Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star Review

Player(s): 1
Platform(s): Playstation 4, PS Vita

It's weird. It seems that if a Japanese game isn't trying to be "open world", it's trying a Musou/Dynasty Warriors entry. For many franchises, such an entry doesn't quite make sense. Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star sure is a thing that might not make sense, but Fate is also a franchise that's made all sorts of odd spinoff games that work. Thankfully, this does. Unthankfully, it works only for a super niche set of people.

The game's story starts harsh. You're thrown into the aftermath of the Moon Cell Holy Grail War after the events of Fate/Extra and Fate/Extra CCC. (If you're already lost, well, you probably weren't the ideal player for this game. Luckily for you though, there is an in game encyclopedia that will give you the gist of what's going on) You and your servant are on a path to conquer the new lands of SE.RA.PH as they get generated, and war over them with other servants. Then the story gets a bit more crazy: data corruption, alien invasions, the power of the gods, skimpy outfits, cooking battles, all sorts of things. Sure, they sound wild now, but within the context of the game and the grander series, they seem to fit.

There's 4 main arcs of story, 3 of which could either be parallel or sequential pieces, and a final "tying up the previous 3" chapter. There's a slew of "side stories" based around other servants seen in game, based around about why they're taking part in the war and what their individual stakes are. The main story and side story delve heavily into VN segments, with lots of reading, lots of referencing the in-game encyclopedia if you're lost, lots of choices to be made that seem ultimately pointless beyond raising bond level and unlocking "secret", often lewd scenes. Even as a Fate fan, the story is pretty not great until the 3rd main arc, if you can push yourself to get that far. The basics of the story are a rather flimsy pretense for the meat of the game.

Thankfully, the gameplay is pretty great if you like Musou-types. Each servant has their own stats, with various attack styles and strengths. Basic gameplay is a mix of light and heavy attacks, filling gauges to trigger special attacks that are fun to watch. The maps are for territory control (fight a bunch of dudes to trigger bigger dudes showing up, beat them all to take control of an area), with fights with other servants sprinkled throughout. A skill tree of sorts allows for customization of a servant's stats (such as faster running speed, extra health boosts, resistance to status ailments and such). Each servant is their own whirlwind of jabs and stabs, and even though they all have the same basic moveset, they feel different to play.

Downside is, the game is very repetitive. There's maybe 6 maps to play on, and each of the 4 main story arcs along with the side stories go through most if not all of them every time. Story elements keep repeating to the point that it feels like you’re in some Groundhog Day nightmare if you continue to pay attention to it. Free mode is more of the same, with less "goals" to deal with during the fight. If you're not looking to 100% the story gallery (or even if you are), the game will get stale quick. Even with nearly 20 different characters available to play, it all blends together after a while.

Despite the problems the game has, it's hard to be upset with how it runs in general. Visuals are mostly cel-shaded and not super high detailed, but beautifully colored and charming. Even with hundreds of enemies on screen, the game doesn't stutter at all, running at a steady framerate. Controls are quick and responsive, and cross save between the PS4 and the PSVita allows you to take this game on the go (assuming you're willing to shell out for two versions of the game). The learning curve is pretty gentle, and the game has an easily accessible "Tutorial" glossary should you be confused about any gameplay elements. The game audio is Japanese only, but they got many of the voice actors from across the franchise to reprise their roles. The soundtrack is pretty catchy, with songs from across the Fate universe making appearances.

Long story short, if you like Fate/Stay Night and Musou games, this is a great game. Otherwise, your mileage WILL vary. I will give it one shining point: it came with an actual, physical game manual, that wasn't mostly ads, in a single language, that contained useful information. Honestly, it's almost worth the purchase price for that alone.
 
-Janette
 
Fate:EXTELLA is available now on PS4 and PS Vita, with cross save functionality. Review was done on PS4 version

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Graphics: Good
Sound: Good
Gameplay: Good
Value: Questionable
 
Overall: GOOD

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