A new trailer for the upcoming Fairy Tail is up on Youtube, and it shows just how the game's battle system plays out. The six-minute video focuses on Lucy, Erza, and Natsu battling various monsters and sometimes villain Jellal. It has most of the elements one would expect of a JRPG based on an anime, including turn-based combat, flashy special attack sequences, and super forms.
The footage is of the Japanese version of the game, and therefore has a suitably long description as a “Battle Scene Commentary & Magic Gallery” gameplay video. Gematsu reports that this gameplay was actually shown before at Paris Games Week 2019 in late October/early November. Still, this is probably the first time non-Paris Games Week attendees are getting a look at what Natsu and friends can do.
The video begins with Lucy and shows her bringing out her various celestial magic summons. It's here we see that enemies will stand on a mini-grid that appears to be a 3x3 setup of squares. Some of Lucy's summons do AoE damage to certain squares. Similarly Natsu's flames and Erza's flying swords strike certain areas of the grid. Therefore, choosing the attack that hits the most enemies will be part of good battle strategy.
Another important aspect of Fairy Tail's combat appears to be some kind of chain attack system. When the heroes fill up a meter on the bottom right of the screen, the Fairy Tail symbol will appear. If R1 is clicked when that symbol is up, the active character will begin a sequence of attacks. The other two characters on the team will then be given a choice of how to follow up. The combo ends with an explosion that damages every enemy on screen.
Later on, Lucy gains some kind of glowing aura. An explanation is given in Japanese, but it appears to be some kind of enhancement. Natsu and Erza get it as well. It might give them access to new attacks, or it might just increase their damage.
From the look of things, Fairy Tail is shaping up to be a standard anime RPG, albeit one that will please fans of the series. The animations look great, and attention is paid to including each character's signature moves. Even Plue, Lucy's useless dog spirit, has a purpose as a healing ability. Fairy Tail might be pitted against every anticipated game of 2020 when it launches in March, but it might just turn out alright.
Source: Gematsu