{"id":3379,"date":"2022-12-19T14:58:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T14:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/?p=3379"},"modified":"2024-09-03T04:25:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T04:25:30","slug":"fate-grand-order-fgo-arcade-the-popular-gacha-phenomenon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/fate-grand-order-fgo-arcade-the-popular-gacha-phenomenon\/","title":{"rendered":"Fate Grand Order & FGO Arcade: The Popular Gacha Phenomenon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you didn\u2019t already know, Fate\/Grand Order<\/strong> is one of the most popular mobile games both inside (and outside of) Japan – a long-running role-playing game with an intricate turn-based battle system, a compelling story, and a wide cast of quirky characters based on history\u2019s most prominent warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To call the Fate series and its mobile game entry Fate Grand Order<\/strong> \u2018popular\u2019 would be a huge understatement: the game continually charts on Japan\u2019s various app stores, has tons of merchandise and is generally pretty present in all areas of the \u2018otaku\u2019 sphere. It\u2019s well known for its various collaborations with other popular artists from different works, as well as its popularity in independently published manga circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2021, the mobile game is the seventh highest-grossing mobile game of all time (estimated at over $5 billion!) with over 32 million downloads and a highly active player base. It\u2019s numbers like these that might make people who aren\u2019t fans of the game wonder exactly what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the mobile game Fate Grand Order, there is also an arcade version of the game that remains highly popular in Japan\u2019s game centers. This version of the game transforms the tactical 2D battles of the mobile game into a full 3D action-RPG experience, alongside a physical collectable card mechanic that represents the characters you collect the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since arriving in Japan, I\u2019ve been able to enjoy both versions of the game to their fullest,
and concluded that although it may not be the most popular game or franchise in Japan\u2019s ever-evolving pop culture zeitgeist, it\u2019s certainly a name that\u2019s always around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what\u2019s the appeal? Is it the right game for you? And if you already love it, how can you access some of the Japan-exclusive merchandise that dominates the shelves of Japan? We\u2019re here to answer all your questions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Fate Grand Order?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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FGO<\/strong> is arguably the modern culmination of the Fate franchise, a series that started all the way back in the early 2000\u2019s with the release of the now-iconic visual novel Fate\/Stay Night. Fate\/Stay Night told the story of a young Shirou Emiya\u2019s involvement in the Holy Grail War – a mythical battle fought between the heroic spirits of literature and mythology for control over the Holy Grail. The winner of the Holy Grail war is granted a single wish, making it an immensely desirable prize for the world\u2019s greatest wizards and warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Fate\/Stay Night,<\/strong> the \u2018fate\u2019 franchise exploded in popularity and has gone on to release a number of additional entries across a variety of mediums. From pseudo-sequels and spin-offs to the original Fate\/Stay Night to stories set in alternate universes, the Fate franchise has been prolific in the world of Japanese media to say the least. In the past 10 years, a new addition to the Fate series has popped up at least once every couple of years in a variety of mediums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fate\/Grand Order was released at the height of the franchises\u2019 popularity, intending to capitalize on the success of both mobile games and the flexible nature of Fate\u2019s central premise – with an infinite amount of mythology and literature to draw from, there\u2019s always room for more \u2018heroic spirits\u2019 – the cast of characters that keep the wheels spinning in the games intricate gacha character collection system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The gameplay of Fate Grand Order<\/strong> is both accessible and complex at the same time. After being introduced to the story of the \u2018Great Holy Grail War\u2019 in lots of text-heavy story segments, players will be thrust into short turn-based battle sequences, where you\u2019ll control three \u2018servants\u2019 – the spirits of legendary heroes from myth and legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each servant will have a selection of different moves to use, drawn from a \u2018combat deck\u2019 of cards. From here, you\u2019ll select a few moves per turn, and gradually work on taking down a variety of enemies and rival servants alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most of the game, these battles will be broken up into short encounters that gradually tell you the story of each region that you travel to, which will in turn unfold the story of that region\u2019s mythical hero. The game\u2019s settings include Camelot, Babylon, Medieval France and many more, and tells stories about heroes like King Arthur, Gilgamesh and Joan of Arc (in a rather anime style).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of the game, you\u2019ll need to level up your servants by augmenting them with experience cards and \u2018craft essences\u2019 – cards that add to your servant’s stats. Over time, your servants will ascend to the highest possible levels and take on new appearances and abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Fate Grand Order so popular?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Part of the joy of Fate Grand Order<\/strong> is this aforementioned gradual progression. It\u2019s a game with a huge amount of content, and if you get engrossed in the story, you\u2019ll find yourself with plenty to do! From progressing through each story chapter to developing your servants over time, there\u2019s an appeal to the game\u2019s long-term investment and reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the story is regarded amongst fans of the Fate franchise to be one of the series\u2019 peaks in terms of narrative quality. It\u2019s definitely also the least accessible, and if you haven\u2019t experienced at least one other piece of Fate media you may be a little confused on the basics, but it\u2019s not impossible to get caught up just through Fate Grand Order alone (you\u2019ll need to do a lot of homework, though). It\u2019s a story that just might draw you in with its sprawling, high-fantasy & sci-fi madness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the real draw to FGO, some might say, is the game\u2019s huge selection of characters. There\u2019s hundreds of \u2018servants\u2019 to collect in Fate Grand Order, each with their own historical backstory, personality and unique designs. The characters are categorized into different classes: Saber, Rider, Caster, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, Berserker – indicating their preferred method of combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many fan favourite characters have emerged from the Fate series. For example, Artoria (also known as their class, Saber) is the Fate series\u2019 revision of King Arthur and has a huge fanbase, owing to their unique design and headstrong personality. Other favourites include the hyperactive Nero Claudius, The hilariously enthusiastic Alexander The Great, and the quirky Miyamoto Musashi. One of the best things about FGO is its ability to transform these iconic figures from history and mythology into these bizarre anime versions. If the story itself doesn\u2019t draw you in, then one of the characters definitely will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Much like other popular mobile games, the game\u2019s character collection system is based on a \u2018gacha\u2019 – a random draw from a large pool of heroes. As you progress through Fate Grand Order, you\u2019ll gather \u2018saint quartz\u2019, a currency that can be spent on a chance at summoning new characters. There\u2019s also the option to pay for more \u2018saint quartz\u2019 using real money, but you\u2019ll gather plenty just by playing the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re summoning characters, there\u2019s a huge element of random chance that ultimately keeps people coming back to the game time after time. With new characters and new versions of popular characters being added to the game all the time, the game appeals to the collector in the same way that TCGs do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Fate Grand Order Arcade?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The arcade version of Fate Grand Order<\/strong> is a unique Japan-exclusive arcade version of the mobile game. Although much of the game is similar structurally (go out on battles, collect and level up Servants, progress through a time-travelling story), the game transforms the turn-based battles of the mobile version into more exciting 3D action. The game only offers a portion of the mobile game\u2019s content at the moment, but much like the mobile version, is updated regularly to add new characters and content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arcade version also uses an interesting system to turn the characters and items you collect into physical cards printed by the machine. This turns your digital collection into a physical one, with the cards scanned by the machine to identify which characters you have access to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This adds an even more detailed collection element to a game that already had one. Every card in the game has an incredibly rare shiny variant (known as fatal cards), and there are also seasonal variations for events like the game\u2019s anniversary, Halloween and Christmas. Be warned that if you ever manage to play the arcade version, you will definitely get addicted to collecting rare Servant cards!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where can I find Fate\/Grand Order merchandise?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If you want to get your hands on these special Fate Grand Order Cards<\/strong> outside of Japan (after all, why wouldn\u2019t you? They look pretty cool) or any other FGO merchandise, you\u2019ll need to buy them from an independent seller in Japan. Using Neokyo, we help you with the purchasing process at major Japanese retailers like Yahoo Auctions, Amazon.jp, Rakuten and more!

To find Fate Grand Order merchandise, select your retailer and use our search bar to search up the item that you want. We\u2019ll auto translate searches in English, but you might have more luck finding exactly what you need if you type your search terms in Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to being able to find the card exclusive to the arcade version of the game, there\u2019s also endless amounts of other Fate GO merchandise<\/strong> – scale figures, gachapon collectables, acrylic stands, clear files, manga, music <\/strong>and much more. If you\u2019re already a Fate fanatic – why not explore and see what you can find on our site? If you\u2019re not yet a Fate Fanatic, maybe this article convinced you to give it a shot!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you didn\u2019t already know, Fate\/Grand Order is one of the most popular mobile games both inside (and outside of) Japan – a long-running role-playing game with an intricate turn-based battle system, a compelling...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[816],"tags":[838],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3379"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3396,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3379\/revisions\/3396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neokyo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}