A FAIRY TALE 2 Ending Worthy of Fans

Since its 2006 debut, manga auteur Hiro Mashima’s FAIRY TAIL has earned its place in the pantheon of all-time great Japanese manga and anime. There have been a number of video game adaptations, but the first to really make its mark was the JRPG of the same name by legendary developer Gust, published by KOEI TECMO GAMES in 2020. Leap forward to 2024, and December 12th will see the release of its sequel FAIRY TAIL 2, which by all accounts is on course to be another excellent excursion into the charming fantasy world. Intel Gaming Access slipped on its Natsu cosplay and cosied up to Hiroshi Kataoka, producer on FAIRY TAIL 2 at Gust, to pick up a few tips on what’s coming.

In FAIRY TAIL 2, not only will you relive the climax of the original story in the final ‘Alvarez Empire Arc’ chapter, but you’ll also get your RPG-hungry hands on a substantial amount of completely original story content in the all-new ‘Key to the Unknown’ epilogue. Before you get to that, however, you have the Dragon King Festival to contend with—the epic three-way battle between black wizards, dragons, and humans that unfolds in the final chapter. Black wizard and emperor of the Alvarez Empire Zeref, the Spriggan 12 who serve as his shield, and the Dragon King Acnologia appear one after another to test the Fairy Tail guild, sending you and your companions hurtling into a string of intense battles.

It’s a blast of a game that has been assembled with great care by its creators. “While developing FAIRY TAIL 2, we kept a few important points in mind: firstly, ensuring that fans of FAIRY TAIL will be delighted. Second, being careful to express the essence of the IP while making the game simply enjoyable,” says Kataoka-san. “Lastly, we wanted to make the game fun even for those who are not fans, and spark their interest in the broader universe of FAIRY TAIL.”

There’s no questioning the pedigree of Gust when it comes to delivering the experience they’re aiming for, not least because its authenticity is beyond reproach. “FAIRY TAIL 2 has been supervised throughout by series creator Hiro Mashima, and Kodansha, which I think will have fans feel that the game is very much ‘FAIRY TAIL‘!”, underlines Kataoka-san. “And for those who are new to FAIRY TAIL, I think they will be able to fully enjoy the world.”

Gust has been running as a studio since 1993, and no one stays successful that long without continually innovating to stay best in class. FAIRY TAIL 2 is their latest game to benefit. “Since this instalment comes about four years after the previous game, there have been significant advancements in various aspects, from graphical improvements such as characters’ facial expressions to system elements like real-time battles and seamless fields, allowing players to enjoy the world of FAIRY TAIL even more,” says Kataoka-san.

There’s a bunch of new stuff to do in-game, of course, including searching high and low for celestial creature Plue, synthesizing and equipping with magical substance Lacrima, and battling different monsters that are more powerful than the story bosses. When it comes to the game’s core combat, you tackle battles as a team, drawn from the well-known lineup. “Three characters are able to fight simultaneously; you can swap out as needed to strategize effectively, and you can also switch the character you control at any time,” says Kataoka-san. “Additionally, even characters who are not playable, including members of other guilds, can assist with support or Extreme magic, so be sure to unite everyone’s strength to face formidable enemies.”

“We’ve paid close attention to enhancing the comfort and exhilaration of field gameplay,” says Kataoka-san. The game uses a symbol encounter system for initiating battles through field attacks. Fighting against weaker enemies with a significant level difference can let you KO an adversary with just a field attack. “As the characters grow, players can ‘Instant Knock Out’ large groups of enemies at once, or dash through and Instant Knock Out enemies by bumping into them in succession,” Kataoka-san explains.

“In the original work, there are many one-on-one battles and situations where characters are divided into teams to face attacks from all sides,” continues Kataoka-san. “However, as I mentioned, this game aims to have players challenge formidable enemies as a team. To achieve this, we have adapted the original storyline for the game in consultation with Mashima-sensei and Kodansha. We hope players will enjoy seeing what adaptations have been made.”

Unsurprisingly, we’re looking at some handsome visual performance from the game on PC, but as ever a chunky rig is going to help it look its best. “In the PC version, players can fully enjoy the graphics that are significantly improved from the previous game, as well as seamlessly explore fields and experience event developments comfortably,” Kataoka-san says. “If possible, we recommend playing at a high resolution with 60fps for an even better gaming experience.”

Koei Tecmo development teams at ω-Force and Team NINJA have worked with Intel in the past on Intel^Ⓡ X^eSS integration, and other collaborative aspects, but FAIRY TAIL 2 marks the first time for Gust. Based on their experience it’s unlikely to be their last, given the benefits the collaboration ultimately delivers to players. “The Intel Analysis Report provides profiles, and our contacts there are extremely helpful in quickly identifying the root causes of issues,” says Kataoka-san. “Additionally, the Analysis Tools that Intel has shared have been very helpful in advancing our development efforts.”

Com FAIRY TAIL 2 on the cusp of release, the team at Gust already knows what happens after it’s out there. “We have various plans for post-launch content, including free updates and paid downloadable content, such as additional costumes, stories, and playable characters,” says Kataoka-san. “We hope everyone will enjoy the original story and continue to have a great time with the game long after completing the main story.” Based on what we know so far, that sounds very doable indeed. See you there.

Pre-purchase FAIRY TAIL 2 on Steam.