Fate/hollow ataraxia
Fate/hollow ataraxia
Overview
Fate/hollow ataraxia is a visual novel developed by Type-Moon and released in Japan for Windows PC in 2005. It is a direct sequel to Fate/stay night. In 2014, a PlayStation Vita port of the game featuring full voice acting was released.
Plot
Set in Fuyuki City six months after the events of Fate/stay night, Bazett Fraga McRemitz is a Mage’s Association member and Master who awakes on the fourth day of the Fifth Holy Grail War with amnesia and a new Servant, Avenger, and the two begin fighting to win the Grail. Meanwhile, Shirou has returned to his normal life after the Fifth Holy Grail War, but things change when an experiment by Rin disrupts space and time and he gets caught in a four-day time loop along with Bazett. Each time they die, the loop is reset and they retain all their memories from previous loops. The loop always begins on the fourth day of the Fifth Holy Grail War, and Shirou’s fate seems to be tied to a mysterious girl he keeps encountering named Caren Ortensia. Together with Bazett and Avenger, they must uncover the truth behind the time loop and escape it.
Gameplay
Unlike its predecessor, Fate/hollow ataraxia does not use a route-based system and features a non-linear story. Players can freely choose which scenes to play through, with some being necessary to continue the plot. The game takes place over the same four-day period. Days are divided into morning, noon, and night, and players can choose one scene for each time period. Scenes also change depending on what time of day it is. Players are able to choose scenes through an aerial view of Fuyuki City that shows key locations.
Several minigames can also be unlocked throughout the story, including a Tiger Dojo hanafuda game, Operation Illya's Castle, and the Tohsaka Shrine. The PS Vita version of the game also includes a new minigame called Capsule Servant and an updated version of the hanafuda game with additional characters.
Characters
Bazett Fraga McRemitz
Bazett is a member of the Mage's Association sent to fight in the Fifth Holy Grail War. She comes from the Knights of the Red Branch and is the descendent of a prestigious mage family in Ireland. She was originally the Master of Lancer but was betrayed by her former partner, Kirei Kotomine, who stole her Command Seals and left her for dead. She is discovered and saved by Avenger, who becomes her new Servant.
Caren Hortensia
Caren is a priestess for the Church who assists with exorcisms. She has the unusual ability to be able to tell if she is near a possessed person, and her body changes shape to reflect that person’s inner pain. She is very kind and forgiving, and is devout in her belief in and devotion to God.
Avenger
The eighth Servant whose true identity is believed to be Angra Mainyu, an innocent boy from the ancient Middle East who was labeled as the embodiment of evil and tortured until his death so that others could live without sin. He was accidentally summoned to the Third Holy Grail War in place of Berserker by Illya, and appears suddenly during the Fifth Holy Grail War as Bazett’s Servant. His Noble Phantasm is Verg Avesta. He creates the time loop inside Bazett’s mind after coming across her dying body and wanting to grant her her with to continue living.
Shirou Emiya
In this installment, Shirou experiences changes to his personality and lapses in his memory. It is explained that this is due to Avenger possessing Shirou’s body at times. When Shirou learns the truth about the time loop he is conflicted because he wants to follow his sense of justice and end the loop while Avenger wants to continue it so that he can by proxy continue experiencing Shirou’s life. It is later revealed that this version of Shirou is simply a projection created by Avenger to fill Bazett’s dream world.
Rin Tohsaka
Rin travels to London for the first half of the game after her experiment disrupts space and time. She returns in the second half with a significantly different personality but shows that she has become an experienced mage. She uses the Kaleidostick, an invention by Zeltretch, which allows her to transfer knowledge from different versions of herself into her and also provides magical energy. It also transforms her into the magical girl Kaleido-Ruby.
Other Media
A manga adaptation by Medori and Type-Moon was published by Kadokawa in 2013. Several manga anthologies based on the series have also been released to date including Fate/hollow ataraxia Anthology Comic by Ichijinsha’s DNA Media Comics imprint in 2006, Fate/hollow ataraxia ~ Comic la carte and Fate/hollow ataraxia Comic a la carte Happy Life hen by Kadokawa in 2006, Fate/hollow ataraxia Anthology Comic by Enterbrain’s Magi-Cu Comics imprint released between 2006 and 2007, and a four-koma series by Enterbrain released between 2007 and 2008.