If you asked me to make a list of the best RPGs of the 2020s so far, you’d probably see most of the games you’d expect namechecked. Sure, I’d mention Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3, but let me throw a curveball at you. Granblue Fantasy: Relink might just crack my top five, even jumping some of the award-winning heavy hitters.
It’s not the most popular opinion, I know. But I feel more confident in it than ever, thanks to the RPG’s colossal new update. Granblue Fantasy: Relink — Endless Ragnarok brings a wave of new content to the game, including a roguelike mode, summons, and challenging new story missions. It also brings the action RPG to Nintendo Switch 2, a perfect platform for a game split into compact missions that you can complete in relatively short pick-up-and-play sessions. Whether you’re returning to your crew of maxed-out characters or starting for the first time, Endless Ragnarok cements Granblue Fantasy: Relink as an underrated modern RPG stuffed to the brim with pizzazz.
First released in 2024, Granblue Fantasy: Relink reimagined the mobile Granblue series as a premium console game devoid of microtransactions. You could still find traces of its origins in its wide cast of playable characters and resource-heavy level-up systems, but you never had to spend an extra dime on gacha pulls. That was enough of a reason to try it; I just didn’t expect to become obsessed with it for a spell.
Relink’s power doesn’t come from its story (I can barely tell you what happens), but in its spectacularly over-the-top action. Battles against giant dragons and towering desert golems rival Final Fantasy 16’s awe-inspiring summon fights, and they provide plenty of opportunity to toy around with each character’s unique toolset. In the two years since I last logged in, I had forgotten just how differently each character plays; it’s almost like a fighting game roster placed into the context of an action RPG. With several progression layers, some incredibly difficult end-game monsters to slay, and occasionally charming side stories about each character to unlock, it’s an appealing overall package.
In building on that foundation, Endless Ragnarok goes for broke. The DLC offers up a new set of story missions, which mostly amount to a series of fights against souped-up bosses on a “Chaos” difficulty built for maxed-out characters. I’ll be honest: As a lapsed player, jumping into that new content felt like trying to master astrophysics after taking a high-school science class 20 years ago. Relink is so dense with numbers and resources that I couldn’t possibly hope to regain my footing. Its story content also begins with one hell of a skill check built for the RPG’s most dedicated Level 100 soldiers.
No matter, because Endless Ragnarok subsists on a delicious kind of sensory overload. That first battle, where my party had to prove itself by sparring against a tag team duo, was an explosion of sound and fury — and the thrills only go up from there. Shortly after, my party gained the ability to set summons via a new gauge, temporarily giving me control of giant ice monsters and stone beasts that make battles feel even bigger. It’s a ridiculous new layer on top of a mechanically dense combat system that already feels like it’s cranked to 11. And it even goes one step further by enhancing my party’s Full Burst attack with a follow-up ultimate attack. Yes, after all of your characters pull off their Skybound Arts in sequence and execute a quadruple attack that takes over the entire screen, you’re also treated to a quick cinematic of a dragon blasting your enemy with an enormous laser beam. It is downright a maniacal level of overkill.
Developer Cygames’ design philosophy seems to be “there is no power ceiling.” Endless Ragnarok escalates everything it can, regardless of how absurdly overpowered you think you are. Oh, you’ve gotten all of your characters to their max level, upgraded all of their weapons, and completed every skill tree? Well, now you can perform “weapon transcendence” to break your power cap even more. Endless Ragnarok plays like a dare: I bet you can’t make your heroes even more powerful, coward. Mission accepted — now watch me kill the shit out of this hermit crab by sumo wrestling it out of an arena.
While I appreciate having more battles like that to push my party even further, there are only so many times I can grind the same end bosses, only now on Chaos++ difficulty. (That sounds like a shitpost, but it is very real.) Cygames’ solution to that burnout is The Conflux, Endless Ragnarok’s new roguelike mode. No surprises here: You’ll fight through a series of arena battles, picking up run-specific perks along the way. While it’s not the most creative use of the genre, it’s a big addition for Relink. It gives players who have already reached the mountaintop a new way to test their skills and try out busted builds not available anywhere else. It’s also a great mode for casual players who can’t keep up with the endless power creep. It’s the kind of side-activity that Relink has needed since its launch, and it’s especially perfect for the RPG’s Switch 2 debut.
I’ve only begun to dig into all of this 50-scoop sundae. There’s a lot to play around with, especially with the addition of six new characters. (I’ve been gravitating towards Eustace most so far, a long-range gunner who can shoot and roll dodge in one motion.) Endless Ragnarok doesn’t do much to turn Relink into a narratively engaging story, but it’s sure as hell enough to let it hang on to the title of “Most Extra RPG” for another year. Your move, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation.
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