I’ll admit proper from the beginning: I’ve little to no expertise with the Fairy Tail anime or manga. My solely earlier encounter with the collection was taking part in a little bit of the primary sport, which I discovered surprisingly pleasant. Nevertheless, I do know JRPGs. So whereas it’s necessary how properly Fairy Tail 2 interprets the anime’s world into a brand new format, my foremost query when given the chance to preview it on PC was, “Might it find yourself being a superb JRPG?”
On this planet of JRPGs, you would possibly anticipate to see a wealth of titles based mostly on anime, given the sturdy overlap between the 2 genres. However surprisingly, there aren’t as many standout JRPGs based mostly on common anime as one would possibly anticipate. (Nevertheless, I did put collectively a listing of some notable anime-based JRPGs just a few months in the past.) That context made me extra involved in seeing how Fairy Tail 2 would possibly maintain up.
In Fairy Tail 2, gamers once more comply with members of the Fairy Tail wizard guild as they navigate the collection’ climactic “Alvarez Empire Arc.” If you happen to’re like me and aren’t absolutely conversant in the arc, don’t fear. From my expertise with the primary moments of Fairy Tail 2, Koei Tecmo goes to nice lengths to make the story not less than a bit accessible to newcomers. The sport units up the narrative, offering clear context for gamers entering into the collection for the primary time. Moreover, It contains detailed lore, backstory, and character explanations via an in-game encyclopedia. That is one in every of my favourite fashionable JRPG high quality of life mechanics. I discovered myself consulting it typically. It genuinely helped bridge the hole in my restricted data of the anime.
However let’s speak gameplay. Fairy Tail 2 builds on the primary sport’s fight system, which was already a spotlight for me. It’s a turn-based system with a twist, resembling an Energetic Time Battle (ATB) system. Gamers construct SP (Talent Factors) via primary assaults as their motion bar refreshes. SP can unleash highly effective, flashy strikes, including a strategic layer to the gameplay as you determine when to go all-in with larger assaults.
One of many standout options of fight is the power to chain collectively particular strikes for devastating combos. Timing and technique are essential right here. You’ll wish to arrange smaller assaults to construct SP earlier than unleashing extra highly effective skills. Throughout battle, you additionally construct the Fairy Meter, which supplies you entry to extra SP to increase combos. This may flip longer battles, particularly boss fights, into nearly cinematic experiences, with explosive assaults flying backwards and forwards. The pacing of fight, alongside the spectacle of particular strikes, made it enjoyable and fascinating, even for somebody who doesn’t know the supply materials inside and outside.
What’s extra, the number of characters accessible from the outset provides quite a bit to the gameplay, based mostly on what I noticed in these early moments. Every character brings a singular set of abilities to the desk, with totally different elemental affinities and specialties. This range signifies that you’ll typically have to assume strategically about celebration composition and the weather you convey into every battle. Since enemies have their very own affinities and weaknesses, planning your strategy turns into essential to maximizing harm and effectivity in fight. This dynamic retains the gameplay recent and ensures that encounters by no means really feel like senseless button-mashing.
All of this appears wrapped in a narrative that also had sufficient hooks to attract in a relative newcomer like me inside about an hour of play. The interactions between characters and their relationships really feel genuine. They’re introduced in a method that even somebody unfamiliar with the historical past of Fairy Tail can recognize. Followers of the collection will most likely discover much more to like right here, with key moments from the anime and manga delivered to life.
Whereas I initially approached Fairy Tail 2 as a sport first and adaptation second, I got here away pleasantly shocked. I wasn’t simply studying about this world passively. I used to be experiencing it via the characters and their battles. It piqued my curiosity within the broader collection, making me curious to return and discover the anime or manga to get the complete image.
Finally, Fairy Tail 2 has the potential to be greater than only a sport for followers of the collection. It could possibly be the gateway that brings new gamers into the fold. The mix of accessible storytelling, strategic fight, and a vibrant forged makes it a powerful entry on the earth of anime-based JRPGs. And for these like me, who may need missed the Fairy Tail phenomenon the primary time round, it would simply make a fan out of you too.
Fairy Tail 2 will launch on Steam on December 11, 2024, and it will likely be on the PS4, PS5 and Swap on December 13, 2024.
