An improved installment to the Fate franchise
Fate/EXTELLA LINK is another entry to the overwhelmingly popular Fate series of action video games. Originally released on June 2018, Fate/EXTELLA LINK is a sequel to 2016’s Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star. With much better gameplay and even more characters to unlock, Fate/EXTELLA LINK is an undeniable improvement from its predecessors in some aspects. However, it does fall short in others.
World and Premise
The world of Fate/EXTELLA LINK is set in a post-apocalyptic universe where the earth has been irreparably ruined. Despite this destruction, humanity continues to survive inside a virtual refuge, known as SE.RA.PH, located in a supercomputer on the moon. Within this refuge, there are beings called Servants – powerful digital versions of figures from Earth’s history and mythology. They must fight against anything that could compromise the peace within SE.RA.PH. Fate/EXTELLA LINK follows the knight Charlemagne and his comrades as they try to prevent another enemy from starting another apocalyptic war.
Gameplay and Graphics
When it comes to Fate games, there are three main points to consider: The gameplay, story, and characters. Fate/EXTELLA LINK’s gameplay is one of the aspects that have been much improved over its predecessors. While it still follows the same hack-and-slash formula that the recent entries in the series have adapted, it now has a higher focus on skills and combos to prevent reliance on simple button mashing.
In contrast to the gameplay’s amazing improvement, the treatment of characters are sadly lacking than before. The game boasts 26 characters to choose from and interact with. However, they don’t get as much attention as you would expect. Charlemagne obviously gets the most time in the limelight due to him being the main character. The rest don’t get as much to do in the story.
The story itself is quite lacking as well. Not only is it very short, but it’s also pretty much just a rehash of the previous games that came before. Still, it’s worth checking out just because it’s a continuation of the series and for more Fate character materials.
For Fate Fans
To be honest, if you are not a Fate fan, then you wouldn’t be missing anything by skipping Fate/EXTELLA LINK. It definitely has nice art and gameplay, but if you have no emotional investment in the Fate franchise or its characters then this won’t be the game to change your mind. If you are a Fate fan, however, Fate/EXTELLA LINK does offer more story and character moments to expand the universe and it might be worth checking out just for that.
