Developer: Koei Tecmo, Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Tested on: PS5
Fate/Samurai Remnant – Review
Tecmo Koei has been known for its ‘Warriors‘ games for many years now, and outside of the main series we have also seen spin-offs, such as the Gundam Warriors games, but also Berserk and the Band of the Hawk. These spin-offs were often a fun new take on the 1 vs 1000 genre and Fate/Samurai Remnant seems to be another title in the same vein as the Warriors games. We were quite curious to see how well the genre blends with the Fate series.
Story
Even though the story of Fate/Samurai Remnant is quite expansive, it basically revolves around a host of different fighters who will battle in the Waxing Moon Ritual. The victor will have their wish granted, and thus a lot is at stake. The battles can only be fought by Masters and their Servants, with the latter being summoned spirit warriors from a different time period. These Servants are typically strong historical fighters, and they are also divided into classes, often referring to their fighting prowess. You’ll be playing as Miyamoto Iori, who involuntarily gets dragged into this mortal combat with his somewhat cocky Servant, Saber. Together they will have to simply survive the battles with those who come after them, and perhaps even come out on top.
The story is brought in an interesting way via cutscenes with still images and a lot of voiced dialogue. We found the story rather captivating, and it was our main drive to keep pressing forward to see how everything would evolve.
Graphics
Graphically, Fate/Samurai Remnant left us with mixed feelings. On one hand, you have amazing character designs while on the other hand, you have bland environments and a lot of static assets. We loved the unique characters for this title, and it was always a lot of fun to get to know new cast members. All characters had a lot of flair, and every single one seemed to fit right into an action-packed anime. Sadly, immersion got broken a few times due to janky movements, characters seemingly floating rather than sitting or walking on surfaces, and a lack of original assets. That being said, the overall colorful world does make up for a lot.
Sound
The game’s sound design is superbly handled. The supporting soundtrack is great and suits the adventure that unfolds, but it’s mainly the voice acting here that steals the show. The game truly has that anime feeling from start to finish, and while not every character is as interesting as they could have been, the cinematic qualities of Fate/Samurai Remnant are quite impressive. The SFX are decent too, albeit a bit generic.
Gameplay
Fate/Samurai Remnant is basically an original take on the 1 vs 1000 genre, and it revolves around the Fate franchise. The game is a bit more linear than other games in the genre, and you will not constantly be fighting big groups, but the similarities to Warriors games are quite easy to spot. For the most part, you’ll be playing as Iori, with Saber and other ‘Servants’ becoming available later. Most battles will always have a few grunts that you need to defeat with one or multiple stronger enemies that you will have to face during these fights or at the end. The mechanics are fairly straightforward, but things are a bit more complex than regular Warriors titles.
The biggest difference can already be found in the fact that you’re not fighting on a big battlefield, but rather in enclosed areas where a few enemy mobs will always attack you. Unlike other games in the genre where you can button-mash your way out of a predicament, Fate/Samurai Remnant does require you to use your skills to the fullest. You’ll find yourself having to dodge incoming enemy attacks, bide your time when a stronger foe is deflecting your attacks, and use both Iori’s skills and those of your servants. Iori is not the strongest fighter, and thus when you have enough energy you can control Saber in combat for a short period of time, boosting your attack prowess. As the game progresses, you’ll also get other Servants you can control and additional skills. Iori can also use magecraft, which basically is his own set of magic spells. The basic fighting system is easy to learn, and before you know it you’ll find yourself using all skills in your arsenal, and you’ll also use Iori’s different fighting stances to get passive boosts during battles.
Overall, the game is fairly linear, but there is some side content to discover. Going through additional battles or side quests may net you some extra experience and materials to upgrade your base of operations. At your home, you’ll be able to purchase upgrades, which often grant you additional boosts. You’ll also be able to maintain your katana in your humble abode, again granting you passive boosts. The gear system is quite original, as you can equip different components for your katana, getting additional stat gains, allowing you to deal more damage, recover more energy, and so on. It’s an original take on the traditional equipment system for RPGs.
Outside of exploring your environments, you’ll also find yourself waging strategic war(s). As you gain more power by using ley lines, you’ll sometimes find yourself on a grid-like map, moving Iori to try to control more so-called Spirit Fonts. These Spirit Fonts are basically nodes on a map, and the more you control, the more power you’ll have for the battles that take place on said map. These battles on the map have to be completed in a fixed set of turns, or you will lose the fight. This strategic component added a nice change of pace from the otherwise monotomous regular fights.
Even though the overall gameplay loop of Fate/Samurai Remnant is quite enjoyable, this title suffers the same fate as many other games that are based on anime franchises. You’ll quickly notice that the gameplay design is very dated and that the scope of the game is extremely limited. Battles always take place in small bland arenas, you’ll constantly encounter invisible walls, and you cannot even jump over small obstacles, such as barrels or even a small piece of wood. Even though these aren’t game-breaking design choices, we have come to a gaming generation where your characters shouldn’t get stuck behind a plank that is lying flat on the floor.
Conclusion
Fate/Samurai Remnant is a great standalone adventure in the Fate franchise, and we can easily recommend it to fans of the series or to those looking for a story-driven adventure. We enjoyed the general gameplay loop, it was a lot of fun unlocking more skills and Servants as the game progressed, and the game has so many likable and interesting characters that will cross your path. Sadly, things do get bogged down by dated game design choices, linearity, and repetitive battles. Even so, this one is certainly worth checking out.
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[…] with loads of invisible walls and a lack of actual free movement. We recently saw this in Fate/Samurai Remnant as well, which tried to create the illusion of freedom while actually only allowing the player to […]