Fate/Review
Hey look, I’m actually reviewing an an anime related game. Shocking, I know. That said there isn’t a ton to say about this one. In the continuing trend of giving every franchise a beat em up game, the latest game from the Fate series moves to a Dynasty Warriors type of format. Which, in my opinion, was a good call. If you played Fate/Extra then you’ll know what I’m taking about. If you didn’t, then don’t. Moving right along…
If you’re unfamiliar with the basis of the Fate series, it basically works like this: You are a wizard who has summoned a hero/villain from Mankind’s past known as a Heroic Spirit to fight by your side as a Servant. Normally this would be to compete in a war over possession of the Holy Grail, but in Extella’s case the game happens after you’ve already won the Holy Grail war. And because the reward for a job well done is more f****** work, you’re now responsible for subjugating, ruling and defending the virtual world on the moon from an alien star that wants to destroy everything. I don’t keep up with series very well, so I don’t know what happened in the past that this game is taking place on the moon of all things, but there you have it. And yes I could look that up but that’s not relevant here. To the game-play!
My past experience with these types of games mainly came from KoeiTecmo’s Dynasty and Samurai Warriors franchises, so this was the first time trying a beat-em up from another developer. And honestly, Marvelous did pretty well. Combat is fluid and every character is different in terms of move-set and mobility, which helps keep things interesting. The enemy AI is decent as well. If you feel the need to fully conquer maps in this sort of game then be warned, the enemy actually will steal back your territories whenever you try to pursue other objectives. Which can be challenging or irritating depending on your mood.
The drawbacks of Extella for me mainly focus around the story and the method of telling it. For a combat based game there is an unholy amount of text in story mode. Which wouldn’t be so bad if it were well done, but the writing is choppy, the characters love repeating themselves and many lines are recycled a bit too much. There is also an abundance of fan service in this game and the main Servants you’re paired with in story mode are all over the main protagonist.
All in all, not a bad game if you’re a fan of the Fate series or just want to blow off steam by cutting your way through an army. Nothing earth shaking though, 6/10 at best I’d say. Well, that’s it for this one. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and as always, happy gaming!