Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
Publisher: Marvelous (XSEED)
Genre: Action
Price: $49.99
Believe it or not, the Fate series originates from a visual novel that has never been officially released in the West. Despite the absence of a licensed English translation, however, Fate/stay night became immensely popular, and fast; in fact, so captivated were eroge audiences by its spectacular storyline that it spawned a franchise boasting of intellectual properties in various media. In the last decade and a half, publisher Type-Moon has gone on to produce titles collectively generating 10 figures — yes, 10 figures — in revenues.
Needless to say, Fate/EXTELLA LINK carries many of the themes that have allowed the series to thrive even as it takes place in a parallel universe first unveiled in Fate/Extra and expounded on in Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star. The peace that reigned following the end of the war between Nero Claudius, Tamamo no Mae, and Altera is again under threat, with Karl der Grosse bent on the "Oraclization" of the Servants, historical figures serving as the players' champions during gameplay. In this regard, the objective is clear: the takeover of SE.RA.PH, the artificial realm within the Moon Cell, itself a construct with reality-altering properties, must be stopped.
Players familiar with musou-type games will be glad to know that Fate/EXTELLA LINK stands as one of the genre's best to date. It's certainly superior to Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star, coming off as a far more polished version of its immediate past predecessor. For one thing, it manages to do away with constant exposition; newcomers to the series won't have to jump through hoops to keep up with the narrative. For another, Marvelous and XSEED Games have seen fit to minimize the grind typically accompanying hack-and-slash ventures; attack options ranging from the usual button mashing for weak enemies to special skills and buffs for mini bosses to the full-gauge-triggered, all-powerful Noble Phantasm provide variety and complement the capacity to choose which missions to undertake at any given time.
Fate/EXTELLA LINK boasts of 26 Servants all told, including all 16 from Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star. Each features unique and often over-the-top characteristics that become apparent in the narrative and especially in combat. Visually and aurally, it's several notches above its older sibling and distinguishes itself in exposing the wealth of its content. The art style is more representative of its source material, and animations are more fluidly constructed. Meanwhile, the expressive Japanese voice acting is accompanied by an excellent English translation and supported by a flashy soundtrack.
Thankfully, Fate/EXTELLA LINK does not suffer from input lags and slowdowns on the Nintendo Switch; holding steady at 30 frames per second, it makes up in smoothness of movement what it gives up in sharpness. Even undocked and with a busy screen, the action holds steady and flows freely. Needless to say, it's even more impressively presented on the PlayStation 4 Pro; colors jump out and the imaginative backgrounds show purposeful detail, serving to enhance the gravity of the proceedings.
In keeping with the conscious effort to cut down on the elucidation of series lore, Fate/EXTELLA LINK clocks in on the short side for a Japanese role-playing game. It offers four difficulty levels, and players can breeze through the easiest setting in under 10 hours. That said, those inclined to stay around won't be disappointed. Finishing the Story Mode is one thing. Completing the game is quite another; there are, simply put, tons of content to sift through, alternate endings to unlock, mission ratings to improve, additional costumes to be had, and new objectives to meet.
All told, Fate/EXTELLA LINK is a release that both takes pride in its roots and takes pains to be better. If it merely capitalized on its name and provided more of the same old, same old, fans of the franchise would still have flocked to it. Instead, it stands out as an exceptional sequel to Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star and, in the process, rightly heightens expectations for what's still to come.
THE GOOD
- Streamlined storyline that newcomers to and longtime fans of the Fate series alike can enjoy off the bat
- Improved gameplay that provides variety and choice
- Visually and aurally superior to predecessor
- Larger number of unique characters
THE BAD
- Truncated narrative pushes new characters to the sideline
- Even the local multiplayer mode requires multiple copies of the game
RATING: 8/10
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