Fairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much Substance

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Fairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much Substance

As a seasoned RPG enthusiast with countless hours spent traversing fantastical worlds and vanquishing formidable foes, I must say that Fairy Tail 2 left me with a bit of a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, the combat was engaging, fast-paced, and reminiscent of my favorite Shonen anime battles – complete with the occasional super-boss showdown that had me grinning ear to ear. The visuals were captivating and vibrant, transporting me back to the magical world of Fairy Tail in an instant.

Adapting popular anime into video games can be a delicate balance. Developers must satisfy die-hard fans who know every detail of the story and characters, while also appealing to newcomers seeking an enjoyable gaming experience. This fine line between pleasing old fans and attracting new ones is a challenging task that some games have managed to achieve effectively, successfully recreating the charm of the manga and anime while offering engaging gameplay. Fairy Tail 2, following up on the 2020 release of Fairy Tail, now has Gust handling development duties. Similar to its predecessor, Fairy Tail 2 does a good job in bringing the series to life on screen, though its gameplay elements sometimes lack depth.

Before the release of the modern “Fairy Tail” games, the series had only been adapted into a couple of Japanese-exclusive PSP titles that were never localized. The 2020 launch of “Fairy Tail”, therefore, was a delightful surprise for long-time fans of the widely popular “Fairy Tail” manga and anime, as it transformed the series’ initial significant storyline into an RPG with some tactical combat elements, albeit falling short of fan expectations by hurriedly covering essential plot points while still bringing the animated world to life. Notably, “Fairy Tail 2” effectively recaptures and reenacts the climactic final arc of the series, and it also revamps its combat system for a more engaging experience. However, its impressive presentation and visuals can only go so far in masking the game’s shallowness.

Fairy Tail 2’s Presentation is Top-Notch, But its Story Takes a Backseat

Fairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much Substance

Upon starting Fairy Tail 2, players will immediately appreciate the effort Gust has invested in replicating the style and atmosphere of the Fairy Tail anime. The cell-shaded graphics brilliantly mirror the world of Fairy Tail, much like other recent video game adaptations of renowned anime series, thanks to its vivid hues and captivating characters from Fiore. This results in a distinctly enchanted ambiance for Fairy Tail 2. The animations are exceptionally smooth, creating the sensation that playing Fairy Tail 2 is like directing an actual episode of Fairy Tail. However, when considering how effectively the game’s stunning presentation adapts the Alvarez Empire arc from the series, Fairy Tail 2 presents a somewhat uneven performance.

In the Alvarez Empire storyline within Fairy Tail, the main character Natsu Dragneel faces a dramatic confrontation with his archenemy, Zeref, the malevolent sorcerer. Fans well-versed in the series will recall the significant surprises that unfold throughout this arc, which Fairy Tail 2 swiftly covers at an astonishing speed. A common criticism leveled against the original Fairy Tail was its propensity to hastily gloss over crucial moments and not provide them with the impact they warranted, a flaw that has carried over into Fairy Tail 2. To avoid spoilers, let’s talk about an aspect that troubles many viewers: the deaths of characters, especially guild members. These deaths occur after critical battles but are quickly bypassed in the game, only for these same characters to reappear without any explanation a few minutes later. This disjointed handling undermines any emotional impact such events might have had, and this can also be said about several late-game revelations as the main story progresses.

For those with a casual acquaintance with the Fairy Tail manga and anime, it’s noteworthy that Fairy Tail 2 skillfully introduces the series’ characters and setting. The game begins in a straightforward manner, allowing players to control main characters Lucy and Natsu, later expanding the playable roster to encompass all significant members of the Fairy Tail guild. This game also caters well to newcomers like myself who may not have played the original Fairy Tail or are unfamiliar with the series.

The numerous cutscenes in Fairy Tail 2 are lengthy and lack depth, making them a tedious task to watch during gameplay, especially when resting at a campfire. These scenes provide more background on the Fairy Tail guild and its characters as you progress, but there’s not much incentive to watch them other than gaining some understanding of their relationships. Unfortunately, most elements of the story in Fairy Tail 2 seem designed to catch up new players with the franchise’s history, but they don’t offer enough information to impact the game’s plot significantly. It seems that neither long-time fans nor casual viewers find these story delivery methods helpful, leading one to wonder who exactly this style of storytelling is intended for.

RPG Systems and Progression in Fairy Tail 2 Are Efficient But Lack Depth

Fairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much Substance

In Fairy Tail 2, both the storyline and gameplay share a similar issue of being shallow. As players progress, they can add more characters to their team, eventually controlling three at once to traverse Fiore’s world. At certain instances, certain characters might temporarily leave the playable roster for narrative purposes, returning later after rejoining the main group. Regardless of where you are in the game, you have the flexibility to swap between your available heroes instantly, including the one used to navigate Fairy Tail 2’s semi-open world maps.

In Fairy Tail 2, the primary gameplay revolves around exploring the game world, completing side missions while moving from one main mission point to another, and engaging in battles with enemies. The experience is reminiscent of traditional RPGs, where characters gain levels by accumulating enough experience points, and then get to distribute “Origin Points” (a unique terminology for stat points) across three distinct Magic Origin skill trees: Spirit, Skill, and Strength. Fairy Tail 2 allows players to automatically level up their characters, which I found to be the optimal choice due to the order in which skills are acquired having minimal impact on gameplay. On the standard difficulty setting, battles seldom pose challenges, and I frequently found myself at higher levels than each map section (indicated on the user interface), simply by fighting every enemy I encountered during my journey.

In addition to acquiring new abilities for combat, Magic Origin trees serve as a level-up platform for fundamental stats shared among team members and enhancing the potency of unique in-battle skills that leverage character synergies in Fairy Tail 2. Similar to equipment, players can only utilize Lacrima items within the game. These magical crystals, essential in the Fairy Tail universe, provide a similar function in Fairy Tail 2. Exploration and looting from chests or battles grants crafting materials that merchants exchange for various types of Lacrima. Some Lacrima enhance critical hit rates, elemental properties, or grant HP upon successful attacks. However, the crafting process seems arbitrary with no discernible pattern. There are numerous components required to create each Lacrima, and the abundance of resources ensures your heroes will always have access to the latest gear.

In a puzzling turn of events, I discovered that there were Lacrima artifacts left uncrafted at the end of Fairy Tail 2, even though I had thoroughly explored every corner of the map and every region within it. The game is divided into Chapters, with the first half following the Alvarez Empire arc from the manga and anime. The second part of the game presents an original story by Hiro Mashima, serving as a kind of “endgame” or “post-game”. Although numerous enigmatic items and enhancements were accessible during this segment, some remained out of reach upon finishing Fairy Tail 2. Overall, the game simplifies many of its RPG mechanics to emphasize the core gameplay experience; however, this streamlining comes at the expense of a genuine sense of progression.

Combat is What Carries the Fairy Tail 2 Experience

Fairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much SubstanceFairy Tail 2 Review: A Faithful RPG Adaptation With Style, But Not Much Substance

The main highlight of “Fairy Tail 2” was undeniably its battle system. Unlike the original “Fairy Tail”, “Fairy Tail 2” blends turn-based and real-time combat, offering a dynamic experience that replaces the grid-based and tactical turns of the first game with an interactive system full of intriguing features. This includes field encounters, break gauges, cooldown timers, and numerous other engaging mechanics that combine to create a surprisingly complex battle model. Although other aspects of “Fairy Tail 2” may lean towards simplicity, its combat offers a rich gaming experience for players to explore.

In the world of Fairy Tail 2, players will stumble upon groups of adversaries that they can either engage or circumvent to gain an edge before combat begins, with the three playable characters occasionally facing off against up to nine or ten foes at once during a single encounter. Each character possesses a variety of attacks – single-target, area of effect, and all-encompassing – providing players with ample freedom in deciding their approach to the semi-turn-based battles. Instead of traditional “turns”, combat in Fairy Tail 2 revolves around cooldown timers and accumulating a gauge for using abilities called “SP”. Once players have sufficient SP, they can trigger special abilities that are more potent than regular attacks, occasionally obliterating entire squadrons of enemies in a single turn. Similar to Shin Megami Tensei V and Metaphor: ReFantazio, reaching specific level milestones empowers players to employ real-time attacks to eliminate enemies on the field without ever initiating battle.

In Fairy Tail 2, stronger adversaries (bosses and super-bosses) will have yellow “Damage Thresholds” that must be drained prior to inflicting significant harm. This makes the encounters exciting and fast-paced as players strive to stun powerful enemies and disrupt their potent attacks before they obliterate your team. Notably, each region offers an optional, challenging super-boss encounter for players to attempt. These battles are entertaining and rewarding, making the effort worthwhile. As far as challenge goes, I never encountered a “Game Over” screen while playing Fairy Tail 2 on standard settings, and experienced RPG players will likely share this experience. However, the lower difficulty level is not problematic, as it results in a swift gameplay experience where you’ll quickly transition from one battle to another.

However, similar to other aspects in Fairy Tail 2, the combat may become repetitive as players progress through the game, particularly towards the end. This is especially noticeable when difficult boss fights are replaced by tedious encounters against the main antagonists. While fighting an intriguing boss once can be enjoyable, it becomes less appealing when you must fight that same boss multiple times in a row without any notable changes in mechanics or difficulty.

In simpler terms, the primary storyline of Fairy Tail 2 makes up approximately half of the game, followed by additional content after the main story. This extra content includes a unique tale and tougher battles. By the end of the main story, I had clocked around 23 hours of playtime, with an additional 15 hours spent completing some post-game missions. Overall, Fairy Tail 2’s fast pace suits its shorter duration, with most players probably spending about 40 hours to experience all it has to offer.

Much like the animated series it originates from, “Fairy Tail 2” is often criticized for having an abundance of style over substance. Regardless of its widespread appeal, “Fairy Tail” has persistently struggled to shake off the label of being too predictable, closely adhering to the conventions and qualities typical of Shonen anime. In a similar vein, “Fairy Tail 2” is a game that satisfies all the necessary conditions for a fast-paced, casual RPG, but it falls short in offering the depth usually found in games of its kind. The degree of enjoyment one derives from this title hinges on their fondness for the “Fairy Tail” comic books and cartoon series, with its rapid combat and striking graphics serving as the bright spots in an otherwise rather superficial gaming experience.

Fairy Tail 2 is set to launch on PC on December 11, 2024, with versions for PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch following on December 13, 2025. In this review, Game Rant received a code for the PS5 version.

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2024-12-11 14:08