Grandblue Fantasy: Relink in Test – GPU Benchmarks

Role-playing games (“RPG”) from Japan (“JRPG”) are becoming increasingly popular here. Developer Cygames released Granblue Fantasy: Relink simultaneously for PlayStation 4 and 5 as well as PC. The title offers modest hardware requirements and performs very well in testing under Linux and on Steam Deck.

A JRPG from Cygames in Criterion

Anyone looking for an exciting story and the opportunity to share it with friends will quickly find their way to Japanese role-playing games (“JRPGs”): anime visuals are paired with group battles, either with fellow players or AI companions to be fought over.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink It is a continuation Granblue fantasy serieswhich has been in business since 2016.

ComputerBase has tested the title for compatibility on Linux and Windows as well as on Steam Deck, paying special attention to the minimum requirements.

Game requirements and testing system

According to them, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is not hardware-hungry. FPS is limited to 120 by the game.

The test system for Linux and Windows used an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor with DDR4-3200 and graphics cards from all three well-known manufacturers: AMD RX 580, Intel Arc A380, and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti. The Linux software has been patched to the latest Arch Linux release family with kernel 6.7, Mesa 23.3, Nvidia 545.29.06, and KDE 5.27. like Display server X11 works, FreeSync is disabled. Proton Experimental was the translation layer as of January 12, 2023.

Windows 11 and all updates were available for Windows testing – with AMD driver 24.1.1, Intel driver 31.0.101.5186, and Nvidia 551.23. The image was output via a Full HD display at a frequency of 144 Hz.

The Steam Deck was the LCD version with the latest SteamOS 3.5.7. The original resolution was 1280 x 720

Standards on the steam surface

The JRPG has been running on Linux since launch thanks to Proton, although there's no official information about the set's compatibility. Since Granblue Fantasy: Relink is primarily a console title, the controls can also be used directly in the Steam Deck. In addition, Steam controller layout is supported.

There are not many settings that can be made in the graphics options themselves. There are three presets (“Low”, “High”, “Ultra”). While Low turns off all settings, High and Ultra presets share this option Texture With the value “Ultra”. The in-game FPS limit is set to 120.

Whichever preset is chosen, the Steam Deck is able to deliver over 30 frames per second on average consistently. Therefore, reducing detail increases the low frame rate by 1% in the first place. Since (subjectively) there's no real difference between the presets on the Steam Deck, the recommendation obviously leans toward the “low” option: best frame rates and low fps in the desired 30fps range.

Combined with refresh rate adjustment, it's possible to enjoy a completely smooth deck experience – with performance reserves for complex battle sequences. What's particularly notable here is that Granblue Fantasy comes without an upgrade. Many games rely on Unreal's FSR or TSR to get smooth frame rates on the Steam Deck, but this game runs at the handheld console's native resolution.

Benchmarks on gaming computers

The game's “Ultra” preset was used in Windows and Linux testing.

On Windows

As expected, the game runs on Windows without any technical problems. No accidents occurred during the test cycle. A well-cleaned RX 580 now delivers more than enough performance to maintain nearly 50fps consistently – and that's on the 'Ultra' preset. The Japanese RPG also manages to maintain stable frame rates, so that, along with the graphic style, smooth gameplay is possible – especially if FreeSync is used or the graphics options are tweaked to consistently reach over 60 FPS.

On the other hand, the small Intel Arc A380 doesn't have enough performance to enjoy “Ultra” settings. The only solution here is to reduce quality standards. As with the Steam Deck, this doesn't matter due to torrent shading. On the other hand, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is overkill at Full HD compared to other small representatives. An average of 108 images are displayed per second, and in some places the game reaches the self-imposed FPS limit of 120. The bottom line is that the developers' information is accurate with sufficient performance reserves.

On Linux

Fortunately, the game runs on models from all three graphics manufacturers – unfortunately, that's not a given yet in Linux. In general, support for AMD graphics cards is the best, while Intel in particular has abandoned the service so far. No special startup options were needed, just to use Intel Arc it was necessary to set the following variable in the game's Steam settings:

force_vk_vendor=-1 %command%

The minimum developer requirements also apply to Linux. Even the RX 580 is enough to achieve over 30fps consistently – and that's on the Ultra preset. Only the mini Arc graphics card is weak. Right now, the only thing that helps is adjusting the graphics settings. Considering the Nvidia card, which also falls within the recommended hardware range, Granblue Fantasy delivers a smooth gaming experience. There are no frame progression anomalies or graphics errors from any of the GPU manufacturers.

Conclusion

Whether it's Windows, Linux, desktop or mobile: developer Cygames has done a fantastic job technically with Granblue Fantasy: Relink. The game is frugal and, thanks to cel shading, delivers its anime-inspired graphic style with plenty of eye-catching details. Furthermore, the title has the option of online co-op, a somewhat unusual feature in role-playing games. There is something similar to this Tales series of gamesalbeit only with local cooperation.

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