The Fate series is one that I really enjoy, even if I haven’t played all of them. My introduction to the Fate series was the PSP’s Fate Unlimited Codes, a solid fighting game that didn’t get the attention it deserved. Next was the PSP’s Fate Extra, and now we’ve arrived at the newest installment Fate/Extella Link, a direct sequel of Fate/Extella The Umbral Star.
After you create your avatar, which is only picking the sex of the character, you are brought into the game’s story. You are taking a stroll with Altera and you’re suddenly attacked by attack programs. Since Altera still hasn’t recovered, from the previous game, she can’t change into her adult form. As such you will need to summon other servants you have on standby. You can choose to summon different classes, I chose the Saber Class servant. Instead of being Nero, it is but a young man in white attire who tells you his secret name “Charlemagne” and he is your “servant”. This sets the events for this new chapter in the Fate series. Charlemagne is an integral part of the plot, his addition to the series, and this game itself, is a welcome one; it breaths fresh air into the series.
Now Fate/Extella Link is a musou style of game, which means you battle against hordes of enemies to liberate areas of the map until you get to the boss. After defeating the boss you move on with the story. However, faithful to its roots Fate’s story is presented in a Visual Novel format. This adds tons of text to read, which is really helpful for newcomers since terms like Servant, Master, and Noble Phantasm might be foreign or unknown. However, as you play the game and read about the story, glossaries are presented to you so you can get a better understanding of the characters. Many of these glossary terms are presented during characters’ monologues. The game is voiced in Japanese with English subs and for me it’s the best way to enjoy it since each character personality is well portrayed and easy to understand.
The gameplay aspect is well polished, and it uses a new mechanic called Link State. It basically means that whenever you are fight close to or alongside an ally servant you’ll be able use that servant’s class abilities. Having Link State alongside Noble Phantasm, which is a super powered skill, and several class specific unlockable skills, the game gives us plenty of ways to defeat our enemies in style. I like how the multiplayer aspect is done; you make 2 teams of 4 players each and engage in several modes in a king of the hill setting. During my review I was able to get into several matches fairly quickly, the action was smooth and I didn’t experience any lag, though I got my behind kicked regularly, but that’s what it’s all about, to defeat and be defeated.
Graphically the game looks really good. Upon comparing screenshots from the previous game and this one, you can see that they did a massive overhaul. Even with many enemies on screen I never experienced any slowdowns or hiccups. I played the game mostly handheld mode even and still didn’t have any slowdowns, but then again maybe my eyes are not what they used to be. The music, is so diverse that there’s never a dull moment and among all the action the music hits all the right notes.
Bottom Line Fate/Extella Link is a good example that a series in the right hands, can be enjoyed no matter the genre. Extella Link offers a really fun musou game for both fans and newcomers to the genre. I, being used to the turn based games of old, found it really fun because the game didn’t lose the roots of what has made the Fate series special. I give it a solid recommendation and I hope to see you soon in the battlefield my fellow masters.
A Review Code was provided for this review.