FAIRY TAIL 2 from Gust and KOEI TECMO America is a new Japanese RPG set in the world of the popular manga and anime. Learn more in our FAIRY TAIL 2 review!
FAIRY TAIL 2″ is a new RPG based on the popular magical combat fantasy manga and anime series “FAIRY TAIL,” whose story is beloved by fans around the world, with the original manga selling more than 72 million copies worldwide. This sequel to the game “FAIRY TAIL,” released in July 2020, depicts the “Alvarez Empire Arc,” the climax of the original manga.
FAIRY TAIL is a very popular anime that originally started airing back in 2009, ending its run in September 2019 with more than 300 episodes in total. This anime is based on the manga of the same name, which also had a similar 10-year run from August 2006 to July 2017. FAIRY TAIL follows Natsu, a dragon slayer, and his guildmates on their adventures. And worry not. If, for some reason, you haven’t seen the anime, you can still have a good time playing FAIRY TAIL 2.
At the start of the game, you are presented with a beautifully animated cutscene featuring the FAIRY TAIL cast. If you have little to no knowledge of the characters, this may be a bit confusing. In this case, I would recommend starting with the first game in the series, which we covered a few years ago in our FAIRY TAIL Review back in 2020, which does a great job at explaining the different characters in the series. The story of FAIRY TAIL 2 is set in the Alvarez Empire Arc, which was the last arc of the FAIRY TAIL series. In this arc, the team will face their greatest crisis yet.
The gameplay has undergone significant changes compared to the previous installment. While the earlier game featured turn-based combat, battles are now real-time and fast-paced, making for a more dynamic experience. You can chain together basic attacks by pressing the Square button and follow up with a skill using one of the assigned buttons. As you deal damage, your Fairy Gauge fills, allowing you to unleash powerful link attacks (similar to Limit Breaks) with the help of the other characters.
The battle system is more technical than before, and the first few hours might feel a bit intimidating as you learn the gameplay mechanics. However, after about an hour or two of gameplay, the controls and strategies start to feel intuitive, and everything clicks into place. The system is both rewarding and well-balanced. A quick mention about the boss fights since they were both challenging and exciting, thus feeling incredibly satisfying to complete. Defeating a boss will feel like quite an accomplishment!
I liked that all characters gain experience, even those who aren’t actively involved in combat. This allows you to pick and choose your favorite team members without worrying about others being left behind. Keep in mind, though, that each character’s elemental affinity plays a role in the game, and you’ll probably have to switch depending on which area of the game you’re into. As you explore various locations, you’ll earn Origin Points, which can be used to learn and upgrade your characters’ skills. Each character has three facets that you can enhance according to your preferences. Since skills are tied to elemental affinities, maintaining a good balance is essential for progressing efficiently.
However, the Origin upgrade screen could use some improvement. Activating a skill takes about three seconds of holding down the button, followed by another 2-3 seconds of waiting for a confirmation pop-up for the skill you just activated. Fortunately, there’s an option to set each character to auto-upgrade, so you can skip this tedious process if you wish and still manually configure their skills.
Quest objectives are usually straightforward to locate and on your path, but the quest giver isn’t marked on the map, nor does the quest description indicate where it originated. This means that when it’s time to turn in a quest, you’ll need to remember where the quest giver is, which can feel unnecessarily tedious. A simple map marker for quest givers would have streamlined this process significantly.
On a brighter note, there are campfires in the open world that offer an excellent way to go deeper into the characters’ backstories. I particularly enjoyed how the characters interact with each other during these moments. I also liked how the characters interacted together. It’s obvious they’re close, and they often get on each other’s nerves when they argue, which was fun to watch.
The game has colorful environments, and the character models are excellent. Be warned in advance that fan service is a prominent aspect of the experience, so if you’re not into it, it might rub you the wrong way. Cutscenes are great to watch, and the different locations visited are a visual highlight. The game features Japanese voice acting from the original anime cast, along with subtitles in multiple languages. The soundtrack is also great, with the iconic FAIRY TAIL main theme featured a few times during story segments.
The game features a full trophy list for you to work on, which means it has a Platinum trophy. Some of these trophies are tied to progressing through the main story in FAIRY TAIL 2, while others require a bit more exploration and effort to make them pop. You’ll need to discover all the chests, visit every single landmark, unlock skills through the Origin system, and view all of the character-specific stories to complete your collection. It’s not going to be a short trophy run, but it’s going to be a fun one!
FAIRY TAIL 2 improves and expands on its predecessor while staying true to the source material. The gameplay has undergone huge changes, going from a turn-based battle system to a real-time action one, which felt more dynamic. There’s a bit of lag here and there in the menus and when looking at the map, but nothing that should keep you away from this game.(Edit: fixed in patch 1.1.1) With that said, I would recommend starting with the first game if you’re new to the FAIRY TAIL franchise. If you’ve already seen the anime, you can probably jump right into this one, as it retells the “Alvarez Empire Arc.”
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/EP4108-PPSA24062_00-FAIRYTAIL2DDX000
FAIRY TAIL 2 launches as a Cross-buy title, so your $59.99 purchase will allow you to download both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 at no extra cost. There’s also the FAIRY TAIL 2 Digital Deluxe version for $79.99, which along with the main game, also includes the following:
Early purchase bonus: Lucy Outfit
Outfit Set: “Alternate Costumes”
Lucy, Erza, and Mirajane Outfit
“Atelier Lucy”
“Crystals” (Set of 10)
“Lacrima Fragment” (Set of 10)
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/EP4108-PPSA24062_00-FAIRYTAIL2DDXSP0
And if you want to go all-in, you can get the FAIRY TAIL 2 Ultimate Edition for $114.99, which includes everything from the FAIRY TAIL 2 Deluxe Edition, as well as the FAIRY TAIL 2 Season Pass and the Season Pass Bonus. The Season Pass Bonus includes Erza Outfit: “Sky Dragon Slayer Wendy,” Wendy Outfit: “Fairy Queen Erza,” as well as outfits based on those worn in the “Alvarez Empire Arc.” As for the FAIRY TAIL 2 Season Pass, it will include:
1) Bonus scenario “FAIRY TAIL Hot Springs”
2) Bonus feature: “Arena”
3) New party member set 1
Additional playable character (TBA), story, and 3 outfits.
4) New party member set 2
Additional playable character (TBA), story, and 3 outfits.
5) New party member set 3
Additional playable character (TBA), story, and 3 outfits.
Disclaimer
This FAIRY TAIL 2 review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by KOEI TECMO America.
