Developed by Compile Heart, known for their Hyperdimension Neptunia series of games, Fairy Fencer F is another JRPG by the camp staying with what’s working best for them.
Fairy Fencer F is a fantasy RPG based around the idea of Furies and Fencers. Furies are the special weapons left behind by the war between a Goddess and a Evil God. Fencers on the other hand are people who are able to wield the Furies in battle and unleash their epic power.
The game stars Fang, your typical angsty teen who doesn’t care about anything because he’s so damn hungry. This hunger puts him into a number of tough situations. Fang’s adventure starts when he gets his hands on a special sword that promises to grant him a wish. Our gluttonous protagonist obviously wishes for food. The incident turns out to be a trap as a fairy called Eryn comes out, causing Fang to be bound to the special sword Fury and him taking up the duties of a Fencer.
The game’s story can be a bore most of the time, but thankfully due to the cast’s distinct personalities there can be some entertaining moments here and there. Fairy Fencer F’s localisation team tried their best at including some Western humour into the game which is a nice touch.
The game’s soundtrack is fairly good and doesn’t get boring overtime which is one of my main complaints with a few recent RPGs. Legendary composer Nobou Uematsu also supposedly helped on a few tracks so that’s definitely a plus.
Customisation is one of Fairy Fencer F’s strong suits as it provides a lot of freedom to shape your characters as you want. You can choose between options to increase Fang’s attack damage or increase his combo hits. This freedom allows players to participate in battles the way the want. If you’re a brawler then slot your points in damage and if you want to be a speedster then slot your points towards speed and so on.
Players can also choose to pair up their Fencers with different Fairies they obtain during their adventure. Combining the right Fairy with the right Fencer can prove to be very beneficial in battle. For example I tend to match Fang with mostly Fire elemental Fairies to boost his Pyro abilities. Fairies not in active use can be allotted to World Shaping, which allows players to change a dungeons characteristics to their choice.
Fairy Fencer F’s battle system is fairly impressive and fun. Players are allowed a lot of freedom of movement on the battlefield adding a hint of strategy of where to place your team. My favourite part of the battle system is the Farize ability which fuses your character with the equipped fairy granting massive stat bonuses. Farize also changes animation, gives the character a new look and allows players to unleash a never ending flurry of attacks to finish off the enemy. My one complaint is that though most of the monsters you face are pretty easy to defeat the bosses suddenly spike the difficulty up a level. This usually calls for some grinding which some people may not enjoy.
Fairy Fencer F is a mixed bag of a game, the combat is excellent but the story and setting failed to grab my attention. Overtime the battle system also started getting on my nerves due to the lengthy dungeons.
Fairy Fencer F Review (PS3)
Summary
The setting is different from the Neptunia series, so if you definitely want to play one of Compile Heart's game and Neptunia is not swinging your boat, then go ahead give Fairy Fencer F a try.
