Fate/Extella: Link, the sequel to the Fate/Extra reboot with many new and old faces

About two years ago, the Western release of a Japanese game from a franchise with many types of entries came out, ranging from visual novels to anime, manga, and video games: the Fate series. Specifically, the game we reviewed last year was the Nintendo Switch version of Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, a new sub-series that combined the Fate franchise with the musou genre and literally took us to the moon.

Well then, about a year ago in Japan the sequel to that game was released, Fate/Extella: Link for PS4, PS Vita, and Nintendo Switch, and the game has just arrived in the West on all its versions last Friday. Today we are going to review the Nintendo Switch version of Fate/Extella: Link and, being the sequel to Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, we recommend checking out our review of the previous game before reading this one. Without further delay, let’s begin:

In this world, the events of Fate/Stay Night took place, but an incident in 1970 caused the mana of the Earth to gradually disappear until, by 2030, it had completely vanished. Because of this, a replicator of the Holy Wars was created on the Moon, which would fully recreate the Moon itself, the Servants, the mana, and the power of the Masters… This system is called SE.RA.PH, whose core lies in the Moon Cell, where all the information of everything SE.RA.PH recreates is stored, including continuously generated new worlds and the Spirit Cores of historical Servants, forming a fairly complete roster. In SE.RA.PH, the fourth Holy Great War was held among 128 Masters, which was won by Hakuno Kishinami, our playable protagonist. Little by little, no Masters were left on the Moon, and Hakuno became the only one.

In Fate/Extella Link, the story begins where the previous one left off. Hakuno is walking with the little Altera, and suddenly, when they try to summon Nero as their Servant, nothing appears at first. A few seconds later, Charlemagne appears and introduces himself, at which point Altera runs away after hearing a voice. Charlemagne explains that Rex Magnus has been summoned and is forming a plan to conquer all of SE.RA.PH.

Upon arriving in Rome, we meet Nero and her team, along with a large number of enemies who attempt to attack her. Among these enemies are Francis Drake and Karna, a former ally of Nero’s group from the previous game. Karna appears to have been brainwashed, and it is then revealed that some Servants are being “oraclized” with the ideas of Rex Magnus, whose plan is to assimilate everyone through this process in order to achieve world peace.

To face this threat, our heroes will unite within Charlemagne’s Noble Phantasm, a floating castle called Charles Patricius, which will serve as their base now that both Rome and Millennium Capital are under attack.

Along the way, we will encounter all kinds of allies: Nero, Tamamo, Nameless, Chu Chulainn, Arjuna, Robin Hood, Astolfo… This time, after meeting Karna, the story branches into two timelines, which are further divided into smaller choices. However, both paths ultimately lead to the same ending depending on whether you choose the first or the second route, meaning that no matter what we do, there are two endings.

The first route is the more relaxed one, so to speak; it is easier and has a more positive ending against Rex Magnus Charles. The second route has a much more tragic ending and is far more emotional overall, due to additions involving Altera or a direct confrontation before the finale.

Wait… what do you mean there is a third route?

SPOILERS OF THE THIRD ROUTE OF THE GAME IN THIS PARAGRAPH: 

Once we complete both Route 1 and Route 2, we unlock a third one where Archimedes warns us about Altera and Rex Magnus after we meet Charlemagne. In this route, everything comes together and is fully explained, making everything clear, since some explanations were left unresolved in Routes 1 and 2, leaving you wondering “why did this happen?” and vice versa.

The ending is the most emotional of all and includes elements from both previous routes. It is the true ending of our adventure, our real story. Interestingly, unlike the previous game, this one leaves the door open for a third installment of Fate/Extella, with the reappearance of a previously seen villain and the return of the Charlemagnes independently in the post-credits scene.

As I said, the story has many elements that make it better than the previous one. Things are explained much more clearly, and the included characters are very good, both the hero Charlemagne and Rex Magnus Karl, as well as characters who were not in the previous game but were very necessary for the relationships, such as Scathach for Cu Chulainn or Astolfo for Charlemagne.

The Master has a very important role, and each Servant contributes their part to the story, in addition to the fact that the events of the previous game are used in a very interesting way with Altera. The biggest flaw is the same as in the previous game: in some timelines, most of the story from the parallel route is repeated, which can make it a bit tedious. However, this has been greatly improved compared to the previous game by offering more distinct parallel routes, and in fact, this is one of the defining characteristics of the Fate series.

In terms of gameplay, we can find four different modes: Story, Extra Battle, Multiplayer, and Gallery. The first one is the main story I mentioned above. Extra Battle consists of small side stories about the characters. Multiplayer, on the other hand, is a real revolution for the musou genre, as you can not only play locally with another Switch, but also online with friends and strangers, controlling your favorite Servant. Gallery, as the name suggests, is a gallery of artwork, scenes, explanations, collectibles… that you unlock throughout the game.

Before each Story mission, Charles Patricius serves as a menu where we find My Room, Barracks, and Strategy Room, as well as all the Servants we have unlocked throughout the castle, who will be ready to talk to us and give us Side Missions.

My Room is used to prepare ourselves and the Servant we have chosen as a battle companion. Barracks allows us to talk to the Servants we have unlocked, and Strategy Room is used to prepare before each battle; it is like an extension of My Room towards the battlefield.

As you can see, we find several new features compared to Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, even in gameplay. For those new to this title, the Fate/Extella sub-series is a musou game where we have to fight hundreds of enemies at once, including zone conquest and completing certain objectives in order to reach one or more final bosses.

In addition to that, we have standard special attacks that can be improved and changed as we wish; Burst Mode, a burst state in which we can decide whether to use stronger normal attacks or a more or less powerful final attack; and the Noble Phantasm, a powerful finishing move that summons something from the character’s story to unleash their full power.

In the previous game, Nero, Tamamo, and Altera had a unique transformation called Moon Crux that powered them up in addition to everything else. However, in this game, the three of them have lost these transformations, although other systems such as Bond and Instant Skills have been kept.

The Master can now, in addition to choosing their gender as in previous games, accompany us on the battlefield. We must be very careful, as they will sometimes be attacked instead of us, and if their health runs out, it’s Game Over.

Therefore, even with the loss of Moon Crux, the game includes many gameplay additions, making it much more enjoyable than the previous one. In addition to everything mentioned, it includes all 16 characters from Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, plus 10 new characters, including original ones like the Charlemagnes and characters from other Fate sub-series.

Now we present the full list of playable characters in Fate/Extella Link, including Young Altera, a character released as DLC in Japan and also available in the West as DLC for €9.99 on the Nintendo eShop.

• Saber: Carlomagne

• Saber: Nero Claudious

• Caster: Tamamo No Mae

• Archer: Nameless

• Saber: Gawain

• Archer: Robin Hood

• Rider: Astolfo

• Lancer: Cu Chulainn

• Lancer: Elizabeth Bathory

• Ruler: Jeanne D'Arc

• Lancer: Karna

• Rider: Francis Drake

• Berserker: Lancelot

• Rider: Medusa

• Berserker: Lu Bu Fengxian

• Caster: Gilles de Rais

• Berserker: Darius III

• Assassin: Li Shuwen

• Lancer: Scathach

• Caster: Archimedes

• Rider: Iskandar

• Saber: Artoria Pendragon

• Archer: Gilgamesh

• Ruler: Rex Magnus Karl

• Archer: Arjuna

• Saber: Altera

•  DLC Clase Saber: Young Altera. Disponible por 9,99€ en Nintendo eShop.

In terms of graphics, we can see a noticeable improvement throughout the entire game, from gameplay to cutscenes. However, we also find a change in style during conversations, as 2D sprites are now used without the 3D sprite behind them, unlike what happened in Fate/Extella Link. Even so, the overall improvement is very noticeable, despite losing that 3D aspect.

As for the soundtrack, we find a better score than in the previous game, much more emotional and much less repetitive, which makes the experience something truly incredible.

Do we recommend Fate/Extella Link even over its first entry? Without a doubt, this is a great sequel to Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star. The story is much more developed, and the new characters included in it are very good. The gameplay has received so many additions that it now truly feels like we are not playing another Fate/Extra entry, but rather a new Fate sub-series.

The graphics have improved significantly both on the Switch and PS4 versions, and the soundtrack is without a doubt completely unique, very emotional, and essential for certain moments both in combat and in the story. In short, we are looking at a great sequel in the Fate/Extella series that will give us many hours of fun and emotion.

This Fate/Extella sequel is available on PS Vita, PS4, and Xbox One at a base price of €50. Are you ready to join the cause?

Worst parts of the game

• Slightly repetitive story
• Repetition of many gameplay sections across the different routes
• High complexity in understanding the world and story for those unfamiliar with Fate or even the previous game
• Removal of certain mechanics from the previous installment

Best parts of the game

• Better structured and more developed story than the previous game
• More complete gameplay with many new modes
• Very good balance between characters from the previous game and the addition of some of the most iconic characters in the series
• Very noticeable improvements in the graphical and artistic aspects
• More emotional and less repetitive soundtrack
• Much more solid in most aspects compared to its predecessor

Score

9