Fairy Tail 2

Japanese role-playing games are once again on the rise, and the feeling is that several new exciting adventures in the genre are released every two weeks. However, this means that competition is increasing among the titles being released, and in the shadow of games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Metaphor: Refantazio and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, it's clear that titles like Fairy Tail 2, while still delivering an enjoyable adventure, don't reach the same standard.

Fairy Tail as a sequel has its origins in the manga series released in 2006, and the brand has continued to enjoy success since then. The adventure has been adapted into both anime series and films, and has seen its fair share of video games, with the oldest title available for the PSP format from 2009. There is therefore no doubt that Fairy Tail has loyal and dedicated fans, and I will admit that my history with the brand is extremely limited as I have mostly seen pictures and videos where the various characters have integrated with each other. For this reason, I will not be able to judge how well Fairy Tail 2 manages the original material in the best way, but my role will be more to rate it as a regular role-playing game.

Because without much knowledge of the story that has taken place before, you are thrown into Fairy Tail 2 without too much information to grasp. There is no doubt that it is a continuation of an already ongoing story, and even though they try to be educational and inviting in their narrative style, there is a lot that happens that is difficult to, at least initially, feel understanding about as an outsider. You are more or less thrown into the shoes of various different heroes, and with a veiled threat from a charismatic villain, the fate of the world seems to rest on your shoulders. It's a classic premise that's been used before, and it still works I might add, but it doesn't feel particularly fresh or exciting if you've played most titles in the genre before.

However, we quickly get acquainted with several different characters, and then it's classic and old-fashioned role-playing of the Japanese school where you get to follow a story, explore smaller environments and fight various nasties on the assembly line. The battles are probably the biggest reason why you would want to play Fairy Tail 2, as the fast and spectacular battles unfold on a conveyor belt. The system itself may not be the most advanced when it comes to building up a meter to then burn off various special attacks, but the high pace mixed with the large amount of different characters (which can be switched around how you want) makes you constantly feel that the pulse is up. There are also some interesting moments where you can match different elements to cause more damage, and being able to combine attacks with your characters means that it never felt dull, although it could occasionally get a bit repetitive during longer play sessions.

The graphics are then of the classic variety, where the slightly cartoony appearance gives the game a simple but stylish appearance without really offering anything spectacular. The cartoon style has in recent years become somewhat watered down in games like Genshin Impact, the Tales series, and Persona and more, and Fairy Tail 2 does nothing new to stand out visually. Moreover, the more you look at the simple environments, it becomes obvious that this is a game built for the last generation of consoles, so you can't expect any yummy eye candy even if the design itself still holds up by today's standards.

There's also no option to have English audio on, so you're left to listen to the Japanese voice actors from start to finish. This in itself is not something that is negative, but if you are the kind of person who wants to be able to hear what the characters are saying instead of reading dialogue, you have been warned. As for the language, you may also have to change the settings on your console to get the game to display English subtitles at all. In fact, my first half hour with the game was all about getting the game to not be in Japanese as the title started with that setting by default with no menu to change it. Eventually, and after much swearing, I got the language changed by setting my PlayStation 5 with English menus, and only then did the game realise that it should display something other than Japanese. Unnecessarily cumbersome - to put it bluntly.

In the end, I would describe Fairy Tail 2 as a game that does what it's supposed to do without showing off too much. Because all the systems fulfil their purpose. The characters feel elaborate without shining, the graphics are appealing without adding anything new, and the music and setting lull you into classic Japanese role-playing that sticks to the framework to the letter. However, there is nothing special that grabs your interest, but most of it feels well done without reaching further emotionally. If you're a fan of the series already, I can definitely see that you'll be more entertained than someone who's never met these characters before, but if, like me, you don't feel any connection to the world that makes up this colourful anime saga, you should probably wait for a greatly reduced price before you take on Fairy Tail 2.