Fate/Extella Link Reviews
Fate/EXTELLA LINK is everything the first game should have been.
Despite carrying some nice improvements over its predecessor in the gameplay department, Fate/Extella Link offers a disappointing story. Overall though, the combat is fast, easy, and fun to grasp and leads to an enjoyable hack-and-slash game with some charming anime aesthetics.
Fans of Fate will enjoy this, it's basically fanservice. The Musou style gameplay has been used for many franchises in Japan across the years, with popular series like One Piece, Kamen Rider, and Gundam all receiving games that give fans the chance to play with their favourite characters.
Fate/Extella Link is a great game, reassuring its own identity in the hack-n-slash/action genre, with a very fun combat system and a story on par with other things in the franchise, allowing it to go toe-to-toe with similar games and even claim a few wins on this war for the player's attention.
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Fate/Extella Link is a delight. It takes beloved characters from a beloved anime franchise, and then appropriates the Koei Tecmo Warriors gameplay structure with such style and panache that Koei should be taking some notes itself. If only the developers hadn't gone with the ham-fisted sci-fi elements. Fate doesn't need that stuff.
With the big Nintendo-related hack and slash franchises (Fire Emblem and Hyrule Warriors) already present on Switch, the Fate/EXTELLA titles don't usually get a lot of attention. But the Fate series is sneakily popular, largely due to the popularity of the Grand Order mobile game, and fans of Fate will find a good time here. For everyone else, your enjoyment of Fate/EXTELLA: LINK will largely depend on your tolerance for anime stereotypes.
Even though Fate/Extella Link feels a lot like its predecessor, it's still a much-improved game that'll keep you hacking and slashing for hours.
While there’s quite a lot to understand about Fate/EXTELLA Link in the end your enjoyment is likely to hinge on the frantic and crazy combat...
Fate/EXTELLA LINK proves that sometimes little tweaks can make a huge difference in a game. The combat here is so much better than in the previous game. It’s much faster and far more fluid. The new mission objectives make the stages feel alive and ever changing. Last but not least, the soundtrack here is one the best I’ve heard in a long time. At its $49.99 price tag, you get about 15 hours of story missions and a slew of extra missions that unlock while you’re progressing through the story. If you are a fan of the Fate series, this is a must own title. The characters and story alone are well worth the price of admission here. If you love Musou games, this might be the best of one of this generation. This game did what a good sequel should do, it improved on the first game in every way possible and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for this series down the line.
Overall, this is an incredibly fun hack’n’slash game. Perhaps it could do more with the Fate brand, expanding on the story and character development, but that is not the draw of this game. The combat is the obvious star of the show, supported by the characters and the systems to develop their skills and powers. I believe that fans of the Fate series will enjoy this particularly as they will have more background knowledge and be happy to see more of the characters. That said, anyone who enjoys musou-style games will likely not regret buying this game.
The game does get repetitive fast, but the fast-paced action and short missions are enough to keep players thoroughly entertained, especially in short bursts.
Whilst the muddled story that immediately assumes you know the lore found in previous titles limits the draw of the campaign, Fate/EXTELLA LINK easily provides a surprisingly deep, content-rich adventure that is certain to become a time-sink should you let yourself go unchecked.
GOOD - Fate/Extella Link features lots of improvements over the previous release, but it still suffers from some of the pitfalls the last title had and does have a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with the franchise. Hack and slash action aficionados will find a lot to like here!
Whether you are a fan of the series or not, Fate/EXTELLA LINK is rather fun, it's filled to the brim with action, and allows for fans both new and old to familiarize themselves with a healthy roster of well-established servants. It ensures that no one encounter will ever be experienced exactly the same and sets itself leagues ahead of some of its competitor titles, making it an absolute must-have for Musou fans.
Fate/Extella Link does not take a lot of chances, and it does not really shake up the core formula of the first game - but it does improve upon it in subtle but effective ways throughout. There is a lot of content here, and if you are a fan of the Fate/ series, you will likely enjoy getting to spend some time with its cast of quirky, colorful characters. The combat and progression are both deeper than the last outing as well, even if by the end of the game there is the risk of things getting a bit repetitive, but that did not keep me from spending a lot of time with this game and unlocking every last thing I could. There is still potential to do something more with multiplayer than the 4-on-4 mode that was introduced here, and I would not object to a bit more depth in terms of RPG elements as well, but all in all Fate/Extella Link was exactly what I was looking for in this sequel.
I can say that this is a musou game that I’ll actually go back to after this review is done…which, I believe, is a hell of a seal of approval for a game in this genre. Here’s hoping the next inevitable entry in the Extra/Extella series steps it up even further.
You won’t find the same epic scale of storytelling here as in its predecessor, but Fate/Extella Link excels with superb battles and sets down the groundwork for what could be an even better sequel.
This entry is a giant leap forward with what we saw in the previous game, and with some slight revisions and changes to certain mechanics, we could be looking at a contender for the best Musou around in future installments. For now, Fate/EXTELLA Link is a great game and exists for that core purpose I mentioned at the beginning… let’s just have some fun!
Fate/EXTELLA LINK has taken the top spot on my list of non-Musou; Musou titles thanks to its fluid gameplay and interesting story. As you use each of the Servants your bond with them will grow, this leads to new conversations, costumes, and attacks which can be used in battle against the onslaught. With a total of 26 playable characters, there’s bound to be one for everyone out there as each one lies within one of the eight combat categories. The story isn’t as long as we’ve seen in previous games like Dynasty Warriors 9, but the timeline aspect with multiple choices is interesting and offers a new take on various situations.