GamesAction RpgGranblue Fantasy: RelinkGranblue Fantasy Relink is what I always wanted from the series: a great RPG with no gacha baggageWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAction RpgGranblue Fantasy: RelinkGranblue Fantasy Relink is what I always wanted from the series: a great RPG with no gacha baggageWhen 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: Granblue Fantasy: Relink)
Enter Granblue Fantasy Relink, fast becoming the top contender for my 2024 GOTY. Finally, something my speed: a flashy 3D action RPG that has a huge cast of playable characters with diverse moves, fun but crucially optional co-op, and a wealth of quests to grind for that juicy S++ score. The boss fights and timers speak to my Monster Hunter-loving heart, the epic Primal battles are outdoing even Final Fantasy 16’s giant monsters, and I’ve found myself surprisingly endeared with the (mostly) lighthearted story which does a good job of incorporating so many different people. It’s chock-full of weapons to upgrade, secrets to dig up in bite-sized open zones, and irresponsibly large skill trees that are optimization catnip.
Relinkuish all my free time
(Image credit: Granblue Fantasy: Relink)
The core game is only as long as it needs to be, and the post-game buffet is perfect for sickos like me who want to master the fighting styles of all the characters. I maxed out almost every single Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 even though it could get boring at times, so you’d better believe I’m going to grind Relink into dust when simply leveling things up isthis fun.
Zeta is super fun to play, and after getting comfortable with her style, I started to wonder who I should invite to join my crew next. After much deliberation, becauseeveryoneis cool, I went with Narmaya, a katana-wielding warrior who switches between two fighting stances with hugely satisfying animations. Within minutes of meeting her, I was able to boost Narmaya to combat-ready strength without even spending that many resources. Great, now I can build different loadouts for both her and Zeta to make a more balanced party based on who I’m currently playing. I’ll do the same thing dozens of times over in the future, savoring every decision.
The anti-gacha game
(Image credit: Granblue Fantasy: Relink)
I realize that Relink was never pitched as anything other than a premium, no-strings-attached game, but after trying Granblue Fantasy itself and playing Genshin basically every day for over three years and counting, I can’t help but see the gacha bullshit that so easily could have been.
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A popular counterpoint with this stuff is that you put up with it because the games are typically free and have to monetize elsewhere and consequently push player retention, but fuck that. It still sucks. I love Genshin, but it has a lot of these exact problems and they suck there too. All games balance making money with delivering fun, and ostensibly free games very loudly rank money far above fun much more often than the full-price ones.
(Image credit: Cygames)
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