E3 2016 - Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star Preview

At E3 2016 today, I got a chance to stop by the XSEED Games booth and get my hands on the upcoming Musou style game, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star. The game, in development for the PlayStation 4 and the PS Vita, is the first in the game series to have such an action-oriented combat system. Here are my hands-on impressions of the game for the PlayStation 4.

My time with the demo had me in control of Servant Nero Claudius, who along with her master have won the Holy Grail and the Regalia. However, someone else has appeared and they also have a Regalia, which is a ring that proves their Kingship. I didn’t really get to see much more in terms of the story, it was all combat during this playthrough, but I was told though that the game will feature one story with three different Servant’s perspectives on the story. It is also a brand new story from Nasu Kinoko and will feature characters from Fate/stay night, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order and other Fate series.

While some might be quick to point to this as just another Dynasty Warriors-type game, it has some very distinctive differences that were front and center during the demo. First of all, the game plays extremely fast, with your character Nero hacking and slashing through enemies with a blaze of movements, creating a stunning visual fireworks of action. Not only are the attacks fast, but they also carry a lot of power with them. Your character has your two basic attacks, along with a few special moves that are extremely devastating. One of the special moves actually allows you to transform your character, unleashing more powerful attacks.

The goal to each level is to try and travel between sectors of the map and defeat main bosses, weakening the enemies hold on the map and imposing more of your own. The level itself that I tried was just as colorful as the character and attacks, though the enemies themselves left a little bit to be desired, as they were a bit dull looking.

I really walked into the XSEED booth with no real knowledge of Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, but I left intrigued by a visually fast combat system, a bright environment, and some big colorful moves. The Umbral Star will be releasing on the Playstation 4 and Vita on a date to be announced later.