t1z4l

Koei Tecmo has released the opening movie for Fairy Tail 2, their RPG based on the Fairy Tail anime and manga. This sequel will cover the Alvarez Empire Arc, featuring Natsu, Lucy, and other guild battling against the Emperor Zeref, his elite Spriggan 12, and the Black Dragon Acnologia. Fairy Tail 2 is set for release on December 13, 2024 with pre-orders now live for both digital and physical editions on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Steam.

You can view the official trailer on YouTube below:

With the release of Fairy Tail 2, players who pre-order will receive Natsu's Edolas outfit, while early purchasers will get Lucy's Miss Fairy Tail contest outfit. Additionally, those who buy the digital deluxe edition will gain access to the Ryza 1, 2, and 3 outfits for Lucy, Erza, and Mirajane as part of the Gust collaboration set.

In related news, in a recent interview with Fairy Tail 2 Producer Hiroshi Kataoka, Kataoka discusses the inspiration to cover the Alvarez Empire Arc, adjustments made to adapt the story for gameplay, and the involvement of series creator Hiro Mashima.

Fairy Tail 2 is set for release on December 13, 2024. The Steam version will be available slightly earlier, on December 11, 2024.

The post Fairy Tail 2 Opening Movie and Pre-Orders Appear  appeared first on Siliconera.

Kodansha announced that it has established the Fairy Tail Indie Game Guild project. It will use this guild to help independent game creators release games themed after Hiro Mashima's manga series of the same title.

The company also revealed the first two games that will be part of the project. It will release both titles on PC via Steam worldwide in seven languages: Japanese, English, French, Korean, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.

Fairy Tail: Dungeons will be the first game in this project. It will feature a rogue-lite gameplay system where the player will collect magic cards based on attacks from the series' characters and construct a deck with them for the chosen character to fight monsters inside the dungeon. This game will be available on August 27, 2024 in Japan, South Korea, Eastern Australia, and New Zealand, or August 26, 2024 for the rest of the world.

The second game in the project will be Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc. As the title suggests, this game will feature casual beach volleyball matches between Fairy Tail characters with additional special magic effects. Kodansha will release this game simultaneously worldwide on September 16 or 17, 2024, depending on the time zone.

The Fairy Tail series already has an official RPG for PC and consoles developed by Koei Tecmo's Gust, and the same studio is working on its sequel that will appear in Winter 2024. The new indie titles will further complement the lineup of games based on the franchise. In the Japanese press release, Kadokawa added that it will release Fairy Tail: Birth of Magic, a versus game with original magic creation system, as the third indie title.

Fairy Tail: Dungeons will appear first on August 26 or 27, 2024, and Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc will follow on September 16 or 17, 2024. Both Fairy Tail indie games will be available worldwide digitally on PC via Steam.

The post Fairy Tail Indie Game Guild Will Bring New Games to PC appeared first on Siliconera.

During the Nintendo Direct on June 18, 2024, Fairy Tail 2 was announced. This new Fairy Tail game will take place during the Alvarez arc of the anime and manga.

You can watch the first game trailer for Fairy Tail 2 here:

It is a JRPG in which you play as of Team Natsu and other characters from the Fairy Tail guild. This includes other prominent characters like Gajeel and Laxus. There will be Japanese audio in the game, and each character will have four different techniques they can unleash in battle.

The combat system looks similar to that of Dynasty Warriors, which makes sense since Koei Tecmo is one of the companies that worked on it. You’ll also be able to use deploy three characters at the same time and unleash a special Link Magic depending on the combinations.

Fairy Tail 2 will come out on the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC in Winter 2024.

The post Fairy Tail 2 Announced at Nintendo Direct appeared first on Siliconera.

The Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest anime will start airing in July 2024. The cast of Fairy Tail will return to reprise their roles.

A short teaser showing the main characters of the Strongest Team is available to watch on Twitter (X). More information about the show will likely appear on various social media platforms as we draw closer to the release date. The trailer is thirty seconds long, showing the characters in a black-and-white manga style before a brief shot of Natsu.

You can watch the new Fairy Tail anime trailer here:

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest is the sequel to Fairy Tail. It started serialization in 2018 and is still ongoing. It takes place a year after the end of the original manga, which means that fans will likely need to finish that first due to spoilers. The plot follows Natsu and his friends as they take on the 100 Years Quest, which means a mission that has not been completed even after a hundred years. Fairy Tail mangaka Hiro Mashima first announced the anime adaptation for the sequel in 2021.

The first series went through several studios. A-1 Pictures handled the whole thing. However, Satelight worked on episodes 1-175, Bridge worked on episodes 176-328, and Cloverworks worked on episodes 278-328. None of these studios are returning to work on Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest. Instead, J.C. Staff will be the studio for the sequel. Some of J.C. Staff’s previous works include the A Certain Magical Index franchise, Shokugeki no Soma, and Shakugan no Shana.

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest will start airing in Japan from July 2024.

The post Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest Anime Will Air in July 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.

Fairy Tail has released a line of fragrances inspired by the characters of Fist of the North Star. The perfumes are now being sold at the Fairy Tail store on Nakano Broadway in Japan. They are also available for presale at the Fist of the North Star 40th Anniversary Grand Original Art Exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi, Japan. Online orders will be taken on Amazon JP beginning November 20, 2023. [Thanks, PR Times!]

Here’s the lineup of featured characters, matching fragrance notes, and prices:

• Bat Roll On Fragrance: Fresh Coconut ($22.11)
• Giant Hag Hand Cream ($6.63)
• Juda Eau de Parfum: Fougère Note ($40.54)
• Juza Eau de Parfum: Spicy Wood ($40.54)
• Kenshiro Eau de Parfum: Sensual Woody Note ($40.54)
• Mamiya Eau de Parfum: Oriental Floral Gourmand ($40.54)
• Raoh Eau de Parfum: Energetic Spicy Note ($40.54)
• Rei Eau de Parfum: Woody Spicy Citrus ($40.54)
• Rin Roll On Fragrance: Pure Strawberry Note ($22.11)
• Shin Eau de Parfum: Citrus floral green ($40.54)
• Thouzer Eau de Parfum: Mysterious Citrus Note ($40.54)
• Toki Eau de Parfum: Citrus White Musk ($40.54)
• Yuria Eau de Parfum: Peony Floral Bouquet ($40.54)

You can also view all of the Fist of the North Star fragrances in the gallery below:

A line of fragrances inspired by the characters of Fist of the North Star has been released by Fairy Tail. They are available for purchase at the Fairy Tail store in Nakano Broadway, Japan. They will be available for purchase online at Amazon JP beginning on November 20, 2023.

The post Fist of the North Star Fragrances Released appeared first on Siliconera.

A lot happened during Good Smile Company's WonHobby 35. Tons of different figures from anime series and games showed up. Among them were three figures of Fairy Tail Final Season characters. Grand Magic Games Arc versions of Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster both will the Pop Up Parade line. In addition, there's a Lucy Heartfilia Nendoroid in the works.

First, here's the new Natsu Pop Up Parade figure. The prototypes for both him and Gray are painted, which means pre-orders will likely appear in the near future.

#WonHobby35 Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Fairy Tail Final Season
POP UP PARADE Natsu Dragneel: Grand Magic Games Arc Ver.

Web Gallery: https://t.co/pacE4bx062#FairyTail #PopUpParade #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/CXDGPoWt2G

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) February 11, 2022

Next is the Gray Pop Up Parade figure. He actually has his shirt on in this one.

#WonHobby35 Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Fairy Tail Final Season
POP UP PARADE Gray Fullbuster: Grand Magic Games Arc Ver.

Web Gallery: https://t.co/hh9asjtpvf#FairyTail #PopUpParade #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/xneeip6x9Y

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) February 11, 2022

Finally, here's a look at the Lucy Nendoroid. As only an unpainted prototype appeared, it could be a while before she's released.

#WonHobby35 Figure Update!

Max Factory
Fairy Tail Final Season
Nendoroid Lucy Heartfilia

Web Gallery: https://t.co/KQsGo8AHDo#FairyTail #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/jfbxOQ0FNf

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) February 11, 2022

This will actually be only the second Nendoroid based on one of the Fairy Tail Final Season characters. Natsu was the first. He's expected to release worldwide later in 2022.

People can stream Fairy Tail on Crunchyroll and Funimation. Kodansha handled the series' manga localization. The most recent game inspired by the series is the Gust RPG available on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. There's no release window for any of these new Fairy Tail figures yet.

The post Fairy Tail Final Season Characters Getting Turned into Figures appeared first on Siliconera.

During Indie Live Expo Winter 2021, Kodansha and Hiro Mashima announced that they are holding a contest to look for someone to develop a Fairy Tail game. Applications will start from December 1, 2021 and end on January 17, 2022. The winner can receive a 15 million JPY grant, which is around $132,000. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Ten million JPY of the grant money comes from Hiro Mashima’s own pocket, with the remaining amount from Kodansha. For those who do not know, Hiro Mashima is the creator of Fairy Tail. According to Kodansha, the game needs to communicate the charm of the Fairy Tail characters. It can be a Fairy Tail version of an existing game concept, and any genre counts. You do not need to be a Fairy Tail fan to apply.

Development for the game should take about a year, and it can be on any platform. The developer will also be in charge of marketing and distributing the game. Additionally, Kodansha will share the post-release profit with the developer. Lastly, if the developer is a team of multiple people, the grant money is for the entire team.

Kodansha posted a tentative schedule for after applications close. In February 2022, it will look through the documents and in the first half of March, it will start holding interviews. In late March, it will draw up a contract and in April 2022, it will sign a contract with the winner it confirms. Thus, part of the criteria for applications includes that the developer must be over 18 years old by April 2022.

Applications to develop a Fairy Tail game will open on December 1, 2021 from Kodansha Creators’ Lab, and will close on January 17, 2022. In other Fairy Tail news, Hiro Mashima announced an anime adaptation of Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest.

The post Kodansha Will Hold Contest For Fairy Tail Video Game Developers appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for a Nendoroid of Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail: Final Season. Pre-orders are open until November 25, 2021. He will cost 6,600 JPY or $65.99. For customers in Japan, the Natsu Nendoroid will ship out in July 2022. For those in North America, his release window is September 2022.

The Natsu Nendoroid will come with Happy, of course. Additionally, if you pre-order from the Good Smile Company website, you will also get an exclusive stand with the Fairy Tail guild mark. There are three face plates you can use for Natsu. He has a normal expression, a shouting expression, and a cheerful expression. There are also additional fire parts for you to put on his fist or near his face to make it look like it’s coming from his mouth.

Here are some more pictures of the Fairy Tail Natsu Nendoroid:

[gallery columns="5" ids="901674,901673,901672,901671,901670" link="file"]

Good Smile Company first announced Natsu during WonHobby 34, where it showed off the painted final prototype of the Nendoroid. Erza from the same series also appeared during this event. Good Smile Company showed off a painted Pop Up Parade Erza in her Benizakura garb that will appear some time in the near future.

The Natsu Nendoroid is available for pre-order until November 25, 2021, and he will cost 6,600 JPY/$65.99. He ships out in July 2022 for those in Japan and September 2022 for those in North America.

The post Fairy Tail Natsu Nendoroid Will Come With Happy appeared first on Siliconera.

Hiro Mashima announced that Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest, the sequel series to the original Fairy Tail, will get an anime adaptation. The news was announced at a recently streamed Hiro Mashima fan meeting event held in Tokyo and included a teaser trailer that offered few details. There is currently no confirmed release date, no cast were revealed, and the production studio hasn’t been announced

The Fairy Tail manga ended publication in 2017, followed by its anime adaptation in 2019. However, Mashima later announced the Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest sequel manga series in 2018. It follows protagonist Natsu Dragneel and his comrades as they embark on the 100 Years Quest. As the name suggests, the quest has been left incomplete for over a century and tasks heroes with sealing the five Dragon Gods

Currently, there are a total of nine tankobon released in Japan and the series is currently being serialized by Kodansha. The anime adaptation announcement appeared following the 15th anniversary year of the Fairy Tail manga, which originally started publication on August 2, 2006.

You can check out the official Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest anime adaptation announcement trailer below:

https://youtu.be/Q4lKtBRWjwI

Last year, a Fairy Tail RPG developed by Gust was released by Koei Tecmo which similarly centered around the protagonist's team. Specifically, the game focuses on the series' Grand Magic Games arc, but also offers various side quests and storylines to enjoy.

The Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest  sequel anime adaptation is currently in the works, with further information to be released soon. There is currently no confirmed release date or production studio.

The post Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest Sequel Anime Adaptation Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

Johnny & Associates announced that its Japanese boy band V6 will disband on November 1, 2021. The musical group, best known for providing theme songs to InuYasha and Ultraman Tiga, will disband on their 26th anniversary. [Thanks, Bunshun.]

The main reason for V6's disbandment is that Go Morita, one of the group , is set to leave Johnny & Associates on November 1, 2021. The agency, better known as Johnny's, manages the group along with all its . As V6 cannot perform unless all six are present, the remaining decided to disband the group altogether.

The six-man group debuted on November 1, 1995. V6 has two sub-groups: The 20th Century group consisting the three older Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, and Yoshihiko Inohara, and the Coming Century group comprised of the younger Go Morita, Ken Miyake, and Junichi Okada. Although Coming Century will also disband with Go Morita's exit, Johnny's is still keeping 20th Century intact.

V6 is well-known in the subculture community for contributing theme songs to video games, tokusatsu, and anime shows. The group was most famous for performing "Take Me Higher," the theme song of Ultraman Tiga, "Change the World," the first opening of InuYasha — the prequel to Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon — and "Brand-New World," the eighth ending of InuYasha.

V6 also sang "Break Out," the eighteenth opening of Fairy Tail, "Super Powers," the twenty-first opening of One Piece, and "Rock Your Soul," the theme song of the 2012 video game Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2. The two sub-groups also performed theme songs for Eyeshield 21 separately: Coming Century sang the first opening, "Breakthrough," while 20th Century performed the second opening, "Innocence."

A video game dedicated to the boy band was also available on the PlayStation in Japan. On February 26, 1998, General Entertainment released Project V6, a simulation game where the player assumes the role of a female manager tasked to manage V6's for a full year.

The post Japanese Boy Band V6 Will Disband This November appeared first on Siliconera.

Fairy Tail is a massive series with tons of detail packed into it. Even characters who aren’t part of Strongest Team get all this attention paid to them. What’s great is that when it came to Gust’s Fairy Tale game is that, in its own way, it covers all that. Lots of people are here, and you get to have plenty of folks in your party. You’d think that would make the Fairy Tail Photo Mode, added in the August 6, 2020 update, pretty great. Except, unfortunately, it’s not.

First, the Fairy Tail Photo Mode is free. After you the August 6, 2020 update, you’ll get a notification in game telling you it’s available. Pressing the right trigger and left analog stick at the same time will bring it up wherever you might be, so long as you aren’t in the midst of a battle. All characters currently in your party can be brought into the picture. Any costumes you may have equipped will show up.

Initially, the specific character options don’t seem too bad. You can slightly adjust their height and positioning, though raising them up too high or too low will make them disappear. You have 15 different poses for people. If you arrange them just so and play around with angles, they can overlap with other characters or environmental objects. There are 11 optional frames you can use and 11 possible filters. Features like roll and zoom seem to be there and, at a glance, it seems fine.

Once you actually start using it, it is very not fine. First, characters have a habit of abruptly disappearing when you move the camera. It doesn’t matter what the pitch might be or how your movement changes. If you move left or right or perhaps up or down, there is a very good chance the person you were focusing on is now gone. You might even have to exit the Fairy Tail Photo Mode and enter it again to make them reappear, since sometimes resetting the camera won’t help. (This happened when trying to get the picture of Wendy leaping out of a barrel above.)

If this came down to knowing exactly how to position characters when moving certain people around to know how to keep them in frame and available, that would be no big deal. You can work with that. But the camera control in Photo Mode is poorly handled. You’re essentially moving the camera around in an open space and directing it toward an area might not send it where you intend it to go. Which can cause your targets to disappear, force you to recenter, and result in a lot of guesswork to get things right.

This all means the zoom function doesn’t always work well, due to the popping in and out of characters. But at least there’s a workaround for that. If there are a couple party you want in the shot, it is better to go to the character specific mode, hit the toggle to slow down the movement speed, and then one-by-one position them by moving them closer to or farther away from the camera. You can better gauge the distance and set the scene, and it is easier to determine exactly when a character would appear or disappear when you’re moving them and not the camera. (That’s how I managed to get the Erza swimming shot above.)

There’s another downside, and it’s the copyright text watermark automatically applied to the bottom of every screenshot taken in Fairy Tail. This is the sort of game where the characters look really great and it’s a fantastic adaptation. Even though it can be a fight to get people posed the way you want in the Photo Mode, it’s possible. But at the bottom of every image, you have “Based on the manga “Fairy Tail” by Hiro Mashima originally serialized in the weekly Shonen Magazine published by Kodansha Ltd. ©Hiro Mashima, Kodansha/Fairy Tail Committee, TV Tokyo ©2020 Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd.” As you might imagine, it really detracts from any pictures you might take.

Fairy Tail is a genuinely enjoyable anime game. Gust got a lot of things right. Especially since things look great. But at the moment, the Fairy Tail Photo Mode feels unfinished, tacked on, and disappointing. It could have potential, but is in need of some adjustments and updates.  

Fairy Tail is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The post The Fairy Tail Photo Mode Is a Big Disappointment appeared first on Siliconera.

The latest RPG adventure from Gust, the studio behind the ever long-running Atelier series, is based on a popular shonen manga series about wizards who think they’re pirates. It’s called Fairy Tail, and that’s also the game’s title--no fancy subtitles here. It almost seems strange that Gust would pivot to a pre-existing IP license after decades of original content, so naturally we had some questions. Luckily we were able to chat with Keisuke Kikuchi, a Fairy Tail producer. He talked to us about his role at Gust, the game’s unique battle system, what it’s like to adapt a huge story, and more.

Lucas White, Siliconera: Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like Gust hasn’t been involved in many IP-based games, much less shonen anime like Fairy Tail. How did this project come to be a Gust project?

Keisuke Kikuchi, Gust: I felt that Fairy Tail as a series would work perfectly as a fantasy RPG. The world being so full of fantasy, the iconic magic wielding characters, the intense battles, and the bonds between the characters all fit well within this genre. Gust's love of the Fairy Tail series and [Hiro] Mashima-sensei and Kodansha's desire to expand the franchise were in alignment for this project, so this lead to our team undertaking the development of this title.

Can you talk about your role as a producer and what your day to day work is like?

Kikuchi: As a producer, I don't have a set daily work routine, and instead work on anything and everything in order to develop and market this title. My role consists of a number of tasks including establishing the overall direction of the title and planning the concept, meeting with Mashima-sensei, managing the budget and progress of the game, and working with the promotion team in order to bring the fans a title that is the result of the entire team's hard work.

Can you describe how the story is being adapted? I’ve seen arcs listed but are they presented in linear fashion, or is Gust taking a more creative approach?

Kikuchi: The main story primarily revolves around the major plot lines from the Grand Magic Games arc and the Tartaros arc which the player can experience in chronological order. We set up the game so that players can take on quests from the Request Board and tasks from their companions, along with upgrading their guild and strengthening their bonds with the other characters in their party in order to become the No. 1 guild while playing through the main story.

Is there anything in the game that might come off as strange or unexpected to Fairy Tail fans?

Kikuchi: We were deg the game so that it falls in line with the expectations of Fairy Tail fans, but we are including story element combinations and brand new Unison Raids that did not appear in the original manga or anime.

Fairy Tail came to an end in 2017, and adaptation projects made while a manga is still running are the norm. Did Gust’s RPG start development before the story was over? If so, did that impact creative choices?

Kikuchi: The concept and plan were being worked on before that. After the series finished, our team was able to view the story in its entirety. I think that as a result of this, we were able to decide what parts we wanted to focus on.

Can you tell us about some of the key creative goals the team established to adapt so many volumes of manga into one game?

Kikuchi: As Fairy Tail is a very voluminous work, we really put a lot of time into deciding what part of the story we were going to focus on. We ended up choosing the Grand Magic Games arc as the focus, due to three major points: many of the main characters appear in the story, Natsu and his group attempt to bring the guild back to its former glory, and there was a good balance of serious and humorous parts of the story.

How involved was mangaka Hiro Mashima? Did the team have to deal with any restrictions or specific needs from the creators/IP-holders?

Kikuchi: Mashima-sensei was involved from the planning phase and would often give us advice on the 3D models, supervise the magic abilities, and periodically try out and check various aspects of the game. Mashima-sensei often told us that it was fine to have the game differ from the original manga, and that he wanted us to create a game that the fans could really enjoy. I think we had a lot of creative freedom in developing the game as a result.

Can you tell us about any major problems that came up during development, and what the team did to overcome it/them?

Kikuchi: Many problems came up during the development process as we were working on several other projects as well. One example revolves around the sheer number of characters and magic in Fairy Tail. I realized that trying to differentiate each character and magic ability by their power or an elemental attribute would not be sufficient.

Through trial and error we eventually arrived at the realization that we could greatly improve on this aspect of the game by using the different enemy formations and the effective range of the magic abilities in order to differentiate the characters and magic.

Was this a fun project compared to Gust’s usual work, or was it intimidating or scary?

Kikuchi: It was both. We are really happy that we were able to recreate a lot of our favorite content into the game, and we were really pleased that the finished product would allow for a wide range of fans to enjoy the title.

Fairy Tail has a large number of characters and episodes, so we put in a lot of time and effort into deciding which aspects to put in the game and which characters to include. This process was both stressful and fun.

Is there a feature or creative decision the team is particularly proud of, that you hope the fans and critics respond well to?

Kikuchi: We are really happy that we were able to implement many different characters to allow players to create their own original party consisting of their favorite characters. I hope that fans will enjoy the world of Fairy Tail with a group of characters that differ from the original manga, giving them each their own unique adventure.

And hey, if what Kikuchi had to say about Fairy Tail piques your interest, you can check out our review of the game itself, as it’s available now for the PS4, PC, and Switch.

The post Fairy Tail’s Producer Talks About Making a Manga Into a Game appeared first on Siliconera.

Before the Fairy Tail game was announced, I knew nothing about Fairy Tail. I knew a lot about Rave Master, Hiro Mashima’s earlier series, but this was all new territory and I gradually started building up my knowledge. I’d still say I’m a beginner, but perhaps that puts me in an even better position when I say Gust’s adaptation of the series is incredibly entertaining.

That isn’t to say it won’t be intimidating. The Fairy Tail game fully expects people coming in to know things. It picks up right before a major time skip with the sort of boss fight that, in any other game, would be the last one. Once it is over, you are briefly introduced to important of the guild with boxes that only offer their names and title or role. It very much feels like, “Okay, you know these people, you we don’t need to spend any time on introductions.” Which is a bit off-putting.

But once you overcome that hurdle (and maybe visit the in-game encyclopedia to help you get your bearings), it honestly feels like a good place to start. Thanks to a seven-year time-skip, Fairy Tail has to reestablish itself as a guild and rebuild its reputation in Magnolia. This also provides an excuse to explain why extraordinary talented magicians have to face level one enemies again and provide players with an excuse to improve and make a name for themselves as they go through part of the series’ Tenrou Island arc and the Grand Magic Games, Tartaros, and Avatar arcs.

A lot of the Fairy Tail RPG’s focus is on rebuilding. You’re getting the guild to climb the ranks again, achieving certain milestones to complete chapters and regain your rep. You’re building up facilities within the guild, to help with crafting Lacrima characters could equip, improving the shop, and getting a better request board. You put points toward improving playable characters’ ranks, to increase things like Magic Chain combos or add special abilities to their repertoire. You form bonds between characters by taking requests together to earn Magic Chain benefits. Maybe you take on Character Stories to find more friends and see more storylines.

The drive to do all this pushes you to take on requests. Which, honestly, feature some rather fun storylines and some great localization work. Both the translations here and in the Character Stories are rather fun, even if you’re engaging in purely supplemental activities, because of clever wording, character reactions, and the general ambiance. Plus, it’s a great excuse to go out and fight. Which you’ll want to do, because the battle system is kind of great. (Though, unfortunately, the load times in the Switch version are not.)

I’m pretty in love with how fights work in Fairy Tail and hope the system gets reused in future Gust games. Every character has the standard attacks, but the the magic attacks are where things get fun. First, you might be concerned about MP and characters magic. When you defeat enemies, they scatter different sorts of Ethernano particles that can restore certain characters. Which makes sense for a game about wizards where you don’t want to not use magic.

But what’s even better is how satisfying it is to use both ordinary and elaborate spells. Fairy Tail is a traditional, turn-based JRPG. However, enemies are positioned on a 3x3 grid. You characters’ spells could target specific spots on the grid, with certain areas taking more or less damage. They could have supplemental attacks. You might even have characters whose attacks could push enemies around the grid to force them into better positions so allies attacks can hit them.

It all ends up being way more strategic than you might expect. This isn’t to say the more elaborate special attacks aren’t fun. But I found the the core mechanics so enjoyable that things like Magic Chains, Unison Attacks, and Awakenings are just bonuses.

But I suppose what it all really comes down to is how Fairy Tail treats its characters. There are so many people who matter in this series, and it is clear Gust understood that and took care to make all of these folks the focus. You have a lot of people who can as playable party or show up as guests. You get to see characters grow closer and be better at working together because… they were working together. There are the side stories that let you see people you know and love play off of each other. It’s rather great.

Gust’s Fairy Tail game is one of those adaptations where it feels like the developer really understood what people love about the series. The team clearly worked with that to ensure the characters stood out and some of the major plot points were covered. And you can tell the developer was trying to put together a battle system that feels satisfying, but also makes all of the magic make sense. The only real downside I can see is that barrier of entry. It expects you to know what’s going on in the series’ world, with even the in-game documentation not really offering up enough to make it all make sense. (Not that it really could, given how detailed it all is.) Still, for those who do get it, Fairy Tail is a fun time.

Fairy Tail is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. It will eventually get a photo mode update.

The post Review: Fairy Tail Is Fun, but Is Definitely for the Fans appeared first on Siliconera.

A whole slew of games are releasing in Japan, including Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost ON, Fairy Tail, and Root Film. There's even a collection of past SNK titles with Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection, which is finally releasing on consoles after its PC debut in June 2020.

For those looking into Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost ON, it's a 3D fighting game where the main focus is on its complex 2v2 multiplayer matches. There's an extensive list of available mobile suits from the series to choose from, and there's also a singleplayer mode with Maxi Boost Missions.

Fairy Tail is a brand-new JRPG based on Hiro Mashima's completed shonen manga series. In it, you play as Natsu Dragneel and the other of the eponymous guild in an adventure that covers the plot of the series beginning with the seven-year timeskip midway through the story. With the Fairy Tail guild drowning in debt and nearly closed down due to the absence of Natsu and the others, the team decide to get the guild back up on its feet and running again by ing the Grand Magic Games. Apart from the Tenrou Island and Grand Magic Games arcs, the RPG is also confirmed to cover the Tartaros arc and other episodes from the manga.

Finally, Root Film is an installment in the same series as Root Letter, although it takes place in its own universe. Rising star director Rintarou Yagumo is on the search for a way to boost his reputation when he is selected to be one of three potential directors for a mystery drama TV series set in the Shimane Prefecture. However, Yagumo soon finds himself wrapped up in his own mystery when a murder happens during the auditioning process.

Here are this week’s Japanese imports:

Nintendo Switch

Fairy Tail (+ eShop version)

• Fairy Tail Guild Box
• Fairy Tail Digital Deluxe (digital-only)

Root Film (+ eShop version)

Yoru, Tomosu (+ eShop version)

Hakuoki Shinkai: Ginsei no Shou (+ eShop version)

• Hakuoki Shinkai: Ginsei no Shou Limited Edition

Hakuoki Shinkai: Ginsei no Shou Twin Pack

Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection (+ eShop version)

• Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection Limited Edition Pack

Streets of Rage IV Special Edition

E-School Life (+ eShop version)

• E-School Life Limited Edition

eShop Only (Switch)

G-Mode Archives 09: Flyhight Cloudia 2

PlayStation 4

Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost ON (+ PS Store version)

• Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost ON Collector's Edition
• Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost ON Sound Edition (+ PS Store version)

Fairy Tail (+ PS Store version)

• Fairy Tail Guild Box
• Fairy Tail Digital Deluxe (digital-only)

Root Film (+ PS Store version)

Yoru, Tomosu (+ PS Store version)

Doraemon Story of Seasons (+ PS Store version)

Kemco Selection Vol. 4

E-School Life (+ PS Store version)

• E-School Life Limited Edition

Streets of Rage IV Special Edition

Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection (+ PS Store version)

• Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection PS4 Limited Edition Pack

The post This Week In Imports: Gundam, Fairy Tail, and Root Film appeared first on Siliconera.

The Fairy Tail RPG will get a new Photo Mode feature through a free update on August 6, 2020. Lyon, Levy, Lisanna, and Elfman are also ing as DLC characters. The information comes from the latest Fairy Tail game official live stream.

For starters, the Fairy Tail "Photo Mode" feature (pictured above) that will be implemented in a free update. Using this function, you'll get to enjoy taking photos of your favorite characters in locations of your choice. The update will go live on August 6, 2020. More details will be announced in the near future.

Next, it was revealed that Lyon, Levy, Lisanna, and Elfman are ing as additional DLC characters. Here's a look at the four:

Lyon Vastia (CV: Yuki Kaji) 6h65o

Levy McGarden (CV: Mariya Ise) 285q5n

t1z4l

(CV: Harumi Sakurai) 6e5565

t1z4l

Elfman Strauss (CV: Hiroki Yasumoto) 5w1g1g

The four DLC characters will be available on August 6, 2020. Koei Tecmo and Gust will share a closer look in the coming days.

Lastly, here's a look at some of the other paid DLC coming to the Fairy Tail game:

The new DLC includes three varieties of costumes. The first is the "Anime Final Season," then the "Variety" pack, and then the "Special Swimsuit" pack of costumes. Each pack comes with a set of 16 costumes each for a total of 48 additional outfits. The costumes will be available to purchase starting on August 6, 2020.  Koei Tecmo and Gust will share more in the near future.

The Fairy Tail RPG will release for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in Japan and Europe on July 30, 2020. The game will release a day later in North America on July 31, 2020. Check out the latest gameplay footage here.

The post Fairy Tail RPG Will Add Photo Mode Update, Lyon, Levy, Lisanna, and Elfman as DLC appeared first on Siliconera.