release last year. It’s now aiming for a 2023 release date.
I called its combat reminiscent of Platinum Games, but I’m drawing that connection mostly because Platinum Games worked on its development for several years. They left the project in 2019, leaving Cygames as its sole developer. Cygames are best known in the west for their collectible card game, Shadowverse, but most of their output is Japan-only mobile games developed alongside the likes of Nintendo.
If the name “Granblue Fantasy” does sound familiar to you, it’s most likely because of the 2020 Arc System Works fighting game, Granblue Fantasy Versus. It’s getting as sequel called Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, the first trailer for which was also revealed today as part of Granblue Fantasy Fest 2022-2023:
But it’s Relink where my interest lies. It looks like the kind of anime bobbins that might drive me spare, but it’s also got big trees, airships, and combat in which everything glows. I’m intrigued to know more.
Graham Smith
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