Fate Samurai Remnant is a game developed and published by Koei Tecmo Games. The game managed to exceed my expectations in every way possible, including its gameplay and presentation. It provides a blueprint as to what Fate fans can look forward to in future titles. But currently, you could say that Fate/Samurai Remnant is the dark horse in the deep lineup of games for 2023.
Fate Samurai Remnant tells the story of Miyamoto Iori, the son of the famed samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, who is suddenly dragged into a secret war known as the Moon Waxing Ritual. Along with his servant, Saber, they must take on waves of warriors and phantoms that will constantly threaten to ravage the whole country of Japan until only one duo is left standing at the end.
The story elements of the game may look familiar to many Fate fans, but there are times when the narration takes too long that it tends to feel a bit too heavy as it puts a ton of focus on the character’s background and the world that players will explore throughout the game.
The gameplay might surprise you as is not your typical Musou-type game. Aside from mastering Iori’s sword techniques, players will be able to unlock and use a variety of magical spells and link chain abilities to further progress. But what makes this game special and worth getting is how satisfying the encounter enemies are in the game. During battles, players can perform multiple combos using light, heavy, or magecraft attacks on multiple enemies.
Not only that, it has a similar essence to that of Ghost of Tsushima where players can change their fighting style. When performing long combos, enemies can easily disrupt one’s attacks using light or heavy attacks which is completely different from the musou-engine that Koei Tecmo has used in the past.
The enemies that players will face in the game vary greatly. Some are rogue bandits while others are deadly phantoms that are defeated easily using magecrafts and combined sword skills. What’s frightening about the enemies is that most of them are nostalgic Fate Servants such as Gilgamesh, Jeanne D’ Arc Alter, Tamamo Aria, and more. These servants will act as the bosses that players will face in the game and they are hardcore to the max whether one plays in normal difficulty or not.
This cast of characters found in the game made me happy enough to know that their lore and origin are connected seriously to the Fate universe and I can’t get enough of what surprises it has in store, especially in the upcoming DLC next year.
Of course, unlocking new moves and skills is important in this game as players can level up and spend skill points to not only improve Iori’s style of fighting but also increase Saber’s as well. Not only that the customization of the weapons you will use is great as they can either be bought or unlocked by completing multiple challenges and unlocking leylines where players can discover new territories and fight off multiple enemies.
Exploring new territories is great and I especially love the fact that players can unlock historical landmarks and interact with various animals to heal HP. I especially love the fact that petting stray cats grants you a regenerative buff for a short time. Exploring towns such as Ueno, Suidobashi and more will help players know more about what is currently happening in this era of Japan and what missions Iori and his Servant can do to further strengthen themselves.
In terms of graphics, any port or console such as the PC and the Nintendo Switch is fine to use as this game does not really need high specs to run it. But if players really want 4k quality graphics and faster loading times, it is highly recommended to play on the PlayStation 5.
With all the great things said about the game, there is only one issue that needs to be addressed and that is the camera targeting system. During aggressive battles, there are times when the camera will tend to focus away from battle leading to confusion. I hope that Koei Tecmo or rather Omega Force will have an update that fixes this issue so that unnecessary dizziness will not occur during important boss battles.
Fate Samurai Remnant is a game that’s worth every penny paid. It combines Musou-style combat and does it in a way that is uniquely within the framing of the Fate series. Those who are Fate lovers will enjoy greatly what this game has to offer, and for those who are new to the series, this game will introduce to them the world of the Fate series with astonishing stories and a great cast of characters that are worth looking into.
