I've always been curious about Granblue Fantasy. Not enough to check out the long-running mobile game, mind you, but the art and general flavor of this series have piqued my interest for what feels like a decade now.

Did this game turn me into a Granblue Fantasy fan? Absolutely, but not in any way that I ever expected.

Maybe it was silly of me to think that this game would serve as a fresh, baggage-free introduction to this world and these characters. A cursory Google search could've told me otherwise. But somehow... none of that mattered to me in the long run. I adore this game, and I still don't know a thing about this world. Blistering combat, frenetic pacing, seamless multiplayer implementation, insane art direction, and an adventurous, swashbuckling tone (very reminiscent of one of my favorites, Skies of Arcadia) ensured that I was going to love this game no matter what.

Simply put, Cygames has put on an action RPG clinic here. Is this the first true successor to Kingdom Hearts 2?