Today Cygames hosted a panel about its upcoming JRPG Granblue Fantasy Relink and fighting game Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising at Anime Expo in Los Angeles.
Starting with Relink, we learn that the game has over 100 sidequests that can be played both solo or in 4-player co-op. Characters can be customized via a variety of skills, weapons, and sigils.
Cygames confirmed that the game focuses on a new story to serve as an entry point into the franchise, but it's still related to the story of the original mobile game. Asked whether it'll be complete out of the box or there will be updates like a live service title, the developers mentioned that Relink will ship as a complete package, but will be extra endgame content to be added for those who have completed the story.
The game flow involves purchasing and upgrading gear and accepting side quests at towns, traveling to destinations and training on the Grandcypher, and progressing through the story and fighting enemies in linear maps that feature a wide variety of locations. That being said, while some areas can be cleared quickly, others feature sprawling environments with plenty of room for exploration.
You can switch between Gran and Djeeta at any time as the captain, and the story will start with five crew members, Katalina, Rackham, Io, Eugen, and Rosetta. The rest can be recruited by progressing through the story in whatever order the player likes.
Speaking of characters, a new playable one has been revealed, and it's Ferry. In Japanese, she's voiced by Madoka Yonezawa as usual, while in English, she's voiced by Cristina Vee. Her role is support with buffs, crowd control, and healing, but she can also deal damage via her pets.
Unfortunately, we did not get a release date yet, but development is close to complete and more details are coming in August.
Moving on to Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, the online lobbies are expanded into an entire island compared to its predecessor. You can use them to take a break and experience attractions like obstacle courses and survival games.
Siegfried will appear in the upcoming beta (the closed pre-access beta is on July 27 with registrations starting on July 6. The open beta is on July 29 and 30), but Anila will not. Rush will be removed and replaced by the new mechanic Raging Chain. The developers also mentioned that the possibility for guest characters exists, but made no announcement. Interestingly, they also introduced the "partners" mechanic. Partners will encourage, praise, and offer advice in order to make losing less unpleasant.
We also get the reveal of a new character, and it's Nier, voiced by Noriko Shitaya and Jenny Yokobori respectively in Japanese and English. No, it's not that Nier. Granblue Fantasy has its own Nier.
The information above was kindly shared on Twitter by user Granblue EN.
Granblue Fantasy Relink is coming to PS5, PS4, and PC this winter. If you'd like to see more, you can enjoy the latest trailer presented at the PlayStation Showcase in May on top of more recent gameplay from Granblue Fantasy Fest.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is releasing worldwide for PS5, PS4, and PC in 2023. If you'd like to see more, you can enjoy the original reveal, the reveal of Siegfried, and another trailer featuring his gameplay.
