Looking back now,Released in 2010 on the PlayStation Portable (hereinafter referred to as PSP), "Fate/EXTRA", is actually a quite avant-garde and bold work—
Firstly, because it reimagined the already well-known "Fate/stay night" story, telling a unique "Holy Grail War" in a worldview highly similar yet distinctly different from the original;
Secondly, because it truly created a"Servant Information" as the key to winning the Holy Grail War, and this game structure was integrated into the traditional game format of "rock-paper-scissors," which anyone can quickly understand, creating an RPG experience closest to the concept of the Holy Grail War in the original work.
More importantly, with the support of original creators like Kinoko Nasu, it trulyfully showcased the charm of the "Fate" series, from the diverse "Masters" and "Servants" to the deceit among magi, all of which are comprehensively reflected in the story.
But on the other hand, the remake of this work, "Record" had been in a very awkward position for a long time: from the game being discontinued to the departure of core producers, all signs seemed to make its remake incredibly difficult—until ANIPLEX announced it would take over the publishing rights, and the situation began to improve.
Also at this year'sAt "Tokyo Game Show 2026," we finally saw the true face of "Record." Surprisingly, rather than just polishing the original game, the remake feels more like a thorough reconstruction from top to bottom, with redrawn character designs and a redesigned original "rock-paper-scissors" combat system.
We are honored that at this event, we also receivedan invitation from ANIPLEX to interview its development team, asking simple questions about the changes and highlights of this work.
Below is the original text of this interview:
Q:InIn previous interviews, it was mentioned that the remake handles the plot very cautiously, trying not to change the outline or dialogue,and character emotions, while also enhancing the volume of presentation content.May I ask,Which plot points did the team consider absolutely untouchable? Which parts were significantly expanded?
A:As everyone knows, "Fate/Grand Order" is a work that received tremendous effort in Japan, and there are certain stories and outlines that we absolutely will not change.This work adheres to the same principle.
"Record" itself is positioned as a remake of "Fate/EXTRA," which is the core concept of the entire work, so the overall plot follows the original. Especially for iconic lines and the emotional aspects of the Servants, we produced these parts with the premise that they would absolutely not be changed. On the other hand, to add depth to the entire story, we increased the amount of dialogue and added some new elements not present in the original, allowing everyone to experience the greater content volume of this new version.
Q:During the demoInoticed that selectingCaster's interface is labeled with Hard difficulty. In the original PSP version, Caster was a Servant recommended for second playthroughs. In this work, she is retained as a Hard character'sWhat is the significance? Is it to faithfully reproduce the original positioning, or do you hope it becomes an advanced gameplay option for players who are familiar with the system?
A:The PSP version of "Fate/EXTRA" did not actually classify Servants by difficulty. The "Hard" label in this work is merelyRegardingCaster's operational style.
Compared to the original, this work will not have significant difficulty differences between different Servants. However, As mentioned earlier, each Servant has different gameplay and combat styles, andCaster is a veryskill-oriented Servant, and in this sense, she does carry a certain level of difficulty. The selection screen label was made based on this point.
Q:The combat in the original PSP version was more like rock-paper-scissors, a fixed set of mechanics,butnowhoweverhas become a card-based strategy game, and you can indeed feel the continuity and strategic depth of combat in actual gameplay. After changing from rock-paper-scissors to cards, what key elements does the development team hope players will focus on experiencing?
A:This remake has largely recreated systems at the systemic level—both combat and maze exploration. This is also what I heard from the development team—The original "Fate/EXTRA"'s arena exploration itself was quite simple. Although the rock-paper-scissors battles were tense, the teamstill hopes to add more depth to these parts. Therefore, during discussions on which combat format would be better, everyone agreed that a strategic combat system should be introduced this time. After comparing several combat formats, it was finally decided to use a card-based battleformat—On one hand, it adds strategic depth to combat; on the other hand, the original floor exploration was somewhat monotonous, so we hoped to enhance the excitement of arena exploration simultaneously.
Q:One of the great joys of card battles is precisely calculating action points, HP, and damage. The combat in this worksystem,Was there any special design in this regard? What is the late-game combat experience like?—Will player stats become very high and combat become extremely difficult, or will it allow players to build their own decks, form certain loops, and fight with great satisfaction?
A:In the game, the variety of cards will continuously increase, and the moves used by opponents will also greatly expand—in this sense, as the story progresses, the depth and difficulty of combat will become stronger.
We can't reveal too many specific details right now. We hope that when you progress through the story, you'll personally experience these gradually added elements and enjoy the fun of playing in the moment. Additionally, if the level of freedom is too high, the difficulty will also increase accordingly. Therefore, we have carefully balanced this aspect—increasing freedom while avoiding making card combinations and game difficulty overly complex.
Q:PSP'sThe original version used rock-paper-scissors for combat. Collecting information on enemy Servants early on would ultimately be reflected in battles against that Servant—The more information you gather, the easier it is to anticipate your opponent's moves. After switching to card battles, will the collection of Servant information ultimately beinHowformatreflected in battles against enemy Servants?
A:There is definitely a corresponding system. Simply put, it will make combat somewhat more advantageous to a certain extent—in decisive battles, once you know the opponent's True Name, you gain an advantage in combat. We cannot elaborate on specific details here, but the mechanism that makes combat more favorable after gathering information is indeed ready.
Q:How does this work intend to approach veteran fans of the original, as well as first-time players of"Fate"new players of the series? Will it still be a relatively fan-oriented game?
A: We hope this work can reach a wide variety of players—whether they are long-time series fans or new fans encountering the series for the first time through this work.
"Fate/Grand Order"This is also the case. In each entry of the "Fate" series, the way players "encounter" Servants has always been different—Even if you encounter the same Servant, since the protagonist in this work is completely different, "Fate/EXTRA" will also have its own unique ways of encountering characters, just as other series entries have their own. Even with the same character, their way of interacting with the player and speaking to the protagonist differs across series. We hope players can see a completely different side of the Servants, which is also compared to otherunique appeal of the "Fate" series.
And for those who played the original"Fate/EXTRAwhat it should be—we are making this game with exactly this mindset.