One of the best action RPGs of 2024 gets better as Granblue Fantasy Relink rolls out the kind of endgame live services would kill for, plus more gorgeous characters

Granblue Fantasy Relink, a surprise hit that’s managed to stand out in a year positively stuffed with JRPGs, is barely a month old but already rolling out an exciting roadmap of free content that starts with a new boss coming this Thursday, March 14.

As part of the 10-year celebration for the Granblue Fantasy franchise altogether, developer Cygames recently released a preliminary lineup of upcoming Relink updates. March 14 will see the release of version 1.1.0 and a Proud-tier quest called The Final Vision, featuring new ally Supreme Primarch Sandalphon in a fight against Lucilius. I’m sure this is all terribly exciting to Granblue lore enthusiasts, but even as someone who doesn’t know squat beyond the anime and Relink, I’m more than ready for another over-the-top boss fight, and Lucilius certainly looks like one. 

In an accompanying blog post, Cygames confirmed two new characters are coming in version 1.2.0, currently targeting an April release. There’s a new archer named Tweyen – the first playable unit to use an actual bow – as well as mixed-melee fighter Seofon. Both characters, especially Tweyen, seem to have greater effective range than most of Relink’s melee-focused cast. Anecdotally, I’ve found that range characters like Rackam and Eugen are overrepresented in online multiplayer, so I’d bet these new characters will be well received. 

Version 1.1.0 will also seemingly include additional, currently unannounced content, which may be revealed in another showcase set for April 25. Version 1.2.0, meanwhile, is set for May and will add Sandalphon as a playable character. 

“The new characters are unlockable at no additional cost by fulfilling certain in-game requirements,” Cygames says in the fine print. “Alternatively, they can be unlocked automatically via purchase.” 

Much the same is true of the new microtransactions coming in the upcoming updates, including a $2 emote pack and various $3 resource bundles that ease the grind. As is always the case, I don’t think these bundles are worth buying, but at least they’re only a couple of bucks and therefore justifiably micro. 

I couldn’t be happier to see Cygames rolling out free updates with more bosses and characters. I took a brief break from Relink, fully intending to get sucked into Unicorn Overlord instead, but ended up putting in another 15 hours or so this past weekend alone. The Monster Hunter-like grind has a vice grip on my lizard brain, and the progression is so refreshingly direct that it feels like the anti-live service game. There is some RNG at endgame levels I won’t spoil, and it can get expensive to build every single character if you’re a completionist like me, but the grind has been a blast so far since there are no progression caps or FOMO hangups. It’s just a great game that keeps on giving, so bring on the new bosses. 

Granblue Fantasy Relink and the challenge of translating a domestic RPG phenomenon into a global success.