At most, these unmodeled characters get a few animation stills, but many don’t even get a line of dialogue and are assumed to exist somewhere off camera. Even stranger, many of the story characters don’t have 3D models. There are a few unimpressive environments that meet you on the world map these are small and drab areas filled with a handful of palette-swapped enemy designs. The lack of budget becomes apparent elsewhere. Reinforcing this are several CG cutscenes that show off pivotal moments of the story - even if one of those “important moments” just had to be a pool scene with all the women of Fairy Tail. Get used to these guys.įairy Tail‘s host of impressive and recognizable spell animations, along with the faithfully realized character models, do a great job of convincing you that you are playing a manga or anime. I found myself particularly enamoured with upgrading my hall, but even this lost its appeal by the time the game moved on to other story arcs.
#MANGA FAIRY TAIL 418 UPGRADE#
And it’s not just your characters that can be upgraded, but your guild as well: you can upgrade and remodel different facilities in your guild hall (which includes a laboratory for crafting new lacrima, Fairy Tail‘s version of equipment), and your guild itself ranks up, allowing you to take on higher-level side quests. Each playable character also has a bond rank with each other playable character that is increased through doing side quests together. Your characters both level up from experience gained in battles and rank up from shared “Fairy Points” gained from side quests. This central focus on rising through the ranks allows Gust to do what they do best: implement numerous systems related to upgrading. This arc involves the titular guild working to bring themselves back to prominence as they aim to become the number one guild and win a magic Olympics in the process. The bulk of Fairy Tail takes place within a heavily abridged version of the manga’s “Grand Magic Games” story arc. She also happens to be one of the most powerful characters, in both the manga and the game. Erza proves to be Fairy Tail‘s most interesting character with her explosive fight scenes, memorable lines, and a backstory made relevant to the greater plot. Lucy, Erza, Mira, and the other women are both powerful and feminine, with strengths and flaws explained by their individual histories. In spite of my annoyance with the portrayals of the female cast, the women of Fairy Tail are its best characters, whether in the manga or in the game. This depiction extends to other women who are also treated inappropriately, including by Makarov, Fairy Tail‘s Guild Master, who utilizes spanking as a punishment. From the beginning, both the manga and the game depict Lucy, the main viewpoint character, in a heavily sexualized manner, with panel after panel and scene after scene of what are essentially pin-ups. Unfortunately, the awful treatment of the female cast quickly becomes a huge letdown. This makes for an overall fun read, if not something I found special. The manga has a solid found family element, bombastic fights, sloppy world building, and some genuinely touching moments.
#MANGA FAIRY TAIL 418 SERIES#
The series chronicles the lives of the members of one such guild, which is known, to the surprise of no one, as Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is set in a fantastical world where magic is commonplace and guilds made up of mages for hire undertake all sorts of odd jobs. Going through the manga up to that point set some expectations for me. Back when the series was ongoing, I kept up with it for a year or two, but the game begins around the 243rd chapter, much further than I ever read. In preparation for Fairy Tail, I decided to refresh my memory of the manga. Could Gust bring their usual charm and intricate system development to a licensed property, and if so, what could it mean for the future of licensed RPGs? When I heard that Gust was developing an RPG based on an anime property, my interest piqued. They make the popular Atelier series and release games at a rate unprecedented by any RPG developer outside of Compile Heart.
0 kommentar(er)
