By: RJ (@rga_02)

• Fairy Fencer F
  
• Developer - Compile Heart
  
• Publisher - Idea Factory
  
• PlayStation 3 & PC
  
• Rating - T
  

In 2013 Compile Heart decided to branch out and create the Galapagos RPG label. Under that label they would produce a variety of games targeted towards the Japanese audience with a more serious tone than their usual Neptunia RPGs. Fairy Fencer F was the first game to be produced under that moniker. With industry veterans such as Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshitaka Amano (both known for their wonderful works on the Final Fantasy series) working on this project and with a more toned down plot than the usual Compile Heart game, this game seems like it was geared towards the gamers who have been avoiding CH due to their Neptunia notoriety. Did Compile Heart achieve that goal? Let’s find out.

Fairy Fencer F follows the story of Fang. He’s not out to destroy the fal’cie however, Fang is one lazy slob whose sole motivation in life is to find something to eat or get some sleep. Probably one of the laziest character I’ve seen in all of videogaming. One day, Fang was faced with an opportunity to wish for whatever he desires if he pulls this sword in the stone. What does he wish for? A loving family? Nope. All the gold he wants? Nah. He wishes for food. An endless supply of food. (That actually isn’t a bad wish if you think about it) However he doesn’t get the food that he desires. He gets a fairy by the name of Eryn. Eryn then tells him from this point on, he is now a Fairy Fencer and is bestowed with a fetch quest to get 100 more fury to help resurrect a goddess. The story is complete bonkers and you’ll find yourself not paying attention to it past the 2 hour mark but fortunately like with most Compile Heart RPGs, the dialog is one of the best. The dialog in the game isn’t going to win any awards, but it’s filled with lightheartedness and quirky humor that you want to pay attention to the nonsense they are spouting. It’s less exaggerated and self-referential than what you would see in a Neptunia game, but it still fun to read along.

The battle system of the game is one my personal highlights. If I were to describe it using Compile Heart RPGs, the battle system would be between Neptunia and Omega Quintet. It’s much faster and fluid than what you would find in a Neptunia game, but it lacks the in depth combo system that you would find in Omega Quintet. During battle you are allowed up to three members in a free roaming battlefield. Attacks are still tied to turns so you cannot attack freely. Which I personally adore since I still enjoy turn based combat. You can chain up small combos by pressing different buttons. The combo method is like a poor man’s version of what you would find in Xenosaga. In addition to your standard attacks and combos, there is also Fairize feature. It is sort of like the limit break system from Final Fantasy VII. Once the meter is filled up, you can activate Fairize and transform into a stronger character. Battle can be extremely drawn out, but fortunately you can press L2/LT and skip the animations. It’s also perfect when you are out grinding to speed up the process. Which brings out another highlight of this game. Unlike other Compile Heart RPGs, there aren’t a lot of difficulty spikes in this game. There are a few of them in the middle of the game, but nothing too major that you would to grind for. 

The furies that you acquire throughout the game also is also tied to the gameplay. For example, you can equip furies to all playable characters and it will change their stat attributes. Ranging from more EXP after the battle or just a simple defense boost. You can also use the furies to change the dynamics of dungeons. For example, your attacks will be raised but your defense will be lowered whenever you get into a battle in the dungeon you chose to modify using the furies.

Please note though, that this game loves to split up your party. From reasons ranging from kidnapping to “I feel like I’m going to sit this boss battle out”. So your favorite character that you spend with buffing up might not be available for the next dungeon. The party spiting is a major annoyance as your party will be extremely uneven with their levels all over the place. 

The art of this game is really lovely. Everything from the attack animations, backgrounds and character designs are done extremely well. Tsunako reprises her role in lead character design with Amano doing the concept art. For those who were turned off by the blatant unapologetic fan service displayed by other Compile Heart RPGs, it’s toned down in this game. There are some moments that might make your eyes roll, but they are few and far between. However the environments which you will spend most of your time in are little to be desire. They are just so drab. I had more fun looking at the dark corridors of Resident Evil Revelations 2 than what I saw in this game.

The music of this game is composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu and his band. The OST doesn’t reach the scale of what you would find in his previous works in the Final Fantasy series or The Last Story, Lost Odyssey, etc. but that is to be expected from a game such as this. It is still quite a nice soundtrack. The only songs I dislike are some of the vocal tracks. 

I believe that Compile Heart reached their goal of making this game accessible to newcomers. With a less emphasis on grinding and a more toned down storyline and fanservice, I think those who are weary of their usual RPGs will find this game quite nice. I personally do hope Compile Heart does make more RPGs of this nature. They’ve proven that they could do it, let’s just see if they can continue on that path.