GamesRPGGranblue Fantasy: RelinkGranblue Fantasy Relink and the challenge of translating a domestic RPG phenomenon into a global successWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGGranblue Fantasy: RelinkGranblue Fantasy Relink and the challenge of translating a domestic RPG phenomenon into a global successWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Cygames)
It’s difficult to please everyone, especially when you’re releasing a new game in a long-running franchise. Do you appease the diehard fan, or reach out to new audiences? Is it even possible to translate and make a domestic phenomenon accessible while retaining the depth and breadth that made local fans fall in love with it in the first place?
Granblue Fantasy Versus was a worldwide success, but it wasn’t the answer. It had only a minimal, non-canon storyline and lifted the characters into the world of fighting games rather than translating the experience of the original title to a new platform. Luckily for Cygames, the new Granblue Fantasy Relink seems to deliver on its lofty original promise: not only is it a highly entertaining and polished story-driven action RPG honoring its roots, it provides a blueprint for fellow Japanese developers seeking to bridge a language and cultural divide in broadening their domestic darling to a global audience.
Worldwide wonder
(Image credit: Cygames)
RHYTHM & BLUE
(Image credit: Cygames)
Although the mobile and browser game has been available in English for most of its nearly-10-year existence, the series remains relatively unknown outside of Japan. And while it’s a grand RPG adventure set in the Sky Realm - a world of disconnected islands floating amidst the clouds - where you’re tasked with saving the world countless times on a journey to find your father on the mythical island of Estalucia, the enduring appeal is less in this main quest and more in the grandiose lore and characters hidden within.
Indeed, at times it can feel like this core storyline is merely an aside for something far larger (and, necessary in a gacha game, unlikely to end as long as it generates a profit). You’ll save the world and make steps towards this mythic land as you dive deeper into the world of Granblue, but you’ll spend far more time plundering in secondary, character-driven mundane tales of daily life from its over-1000 strong cast of characters, or participating in timed adventures that feel like snapshots into a life of adventure. It’s easy to get lost for thousands of hours and still have something new to enjoy.
This living world is the heart of Granblue Fantasy, one which explains how this franchiseremains in the top 50 highest-grossing games on iOSwith broad multimedia expansion into manga, anime,in-person festivals and concerts,a permanent-themed cafeand more. Yet this breadth and variety of content is exactly what makes the series so inaccessible to newcomers, especially for an international audience for whom much of this expansive world is inaccessible outside of its home country.
(Image credit: Cygames)
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Fan-favorite side characters are a pleasing playable inclusion for players like myself while remaining optional and absent from the story beyond the core crew to avoid appearing overwhelming. As with everything, it’s all about balance: I’m glad I can unleash chaos on my enemies with the gremlin herself,Cagliostro, yet no newcomer will complain about having over 20 characters with unique weapon and playing styles to mess about with, from magic to whips to swords and more.
Relink to the past
(Image credit: Cygames)
“It makes the Sky Realm feel more vast and inviting than I had ever imagined it to be, longing for the impossible chance to jump into an airship of my own and adventure into the great unknown.”
“It makes the Sky Realm feel more vast and inviting than I had ever imagined it to be, longing for the impossible chance to jump into an airship of my own and adventure into the great unknown.”
While I’ve drifted in and out of the mobile game over the course of the last few years personally, finally stepping through these towns in such a well-realized form through the lens of an all-new story has been pretty emotional. I’ve caught myself idly gawking at the environments and characters, seeing the watercolor artwork I recognize from playing or attending art exhibits (such as the recentCygames Exhibition) finally brought to life in such a tangible way.
It’s made the Sky Realm feel more vast and inviting than I’d ever imagined, and I’ve longing for the impossible chance to jump into an airship of my own and adventure into the great unknown. Better still, with this new gamefinallyconvincing friends to give the series a chance, I can now form my own crew to join me on this endeavor.
It’s always a challenge to transform a domestic success story into a global phenomenon. Yet Granblue Fantasy Relink is proof that, if you retain the essence of what attracted people to the series in the first place and leave an open door, new players will give it a chance, even if just to see what all the fuss was about. If you make it fun, they might even stay. Despite launching between new entries in more established franchises in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Persona 3: Reload, it is Relink that attracted ahigher peak player count on Steamin its opening days of release.
Who knows, maybe when you’re done, you could be tempted to dive in further. That’s perhaps the best thing about Relink: it’s an invitation to something more. If you like what you discover from this world with this experience, well. This is only the beginning.
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