Fairy Tail 2, the PlayStation 5／PlayStation 4／Nintendo Switch／Steam title which allows players to relive the climax of the highly popular magical battle fantasy series Fairy Tail, was released on December 13, 2024 (December 12 in Japan and Asia). To commemorate the release, we conducted a special interview with Hiro Mashima, the creator of the original Fairy Tail series, and Hiroshi Kataoka, the producer of the game Fairy Tail 2!
IGN: Thank you both for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today! As Fairy Tail 2 was released on the 12th (in Japan and Asia), to begin with, could you tell us about how this title began – how it was proposed (by Koei Tecmo) to Mashima-sensei?
Kataoka: Four years ago in 2020 we released the first Fairy Tail game, but it only covered up until the Tartaros Arc. The final chapter, the Alvarez Empire Arc, remained as pivotal and unfinished ‘homework’ from the previous game, and we felt that the most exciting part absolutely had to be adapted, but it took us a lot of time to think about the best way to adapt it into a game. Once we had more or less settled on the content that we thought would work, we presented our proposal of the game outline which included both the main story and an original storyline. How did you feel when you first saw it, Mashima-sensei?
Mashima-sensei: When I saw the proposal this time, while it was an RPG, there were action game-like elements which made me very happy.
Kataoka: This time there can be a chain of combos in battles, so the way it plays is close to an action game.
Mashima-sensei: Yes, the combat system has changed from the previous game! I think it’s really cool.
Kataoka: I think that one of the strengths of RPGs is being able to take the time to showcase grand, elaborate moves. However, since this game incorporates action-like elements and features fast-paced battles, we faced many challenges in enhancing the visual impact of linking combos without disrupting the gameplay flow. We were able receive permission to create shorter versions of consecutive casting sequences of the same magic spells, which I think resulted in it coming together nicely.
Kataoka: As you become a lot stronger on the field, you can instantly knock out enemies with a single hit, defeat 10 or more enemies with special moves and more, so I think the action-like feel has increased significantly, which has in turn really increased the gameplay feel as a Fairy Tail game.
Mashima-sensei: Also, I thought the map was great.
Kataoka: It really is vast. When I played it myself and arrived at Hargeon, seeing the port spread out before me was really moving.
Mashima-sensei: Ooh! I’m looking forward to that!
IGN: When making the fields, did the development team focus on any specific points?
Kataoka: In this game, the reason we made the world map seamless was to faithfully recreate the situation from the original where the Alvarez Empire is attacking from all sides, enhancing immersion and conveying a sense of journey. In the early stages, players primarily explore the map following the story, but in the later stages, the explorable area expands significantly, offering a strong sense of adventure, so I hope players will try running through the field.
Mashima-sensei: I found it really fun to actually be able to walk around this setting of the Kingdom of Fiore. The placement of the towns are faithfully recreated as they would be in the original series. I hope fans of the series will look forward to that aspect.
Kataoka: Additionally, in this game as players journey through the open field, they will see a lot of interactions among characters so I hope players will enjoy that as well.
IGN: Can you tell us what kind of interactions we can see?
Kataoka: Since the open field is quite large, just walking around can be a bit boring so we added conversations. Since exploration is done in a party, we included various dialogues that capture the essence of the Fairy Tail guild members. Additionally, for those playing a Fairy Tail game for the first time, we made sure that these conversations can help them understand the relationships between the characters.
Kataoka: For example, they even alert you with lines like "I smell treasure" when there's a treasure chest nearby or suggest "Let's take a break" when there's a place to rest.
Mashima-sensei: Wow, that's amazing! It really gives the feeling of traveling with companions, making the journey a lot of fun.
Kataoka: For the previous game, you often mentioned wanting a sense of journey, so we were meticulous in capturing that feeling this time.
Kataoka: Also, Plue is hidden throughout the world.
Mashima-sensei: “Find Plue,” right!?
Kataoka: I hope players will try to find him by relying on hearing his voice or from hint dialogues from companions.
IGN: We spoke about how the battle system had changed, how about the graphics?
Kataoka: It's been four years since the previous game, so I think the quality of the models and motions have significantly improved! I’d have to say we put the most effort into the facial expressions. While we also worked hard on this in the previous game, the dev team worked hard to make even more variations of facial expressions, so I think we’ve been able to have each character display an expression that best matches the situation for many scenes.
Mashima-sensei: The quality is incredibly high, and I was really pleased! Aside from the models, I think they’re called stills? The single illustrations were all so impressive I’ve lost a bit of confidence (laughs). There was an illustration of Natsu and Zeref facing each other and it had the same impact as the drawings I did back then. Even now, I still think it might’ve been good to use as the box art.
Kataoka: When I shared that story with the person responsible for it, they were extremely thrilled.
IGN: I'd like to ask about the game's story as well. In this installment, players can relive the Alvarez Empire Arc, which is the climax of Fairy Tail. Were there any challenges in developing the story portion of the game?
Kataoka: The original series featured many one-on-one battles, but for this game we wanted to create Fairy Tail vs. Alvarez Empire team battles, so we consulted on making small adjustments to the order of battles and development of the story. And we received a lot of advice and suggestions for adjustments to the story development and dialogue to make it even better, so I believe we achieved a very smooth and coherent gameplay experience.
IGN: By the way, do you, Kataoka-san and Mashima-sensei, have any favorite characters or scenes from the Alvarez Empire Arc?
Kataoka: The whirlwind of developments in the Alvarez Empire Arc that included the unraveling of mysteries and the resolution of plot twists are what I vividly remember being amazed at every week when it aired. There are so many iconic scenes and lines, but for me, the moment when Erza suddenly stops Natsu and Gray really struck me and that scene is etched in my memory.
Mashima-sensei: Thank you.
Mashima-sensei: For me, I think it would be August. I think that things that were added to the setting later, including the foreshadowing of the battle with August, worked well and it’s a part that I really like. Even if the entire story isn't included, I want the battle itself to be exciting.
Kataoka: We've made sure to faithfully recreate the story, and I think the final scene turned out really well.
Mashima-sensei: I'm looking forward to that!
IGN: So you came up with August’s setting later.
Mashima-sensei: I often come up with ideas later on. Of course, even when I say "later," it's usually a few episodes before it's reflected into the story. In the case of August, it worked particularly well. I’ve heard many people say they were completely fooled by it. “It wasn’t Larcade, it was you!" (laughs)
Kataoka: I was completely fooled as well. (Laughs)
Mashima-sensei: August was a very strong character in the original series, so I hope the battle with August is as challenging in the game as well.
Kataoka: Yes, he's an incredibly strong character because he can copy magic. Even when reading the original manga, I wondered who would be stronger if he fought Zeref. And of course, he's quite powerful in the game.
Mashima-sensei: It would be a problem if he's too strong, though (laughs).
Kataoka: Otherwise, players might not be able to finish the game (laughs). We've made him quite strong as the final buildup before the battle with Zeref.
Kataoka: One thing I’d personally like to ask is how long ago did you decide on the content of the final chapter?
Mashima-sensei: I was quite torn until the end about whether Zeref or Acnologia would be last. Because I expanded the story so much, there were many things that were added later. For example, there's a character named Dimaria who can stop time, and she was so powerful that I couldn't figure out how she could be defeated, so the sudden appearance of "that character" was an idea I came up with afterward.
Kataoka: Oh, really!
Mashima-sensei: It felt like live storytelling! There are a lot of instances where it would have been better without certain settings... While I have repeated some of these regrets, it’s fun to create a story as you go along!
Kataoka: And was there any particular reason behind having 12 members in the Spriggan 12?
Mashima-sensei: Initially, I decided on 12 companion characters who would play active roles. From there, I then decided that each of them would defeat one of the 12 enemy characters. However, Erza ended up defeating two of them. (laughs)
Kataoka: That’s true. (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: In games, it's usually something like ‘Four Heavenly Kings,’ but here we have 12. (laughs)
Kataoka: As the ones making it, I honestly contemplated, "12, huh..." (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: I imagine creating the models must have been a lot of work.
Kataoka: But I was determined to make sure that fighting all members of the "Spriggan 12" would definitely happen, so I told the development team from the start, "Fight all of the Spriggan 12! This is a must!"
Mashima-sensei: That's wonderful to hear. I'm looking forward to it.
IGN: In addition to reliving the original story, this game also includes an original storyline. How did the development of the original story come about?
Kataoka: From the moment we first proposed the game, we said that we wanted to include an original storyline. And actually Mashima-sensei requested that the original story be very well-developed, so we put a lot of effort into it. For the final boss of the original story, our idea of battling a particular character at the very end was the only part proposed from the very beginning.
Mashima-sensei: I thought all the original scenarios were great. I think it’s clear that a lot of hard work has been put into them!
Kataoka: Thank you. Since the main story is quite serious as it is the final chapter, we wanted something to bring out the lighthearted and lively feel typical of Fairy Tail that would be more casual to play. We even wondered if we might get in trouble for going overboard... (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: It wasn’t a problem at all! (Laughs) It was fun!
Kataoka: That’s good to hear. I’m really happy you enjoyed it.
IGN: Speaking of original content for the game, in the Digital Deluxe edition, there’s an in-game feature called Atelier Lucy. Could you let us know more about this?
Kataoka: After the previous game, Mashima-sensei mentioned on X that “it would be nice to have something like an Atelier Lucy," and that’s where the idea began. The IP producer of the Atelier series (Junzo) Hosoi also welcomed the idea, so we proposed it, received approval and made it happen. Since matching the synthesis system in the more recent Atelier series would make it a bit too challenging to play, we’ve put in a simple system, and I believe it’s very fun.
Mashima-sensei: That's really great. I also love the Atelier series, so even though what you made this time is a parody, it doesn't feel out of place at all. If there's a sequel, I'd love for it to be fully developed.
IGN: Would it be good to even have a collaboration title like 'Atelier Fairy Tail'?
Mashima-sensei: Yes, I’d like that to happen someday (laughs).
Kataoka: Actually, we’ve included familiar elements from the Atelier series, like Barrel!
Mashima-sensei: I was really happy when I discovered that. There were quite a few character variations too!
IGN: This game includes also includes a wealth of DLC such as outfits and an additional scenario. Were there any particular aspects you focused on in creating these?
Kataoka: For the DLC outfits of playable characters, we wanted to create a sense of togetherness, so we included outfits from the 8-Island restaurant where they worked in the original series, formal wear with a wedding motif, and school uniforms to evoke an image of school life. As for the additional scenario, I personally really liked the Battle of Fairy Tail episode, so I thought of combining it with a hot springs theme.
Mashima-sensei: Every time new outfits were sent over, I would say, "that’s awesome!" I thought it was fantastic that each character had their own unique outfit rather than everyone wearing the same thing. It was incredibly creative and impressive.
Kataoka: There are even characters wearing glasses with the school uniforms. (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: The designs are truly amazing! I want everyone to see them all!
Kataoka: We're also considering some absurd battles in the Arena, like fighting Zeref, August, and Larcade simultaneously. Imagine facing six members of the Spriggan 12 at once. (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: Can you even beat that? (laughs)
Kataoka: That's where players will need to level up their characters and hone their skills. (laughs)
Mashima-sensei: That sounds exciting.
IGN: To close, could you share a message for those eagerly anticipating the release?
Kataoka: We've kept you waiting a long time since the previous game, but the release is finally here. Our entire team has poured their love for Fairy Tail into this project and with the cooperation of Mashima-sensei and everyone at Kodansha we are finally at completion. We've created something truly enjoyable in of course not only the story, but the gameplay too, so I hope you'll give it a try.
Mashima-sensei: I truly think this work is filled with love for Fairy Tail, and I'm really looking forward to playing it myself, so I hope everyone will look forward to it too.
