The world of Granblue Fantasy has been expanding from a mobile RPG by publisher/developer Cygames into a fighting game series developed by Arc System Works (Guilty Gear series). Cygames is growing the video game franchise into the realm of third-person action RPG with Granblue Fantasy Relink. Today, the release date trailer was released during Gamescom 2023, announcing that the game will be released on February 1, 2024. I had the chance to get some hands-on with Granblue Fantasy Relink, and it’s shaping up to be a fun adventure with Granblue Fantasy characters, boss battles and seeing these 2D characters become 3D characters in third-person view.

Here’s What We Know About the Game

Cygame’s flagship mobile RPG, Granblue Fantasy, has gained over 35 million registered skyfarers since 2014.

Published and developed internally by Cygames, Granblue Fantasy Relink is an action RPG aimed for old and new players of the franchise.

Players can play the campaign as a single player, or they can team up with up to 4 players.

The game features cross-play compatibility for online multiplayer between the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

Yasuyuki Kaji is the director, who has worked on games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Bayonetta.

The setting is Zegagrande Skydom, floating islands guarded by powerful creatures known as Primal Beasts and home to four different races: Human, Erune, Harvin and Draph.

Granblue Fantasy Relink will feature the same protagonist from the mobile game, the Captain.

Lyria and Vyrn are the captain’s partners. Lyria has a link to the captain and can summon primal beasts. Vyrn is a cute little dragon who grew up with the captain.

Other characters who can join the Captain in battle are Katalina, Rackam, Io, Eugen, Rosetta etc. They each will have their own unique fighting style from using swords to guns.

Characters customization will be available including equipping different weapons or sigils.

There will be over 100 quests. The stages aren’t open world, but some areas encourage exploration.

Modes for the game include boss battles, time attack, survival, and more.

There’s a stun gauge that can be filled, causing enemies to flinch.

The action RPG does have an assist mode available if you want to enjoy the story and not worry about the combat’s difficulty level. With this mode on, there will be auto heals, auto guard, auto dash, and combos that can be performed with just a single button.

There’s also the Full Assist mode for players that are either really new to the series or really want an easy adventure. This will have all actions performed automatically, and the whole game can be played in this mode.

“So there are lots of elements that we’ve included in this game that we think will surprise and delight fans of the original,” Cygames’ general director Tetsuya Fukuhara tells Nerd Reactor. “So first up, the battle system is the primary focus of Granblue Fantasy Relink. For fans of the mobile game, we’ve included weapons, enemies, and various little quest elements that make for little surprises. We think there are lots of things that will delight people who are very familiar with the Granblue universe. And even if you don’t know anything about Granblue, you can still jump in and have a lot of fun.”

The demo is available to play at Gamescom, the biggest video game convention in the world, and I had the chance to check it out during a press event in San Francisco. It’s a very short experience that showcases the action RPG gameplay, and one of the key mechanics is the linking system. Once you build enough of the meter bar, you can perform a very special attack that can be linked together with other party members’ actions, uniting as one and dealing devastating blows against enemies and bosses. If you have successfully linked with all members of the party, it will get you Full Chain.

The two bosses I faced back to back are the Rock Golem and Giant Skeleton. They were both a challenge at the start, but once you have figured out the Link Attacks and Full Chain, you’ll be able to beat them in no time.

“We chose to create a demo from the specific portion of the game because we wanted to showcase a variety of characters,” Kaji tells Nerd Reactor. “We also wanted to showcase two different types of boss battles, so you could have fun playing around with different strategies. Also, we think that the length is just perfect for events like this. It really gives you a great and effective introduction to the game system and content.”

Granblue Fantasy Relink Physical Editions

Granblue Fantasy Relink Collector’s Edition

• MSRP: $179.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• Proto Bahamut Figure
• Sword of Eos Metal Charm
• Special Outer Box Featuring Unique Artwork
• Special Artbook
• Special Soundtrack CD
• Postcard Set
• In-game Items
• Starter Item Pack
• Color Packs 1–3
• Weapon: False Sword of the Apocalypse
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack (Limited to the first print run)

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Standard Edition

• MSRP: $59.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack (Limited to the first print run)

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Deluxe Edition

• MSRP: $99.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• Special Outer Box Featuring Unique Artwork
• Special Artbook
• Special Soundtrack CD
• Postcard Set
• In-game Items
• Starter Item Pack
• Color Packs 1–3
• Weapon: False Sword of the Apocalypse
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack (Limited to the first print run)

Granblue Fantasy Relink Digital Editions

PlayStation Store Preorder Bonuses

• Grants Early Access to the game, which is scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m., January 28, 2024 PT
• In-game Items
• Stamina III and Enmity III Sigils

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Standard Edition

• MSRP: $59.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack*
• (*Limited-time inclusion available for PlayStation®5 / PlayStation®4 versions only)

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Special Edition

• MSRP: $79.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• In-game Items
• Starter Item Pack
• Color Packs 2 and 3
• Weapon: False Sword of the Apocalypse
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack*
• (*Limited-time inclusion available for PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 versions only)

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Digital Deluxe Edition (only for PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4)

• MSRP: $99.99
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink Game
• Digital Artbook & Soundtrack
• In-game Items
• Starter Item Pack
• Color Packs 1–3
• Weapon: False Sword of the Apocalypse
• Granblue Special Item Set: Relink Pack*
• (*Limited-time inclusion available for PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 versions only)

Granblue Fantasy Relink will be released on February 1, 2024, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam.