Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Fate/Samurai Remnant by developer Omega Force:
Fate/Samurai Remnant (The Explanation)
The Fate franchise started out as a series of visual novels in Japan for Windows back in 2004. The first entry was Fate/Stay Night and was created by Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi and developed by TYPE MOON. The series became quite popular in Japan, so much os that the series expanded into anime, light novels, manga as well as other various forms of media.
Later video game titles of the franchise started to move away from its visual novel origins and opted to becoming more Action, and RPG-based. This may be to keep up with modern trends and interests of the current generation of gamers, or because they have been a number of other developers and publishers that have had a hand in developing titles for the series. This is just speculation on my part, of course, as I am not well versed in the Fate series to be able to say anything with total conviction and there could just as well be other reasons.
Fate/Samurai Remnant is an action RPG and the latest in the Fate series. The events of the game take place in 17th century Japan, most notably in the Sengoku period, using the real-life events of the Keian Uprising as a base. A number of decades had passed since the end of a bloody and turbulent era, and the people were enjoying the peace and tranquility. However, the balance is about to be upset once again as a new battle is about to unfold. A battle between seven pairs of Masters and their servants who are chosen to partake in the “Waxing Moon Ritual” and a Holy Grail War.
Miyamoto Iori is a young ronin, adept with the blade, who is suddenly attacked by mysterious individuals with powerful allies. Fortunately, just as he was about to have his life ended, a heroic spirit comes to his aid in the form of a young woman and sword master called Saber. With Saber’s help, Iori manages to drive back his attackers and learn why they attacked him in the first place. Saber explains to him that she is a servant who has been summoned by Iori to help him accomplish victory in the Waxing Moon Ritual. The seven pairs of Masters and servants must defeat one another until there is only one pair remaining.
In Fate/Samurai Remnant, players are able to explore the bustling towns of Edo, interact with the townsfolk, take on quests, and hack & slash through rogue ronin and monsters alike. Players primarily take on the role of Miyamoto Iori but during combat, players can switch between Master and servant in order to do devastating attacks on giant and powerful enemies. Some enemies are impervious to Iori’s weapons and may only be defeated by Saber’s weapons. At least, enemies that have magic shields to protect them that is. Once the shield has been taken away, Iori will be able to do damage to the enemy.
As Saber is very overpowered in many circumstances, players can only switch to her after filling up an affinity gauge with her by attacking enemies. They can then control Saber temporarily and wreak havoc with her powerful skill set. Once the time is up though, character control will return to Iori and players will need to fill up the affinity gauge again to use Saber once more. In the case of fighting other servants, only Saber will be able to defeat them as they will be too much for Iori to handle alone.
Being an RPG, Fate/Samurai Remnant offers many of the same mechanics and systems that you would find associated with the genre. This includes an experience and levelling up system, a skill tree to improve the main character and party member’s stats, as well as increase their skill sets with special moves and techniques, making them even more formidable in combat. The game also features other mechanics like side quests involving NPC’s, a Sword polishing and upgrade system, the ability to upgrade Iori’s home and unlock features like reducing the price of item in stores, and increasing the price you can sell items for, to name a couple of examples.
To wrap up, Fate/Samurai Remnant is a pretty decent game and has all the staples of a great RPG. You don’t have to be a fan of the series to jump into this game and to be fair, it might be even better for you if you aren’t. Not because fans won’t appreciate this game, I’m sure they will get a right kick out of it. What I mean is that the Fate series as a whole can be extremely confusing for new players to get a handle on where to start. In my own opinion, I find Fate/Samurai Remnant as good a starting point as any to venture into the Fate Series for those interested and enjoy RPGs.
Fate/Samurai Remnant (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developers: Omega Force
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Action, Role-Playing
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: NA|EU: September 29, 2023
Price: $59.99
File Size: 9.9 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
