Granblue Fantasy: Relink will be available on February 1 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Ahead of its release, we sat down with the General Director, Tetsuya Fukuhara, and Director Yasuyuki Kaji from Cygames to discuss the efforts that went into this title.
PlayStation Blog: As the release day approaches, tell us your feelings and thoughts about the upcoming title.
Tetsuya Fukuhara: Just like most team members, the reality hasn’t sunk in yet for me. With the support of the company, we were able to focus on the development of the game, and the demo version received a more positive response than we had hoped for, so I feel all the effort we made to make this title as exciting as possible has paid off.
Yasuyuki Kaji: I feel terrible about how long it took for us to develop Relink and for keeping our fans in limbo. That said, I truly believe our time and effort have translated well into this title. The great response we’ve received for the demo version has instilled confidence in us that players would appreciate the work we have put into Relink, but of course, I feel nervous as it gets closer to the launch.
The battle movements and tempo are quite nimble. Are there any behind-the-scenes stories on how the team decided on the battle speed and what adjustments needed to be made?
Fukuhara: From the initial concept stage, our goal was to make it so that even those still new to action games could control their character skillfully. As we refined the details like movements and hit timing, we adjusted the battle speed; Slower movement or delayed timing would ruin the exhilarating sensation, and faster movement or quicker timing would make it too difficult for the player to keep up with the movement.
Kaji: We wanted to appeal to a broader range of players. Or, more precisely, with the assumption that people who have played the original Granblue Fantasy will be playing the console version for the first time, so we wanted to avoid making the game system too strict.
With over 20 playable characters appearing in the product version of the title, each with their own unique action style and different playstyle, what mind process did you go through to create this level of difference?
Kaji: Since Granblue Fantasy characters are very popular, I didn’t want Relink to be just another game with them. We aimed to create a game that pushes the limit by bringing out the best in each character and having depth and profundity in the action.
Fukuhara: When choosing characters to include in Relink, we envisioned which characters from the original title would offer a unique play feel and contribute best to make the game more exciting. In earlier days of development, I recall reminding the team not to hold back their creativity because they seemed too focused on mirroring the animation and styles of the original title. It is true that we had to make sure that we stayed within the character images of our original Granblue Fantasy fans, but it is also true that our job was to exceed their expectations and surprise them.
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