Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star Reviews
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a decent Musou-style action game with a few drawbacks that can dull the experience. While the game’s story is kind of interesting, it’s weighed down by some clunky, poorly written dialogue.
Fans of the anime will likely be disappointed with the story on offer within Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, that whilst manages to heat up in its final arc, is more akin to a fighting game than an in-depth story and pales in comparison to the far superior anime counterpart. But playing as each and every Servant - those made famous through the show and those not - is a heck of a lot of fun, with gameplay that is both cathartic and successfully brings an element of strategy along for the ride. Whilst there are some minor niggles within the combat gameplay that stop it being a cornerstone of the genre, there’s nothing that truly dissuaded my enjoyment in the complete package developers Marvelous have managed to offer fans. Whether you are seeking it out as a Musou title - an area it excels at - or just looking for something to sink quite a few hours into - on console or on the ago - then Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star exudes that experience in spades.
The Fate series itself is a combination of strange things end up being cohesive, and this game is no exception to that rule. Fate/EXTELLA the took series in a new direction thanks to an dramatic witch in game genres and, if you ask me, it ended up paying off thanks to a solid combat system, good amount of character depth, and surprisingly large amount of story content.
If you are already a fan of the Fate franchise, this game will absolutely appeal to you. If you’ve never heard of this series before, but you’ve played previous musou style games, this game will also appeal to you. Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star has a lot to offer for fans that enjoy one or both of those scenarios just mentioned. The intense and quick in-your-face style of combat, mixed with the anime art style and graphics, works better than you would think.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star packs plenty of promise, but falls short in certain areas. Gratifying combat can’t outweigh an experience that is too readily prepared to let players sit and read through great lengths of text. When you eventually get to the action it can be spectacular, there just isn’t enough of it.
The game looks fabulous on Switch, with framerates staying stable most of the time. It’s very colourful and despite the fact it doesn’t compete with some of the first-party Switch games in terms of fidelity, I was more than happy with it’s presentation. It is a good fit for Switch, as the relatively short battles have very little filler and suit short sessions well.
If you’re a fan of the Fate franchise or the musou genre, this title is definitely worth a look. To the general gaming public, I’d say to rent it first and see if it holds up for you before purchasing.
In short, it is safe to say the gameplay for Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star fits very well with how the story is set to progress this time around, thanks to a more central focus on the action and events in those moments.
Fate/Extella is brilliant and graphically quite good, considering it was developed for the Vita as well as the Playstation 4. Extella really brings forth the magic of the animated series, and it seems the Musou genre was a nice fit for Fate. I would love to see more games in the series done in this style. Extella's only real problems are an uninteresting soundtrack and lack of variety in the stages and mission objectives. Fate/Extella as a whole is a fun experience that I would gladly recommend to any fan of the Musou genre or the Fate series.
While Fate/Extella suffers from repetition and does little to ease new players into the universe, its fast-paced action and exciting story are ultimately worth it.
Fate/Extella The Umbral Star is a great addition to the Switch, but not a great addition to either genre it tries to emulate.
I really enjoyed my time with Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star, but it is a game for fans of the Warriors franchise style of combat and fans of the show. The combat can become repetitive, and the story can be a little tough to understand at times. However, it knows its audience, and it provides a wonderful experience for anyone looking to have more fun in the Fate universe. If that is you, I recommend you give it a try. You will not be disappointed.
Fate/Extella had some solid gameplay aspects though it was held back by how it presented the narrative and repetitive combat.
Fate/ Extella: The Umbral Star is a decent game. That being said the story could have been better and the gameplay is very repetitive.
I enjoyed my time with Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star on the PlayStation 4 even with its few shortcomings, but I really enjoy playing it on the Nintendo Switch. I feel as if the game was made for the Switch as it's a much smoother and more satisfying experience. While both the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch offerings will serve you well, I definitely recommend the Switch version as the definitive release to go for.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a capable Dynasty Warriors clone but its lack of imagination when it comes to enemies, gameplay, and modes holds it back from being a great game.
While Fate/Extella doesn't actually break any new ground, it has a lot to offer. Newcomers will be able to enjoy its simple but engaging gameplay, while fans can dive into its shockingly complex story written by non-other than Kinoko Nasu himself. If you are in search for a unique Warriors game, don't look any further.
Fate/Extella: The Umbra Star is a perfectly ordinary Dynasty Warriors clone that's been slightly elevated by its license. The gameplay is fun but strictly average, and there's not much that makes it stand out beyond the plot and characters. If you're a fan of the Fate franchise, you'll probably get your money's worth in the story and characters. If you're looking for a brawler, this doesn't have much to offer. The lengthy story sequences filled with metaphysics might make it even less enjoyable than a standard game.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is something of a mixed bag. This style of game works well with the Fate backdrop, and the actual Area Supremacy Battle makes for fun and addictive gameplay, but the presentation of it leaves a lot to be desired, with battles that feel too brief with far too much story interjected in between them. Not to mention that this story is terrible. Even the side stories for the supporting cast are heavily uninspired.