RPGs typically demand a lot of your time, so having two releasing almost simultaneously, like with Persona 3 Reload and Granblue Fantasy: Relink, can be a nightmare for RPG fans.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink (developed and published by Cygames) dropped on Feb. 1, while Persona 3 Reload (developed by Atlus, published by Sega) arrived barely 24 hours later on Feb. 2. Some fans likely already settled on one or the other in advance but, if you’re looking for a new RPG to sink your teeth into and aren’t familiar with either game, let’s run through their differences to help you decide.
Persona 3 Reload vs. Granblue Fantasy: Relink: What’s different?
While both games are classified as RPGs, boast flashy presentations, have mostly silent protagonists, and see you form a party of four to battle monsters, you can tell Persona 3 Reload and Granblue Fantasy: Relink are very different games in several ways even from a glance.
For the uninitiated, Persona 3 Reload is a full-fledged remake of the original Persona 3 from 2007. It’s a turn-based RPG that sees you play as a Japanese high school student. During the day, you attend classes and hang out with friends, and then at night, you and some fellow students explore a massive tower called Tartarus, which only appears during a strange phenomenon known as the Dark Hour, and battle monsters called Shadows with Personas, which are spirits you and your friends can call upon.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is the exact opposite in almost every way. It’s a real-time action RPG set in a more classic fantasy setting with swords and sorcery and a world consisting of islands floating in the sky. Whereas Persona 3 Reload has social elements and only affords a limited amount of time for what you can do (so you need to spend your days wisely), Granblue Fantasy: Relink‘s core gameplay loop simply has you embarking on missions to defeat monsters or collect items for townspeople, with very few side activities. You can also roam around more varied locations, while Persona 3 Reload’s only dungeon is Tartarus.
Perhaps the biggest difference, though, is Persona 3 Reload is strictly a single-player game, whereas Granblue Fantasy: Relink has multiplayer features, allowing you to complete quests with friends in online co-op (the main story can only be played solo, though). Persona 3 Reload is also a standalone entry (so you don’t need to have played any other Persona games to understand the story) while Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a spin-off of a Japanese-only mobile RPG. Fortunately, a lot of lore and character backstory is explained in optional menus, so it’s easy to jump into for newbies.
Persona 3 Reload or Granblue Fantasy: Relink, which should I play?
When it comes to choosing to play either Persona 3 Reload or Granblue Fantasy: Relink, it’s ultimately a matter of preference. The key deciding factor is likely the combat. Do you prefer turn-based? Play Persona 3 Reload. Do you prefer real-time action? Play Granblue Fantasy: Relink.
What if you’re not fussed about that and are more concerned about game length? Well, if you fancy something more compact and streamlined, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is the way to go because its main story can be cleared in under 25 hours. But there is a substantial amount of post-game content to delve into if you wind up really enjoying the game. Persona 3 Reload, by comparison, is nowhere near as short, especially if you’re a completionist. You won’t unlock every trophy/achievement the game has in a single playthrough, so it’s a good thing it has New Game Plus, a feature Granblue Fantasy: Relink surprisingly lacks (though you can replay chapters).
If you’re the sort of player who wants a bit of inter-party romance in your RPG, stick with Persona 3 Reload. That game has seven romance options, including NPCs outside of the main party, while Granblue Fantasy: Relink has none whatsoever. On the flip side, it does have a much larger cast of playable characters than Persona 3 Reload, each with unique movesets and abilities. Granblue Fantasy: Relink also lets you choose between having a male or female protagonist, something a previous version of Persona 3 offered but is sadly absent from Persona 3 Reload.
I’d personally recommend Persona 3 Reload if only for its more complex cast and hard-hitting and emotional narrative that tackles some mature themes revolving around death. It’s also easily available as it launched for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and is included with Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Granblue Fantasy: Relink is only on PS4, PS5, and PC, but unlike Persona 3 Reload, there is a free demo you can try out if you’re curious.
