Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok |- Review

Not all games truly stop living when the credits roll. Some conclude their journey at the right time, while others manage to leave that door open, inviting you to return, because the world they built still has something to offer. Granblue Fantasy: Relink is precisely one of those titles that, despite telling a complete and satisfying story, manages to ignite the desire to take flight again with its protagonists.

When Granblue Fantasy: Relink debuted on PC and consoles, for which you can find our review at this link , the weight of expectations was enormous. After a long and troubled development, Cygames finally managed to transform one of its most beloved universes into a complete action RPG, capable of captivating even those who had never had any contact with the famous mobile game. The result was a title that, despite offering a rather contained main campaign, found its true identity in a brilliant, spectacular, and incredibly satisfying combat system, supported by a cooperative component destined to become the true benchmark for the most passionate players.

The flying archipelago of Zegagrande immediately proved to be one of the most successful elements of the entire production. Its suspended islands, fascinating civilizations, and a fantasy imaginary with strong character managed to create a living and credible world, in which following the journey of Gran, Djeeta, and the crew of the Grandcypher was a constant pleasure. The narrative naturally alternated lighter moments with decidedly more epic ones, enhancing a cast that, thanks to well-defined personalities, easily carved out a space in the hearts of players.

What left its mark, however, was above all the gameplay. Each character possessed a unique combat style, making every new addition to the group a continuous discovery. There were those who favored speed and precision, those who preferred to control the battlefield with magic, and those who, instead, relied on pure brute force. A variety that made every mission different from the previous one and constantly pushed players to experiment with new combinations.

The growth system also contributed decisively to the longevity of the experience. Between weapons to perfect, sigils, abilities to unlock, and an endgame built around increasingly challenging trials, Relink offered a progression loop capable of constantly rewarding the time invested, especially for those who loved to optimize their party and tackle the most difficult content.

Naturally, there were some aspects that could be improved. The main story concluded rather quickly, leaving the post-game activities to sustain the pace, which sometimes became repetitive over time. The structure of the endgame missions, while remaining fun, would also have benefited from greater variety in both objectives and proposed situations.

And it is precisely from these considerations that Endless Ragnarok takes shape. More than a simple content-rich DLC, the expansion represents the natural evolution of the formula built by Cygames. The goal is not to rewrite what already worked very well, but to expand every aspect of the original experience with new activities, more articulated systems, and a progression designed to accompany veteran players even longer.

The new adventure takes place after the events of the main campaign and introduces a new threat destined to once again shake the balance of the skies. Without going into plot details, so as not to spoil the surprise, suffice it to say that the narrative retains the spirit that has always characterized the series: spectacle, pace, and a cast capable of alternating lightness and emotion with great naturalness. The already known characters continue to play a central role, while new additions integrate seamlessly, further enriching an already particularly solid narrative universe.

The most interesting aspect, however, is the feeling that the studio has truly taken to heart the feedback received from the community over the months. Many of the requests made by players are finally answered through richer customization systems, new activities, and a decidedly more complete endgame management compared to what was seen at launch.

Playing Endless Ragnarok, one clearly perceives the desire to offer a more organic experience, where every new mechanic integrates with existing ones without unnecessarily complicating the game's structure. Progression maintains a constant pace even after many hours, managing to convey that continuous sense of growth that represents one of the pillars of the entire production.

From a development perspective, a different maturity also emerges. If Relink had shown that the world of Granblue Fantasy could work perfectly even away from the mobile market, this expansion shows a team now aware of its strengths. Instead of chasing radical changes, Cygames prefers to refine, expand, and enhance every element that had already convinced in the original version, creating a much more solid and coherent package.

The feeling, controller in hand, is that of rediscovering a familiar but significantly grown game. The foundations remain the same, but everything appears more refined, richer, and better balanced, making the desire to return to explore the skies with your crew immediate.

And this is just the surface. The true heart of Endless Ragnarok lies in the 2.0 update, an intervention that deeply reworks numerous systems of the original experience and represents the starting point for all the novelties introduced by the expansion.

The new 2.0 update: an evolution that goes beyond balancing

As previously anticipated, if Endless Ragnarok represents the new starting point for Granblue Fantasy: Relink, update 2.0 undoubtedly constitutes its foundation. It would be reductive to call it a simple accompanying patch, as Cygames has chosen to intervene extensively on practically every aspect of the experience, refining existing mechanics, introducing new progression systems, and making the endgame much more stimulating than in the past.

The philosophy behind this important update is clear from the very first minutes. Rather than revolutionizing the combat system or radically altering the general balance, the developers preferred to expand the possibilities offered to players, adding new tools with which to build their playstyle without compromising the original identity of the work.

One of the most interesting novelties concerns character progression. The impression, after several hours spent between advanced missions and high-level content, is that of finally having a more flexible and less linear system at one's disposal. Growth is no longer limited to simply increasing statistics, but pushes the player to experiment with increasingly elaborate combinations, rewarding those who wish to optimize every single member of their team.

The Master Traits system also represents a particularly successful addition. Thanks to this new mechanic, it becomes possible to further customize each combatant, emphasizing existing strengths or compensating for certain weaknesses. It is not a change that completely alters the gameplay, but the classic addition that, once assimilated, makes it difficult to imagine the game without it.

The same applies to the new system dedicated to summons. In the original title, primal beasts played a predominantly spectacular role within the narrative and some encounters, while with update 2.0, they assume a decidedly greater importance in strategy building. Summons become an integral part of progression, offering bonuses and tactical possibilities that further encourage party customization.

Naturally, all this also reflects on the pace of combat. The action system remains faithful to what made Relink famous: fast, extremely readable, and always spectacular to watch, especially during clashes against the most imposing bosses. However, the new options introduced by the update add an additional layer of depth, making every build more significant and every choice less obvious.

Particularly interesting is also the introduction of new ranks dedicated to more experienced players. Once the highest levels of the base game were reached, the sense of progression risked slowing down significantly. Version 2.0 intervenes precisely on this aspect, proposing additional objectives that continue to fuel that feeling of constant growth typical of the best farming-oriented action RPGs.

The new challenges inevitably require greater mastery of the mechanics. Enemies are not limited to having a higher amount of health points, but exploit more articulated patterns, less predictable offensive windows, and attack management that forces the entire group to coordinate with greater attention. It is a choice that makes encounters more engaging without resulting in an artificial increase in difficulty.

The Conflux system: the true endgame revolution

Among the most significant additions is also the Conflux system, probably one of the most successful ideas of the entire update. This new mode introduces a structure of progressive challenges characterized by ever-changing modifiers, capable of significantly altering the approach required during each mission. Some encounters reward aggressiveness, others force a complete rethinking of team composition, while still others impose particular limitations that test even the most experienced players.

The result is an extremely replayable activity, capable of breaking that feeling of repetitiveness that, after many hours, sometimes began to emerge in the original endgame. Each attempt becomes different from the previous one and constantly pushes players to experiment with new character configurations, abilities, and equipment.

Cygames has also paid particular attention to the so-called "invisible" improvements, those that often don't make headlines but concretely affect the daily experience. The interface has been made more intuitive, inventory management is decidedly faster, numerous screens have been simplified, and many operations that previously required several steps can now be performed much more immediately.

The Sigil management system also benefits from a series of extremely appreciable small changes. Sorting equipment, comparing obtained items, and building new configurations takes much less time, allowing players to focus more on the actual action rather than menu navigation.

Technical improvements and quality of life

On the technical front, the work done appears equally convincing. During the test, the expansion maintains the same fluidity that characterized the base game, with fast loading times and general stability that allows even the most chaotic encounters to be tackled without particular uncertainties. The particle effects, already excellent in the original version, are even more spectacular during some of the new battles, further contributing to increasing the sense of epicness.

The general balancing is also convincing. Some characters that were less competitive in high-level activities in the base game receive small adjustments capable of making them interesting again, while the most dominant builds are slightly scaled down without, however, distorting their functioning. It is a refinement work that demonstrates a good understanding of the dynamics that developed within the community in the months following the launch.

What is most convincing about update 2.0, however, is its coherence. None of the new features seem to be included solely to increase the number of novelties on paper. Every addition finds a precise place within the overall progression, contributing to making the game richer without unnecessarily weighing down its structure.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink has not simply become bigger, but also more mature. The combat system retains all its immediacy, while the new mechanics add the depth that many veterans desired since launch. It is an update that does not seek to amaze with striking changes, but prefers to concretely improve every single piece of the experience.

And it is precisely on these solid foundations that Endless Ragnarok builds its true value, introducing a quantity of unprecedented content capable of redefining the entire endgame and offering new reasons to continue the journey through the skies of Zegagrande.