Fate/Extella Link

Did You Know?

• Digital pre-orders of the PlayStation Store version included an alternate costume for Artoria Pendragon known as "Alteraria".
• Charlemagne was the first character from Fate/Extella Link to appear in Fate/Grand Order, in 2022.

Development and release

The game was developed by Marvelous 1st Studio, with Kinoko Nasu as supervisor and a scenario written by Yuichiro Higashide and Ukyo Kodachi of Team Barrel Roll. Character designs were by Arco Wada, music by Keiichi Okabe and Monaca, and producer Kenichiro Tsukuda oversaw development. The opening theme was "Justice" by Luna Haruna. Marvelous announced the game in January 2018 for a Japanese release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on June 7, 2018; the Nintendo Switch version followed on January 31, 2019.

Downloadable content included the playable character Altera Larva and "Funifuni" costume sets. International releases for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows occurred in March 2019. A Japanese mobile version for Android and iOS was released in 2020. The game was conceived as a new chapter centered on the Servant Charlemagne with an expanded roster from the wider Fate franchise.

Plot

The game is set in the virtual realm of SE.RA.PH, where surviving remnants of humanity have uploaded their consciousness and historical figures exist as digital Servants. Following the events of Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, the player assumes the role of a male or female Master who previously won control of the Moon Cell supercomputer. They join forces with the newly introduced Servant Charlemagne while searching for Altera, confronting a mysterious force revealed to be the Servant Rex Magnus Kar, who attempts to brainwash Servants and assimilate inhabitants through a process called Oraclization. Twenty-six Servants may join the player's party, including figures such as Altera, Artoria Pendragon, Charlemagne, Gilgamesh, Nero Claudius, and Tamamo no Mae.

Reception

The game received a Metacritic score of 75. IGN Spain's Elias Sampayo awarded it 8 out of 10, praising its expanded roster, visual improvements, story, and content, but noted it was aimed at existing fans and its visual-novel and musuo combination would not appeal to all. Kotaku's Mike Fahey praised the reinterpretation of historical figures and combat as enjoyable "hack and slash popcorn", highlighting the large cast and customization, while criticizing reused battlefields and the competitive multiplayer mode.

Nintendo Life's Mitch Vogel awarded the Nintendo Switch version 8 out of 10, praising battlefield design, combat, progression, replayability, visuals, and soundtrack, considering it an improvement over its predecessor but noting heavy dependence on Fate lore. Nintendo World Report's Donald Theriault gave the Switch version 7.5 out of 10, praising combat and replayability but criticizing graphics, soundtrack, handheld performance issues, and reliance on anime conventions.

Push Square's Robert Ramsey awarded the PlayStation 4 version 7 out of 10, describing it as a refined sequel with a larger roster and expanded mission selection, but criticized reused assets and an underdeveloped competitive multiplayer mode.