Fate/ Grand Order Smartphone Game: Is it Worth Playing?

Fate/ Grand Order: First Order marked the beginning of 2017 in the Anime World and it was definitely not a good start. I mean, the concept and the idea behind the anime is great but I was really disappointed by it considering the fact that I am a huge Fate-franchise fan. June 25, marked the release of the English version of the smartphone game Fate/ Grand Order and I have to say that I was rather skeptical in the beginning. But after playing for a couple of hours I got totally addicted. Welcome to another review here on World of Anime Girl, but this time I am not talking about an anime show or movie, but the mobile RPG: Fate/ Grand Order. Enjoy!

The game basically follows the same story as the anime. It is 2015 and the secret organisation Chaldea is working on the preservation of the world history as well as investigating any abnormalities in the past that might lead to the extinction of humanity. On day, the future that Chaldea was observing suddenly disappears and the extinction of humanity is confirmed to happen in 2017. Chladea's job now is to send mages to different eras in the past, investigate any abnormalities going on in that time and prevent them. In the game, the mage that is sent to the past is you (the player) and your servant Mash. Mash is a demi-servant who belongs to the new shielder class and your companion in the game. 

The game is pretty easy to play but it is really interesting. One of my favorite things in the game is definitely the summoning. By summoning different servants and essence cards, you set up your own team that you fight with while completing the quests in the game. For now there are in total 180 servants out of which 62 are limited or unplayable at the moment. There are different ways to summon servants or essence cards: Using summoning cards, Saint Quartz Crystals, friend points or you can obtain them as special rewards in events. 

One thing is for sure, if you are interested in history and legends like I am, this game is definitely something for you. You probably know from the anime that most of the servants in Fate are famous people from the past like King Arthur, Gilgamesh, Lancelot, Alexander the Great etc. The game isn't any different, what's more, it might even be better because you can read a brief summary about their profile after you summon them. Also by using them in battles you gain servant bond points. Every time the bond levels up, you get more detail about the servant and his/ her life. My favorites for now are Altria Pendragon (of course), Chevalier d'Eon, Robin Hood, Marie Antoinette and Tamamo Cat. 

After forming a party with at least two of your and one support servant from other players you start the battle. It is pretty easy to play. In 2 or 3 battles you try to beat the enemy by picking three different attacks that would, in time, decrease the enemy's HP to 0. Every time a servant attacks or gets attacked he/she gains NP points and after reaching 100% you are able to use the Noble Phantasm. The most interesting thing I found about the battles is the enemy class tendency. Before the battle starts you see the servant classes that will appear in the battle and you form your party according to the class affinity. The affinity explains which class is stronger or weaker than the other one. For instance, Saber is stronger against Lancer but is weaker against an Archer. So if your enemies tend to be Lancer classes, you'll pick Saber as the servant in the fight. 

And now my favorite and probably the most important reason I am playing this game: the historical settings. As said in the beginning, Chaldea sends you and Mash off to different eras in the past so you can fix any abnormalities in that time period. Even though magic and fantasy are the core of the whole story, you still get a realistic setting, with realistic characters and events. Your first mission is the Fuyuki incident of 2004 which is also the setting of the movie First Order. Next you go to Orleans, France into the Hundred Year's War where you meet real characters and personalities that marked that time, including Janne d'Arc, Marie Antoinette,General Gilles and even Mozart. The third and the mission I am currently at is set in A.D. 60, Septem (Roman Empire) during the rule of  the Fifth Roman Emperor Nero. I can't wait to finish this and move one to the next one because it is so exciting to play. It's like watching a movie, reading a light novel and playing a game at the same time. 

Is Fate/ Grand Order worth playing? Yes, it definitely is worth your time. The game is really interesting and exciting no matter if you are a Fate fan or not. Also if you have any interest in history you'll probably love this game. Even though I was really disappointed by the first movie I can't actually wait to see the next one and it's all because of the game. The game is so much batter then the movie and I think I'll be playing it for a long time.