Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star Reviews
Fans of action games and Nintendo Switch owners should go out and buy Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star. It's one of the best third party games currently on the console. I'll definitely be playing this for the foreseeable future.
I am fully willing to admit that I approached Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star with lower expectations than I probably should have. With limited knowledge of the franchise, it was hard to predict what the game had in store. This is why it was such a pleasant surprise when it turned out to be an extremely competent brawler, with a shockingly expansive, albeit slightly disjointed, core campaign. Despite its narrative shortcomings, the moment-to-moment combat is fast paced, visually arresting and extremely entertaining. If you are looking for a fun mindless jaunt to kick off the New Year, look no further.
The Umbral Star changes the usual gameplay of the classic musou style, with a pinch of strategy and fanservice. It's a purchase you can't miss if you love the "Fate" series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A real treat for anime-action fans, Fate/EXTELLA is a lovably frantic hack-and-slash with a feeling all its own. Appealing characters and an irresistible sense of style draw you into its world, and addictive, satisfying gameplay and excellent writing keep things exciting throughout. It suffers from some common ails of the musou genre, like minimal enemy variety and subpar AI, and it's far from a technical showcase for the system, but if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced slash-‘em-up on Switch — or to seriously complicate your relationship with one of Rome's most infamous sons — Fate is a perfect choice.
I enjoyed my time with Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star as it satisfied my craving for a game in the Fate universe. The fighting controls are tight and responsive, and the action is intense. The lack of enemy variation was disappointing, but it didn’t take away from the frenetic fun of pulling off well animated combos against thousands of aggressors. This game might not be for newcomers to the Fate series, but offers a fun and impressive story arc to the franchise.
Well-made slasher in the world of FATE with subpar graphics. Great fun, but only for the fans of the japanese series.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Fate/Extella is a fun little dalliance in the Musou genre by the Fate series, but ultimately proves to be little more. The characters don't feel particularly deep and the story lacks enough length to give them that extra dimension. In fact, all there really seems to be enough time for is the servants doting on the master until it seems like something lewd's about to go down until they get interrupted or pull a bait and switch; this leading into a rushed parallel narrative that makes it feel like the gameplay didn't even matter in the grand scheme of things, with major exploits being taken care of off-screen.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Fate/Extella’s fundamentals are solid and fans will certainly love it, but newcomers to the Fate series should beware.
Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star is a beat em' up done right, but can be repetitive after a long while.
At best, Fate/Extella is kinda competent game that fans of the franchise will enjoy. It's not broken and can be simple, mindless fun in short bursts. But those not familiar with the franchise it's based on will be left in the dust. If you're a hardcore fan of Fate/Stay Night or Dynasty Warriors, you've probably decided whether or not Fate/Extella is for you. Those on the fence shouldn't really bother with this title.
While it isn't the worst, I wouldn't suggest that anyone plays Fate/Extella unless they're starving for more time with the Fate universe.
There is certainly a decent amount of content, including multiple scenarios and side stories, but if the simplistic button-mashing isn't enough of an incentive to push forward to see those story bits, consider waiting it out for the anime adaptation (which covers the first game) coming this Spring instead.
Fate/EXTELLA is out now on PC and Switch, and it’s worth your attention if you’re a hardcore Fate fan, Anima aficionado, or dying for a new Switch-based RPG. Others may just want to steer clear.
While the gameplay is fun the whole experience is overly repetitive. Add in a confusing setting and a complete tonal shift from the anime and you get a game that does not live up to expectations.
Not awful but far from good, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a title that lets down fans and keeps away newcomers with a pithy story, mediocre gameplay, and a generic art direction that betrays the franchise’s roots.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a game made of highs and lows. Its indisputable merits counteract an equally large number of defects, which make the purchase only recommended to fans of the Fate series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star has a title that makes as little sense as its punctuation to an outsider, but it serves as the glue that holds everything together.
Fate/Extella offers tons of content, but it’s often frustrating content nonetheless.
Fate/Extella is clearly made for hardcore fans of the series. It's a hard sell to anyone that's not well-versed in the Fate franchise, and even then, the repetitive, clunky combat system and overly wordy story sections will likely drive off those that have any interest in the game.