Fate/Samurai Remnant is about the battle between seven Masters and their Servants. The prize? A wish-granting machine that can manifest miracles. Read on to see if the latest title in the Fate series is worth your money in our (spoiler-less) review!
Fate/Samurai Remnant Review Overview
Fate/Samurai Remnant Review Video
Fate/Samurai Remnant Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Storytelling Worthy Of An Ovation Incredible Attention To Detail Endearing Main Cast |
Sluggish Musou Combat Weak Ultimate Attacks and Limited Skill Slots Baffling Gameplay Design |
Fate/Samurai Remnant Overall - 88/100
Fate/Samurai Remnant (F/SR) is an incredible addition to the Fate franchise. While it certainly suffers from having a painfully average musou experience compared to its predecessor, the story, visuals, and audio, are nothing short of an excellent display of Type-Moon’s expertise in storytelling.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Story - 9/10
Simply amazing. The works made by Type-Moon have always had great writing, but F/SR really showcases their expertise in weaving a compelling tale of bloodshed and ambition. Not only does the pacing feel completely natural for its setting, the writers also made sure to intersperse moments of humor appropriate for each character pulling off the gag. However, it does somewhat suffer from Type-Moon’s common penchant of vaguely explaining concepts, something that might hamper the experience if you’re new to the franchise.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Gameplay - 6/10
Despite being known for the popular "musou" Warrior series among several other games, Koei Tecmo has managed to provide an incredibly mid-tier musou experience in F/SR. It’s sufficiently action-packed, sure, but that’s basically it. The overall gameplay is a dull, repetitive, imbalanced and unrewarding experience, despite all of the many features you unlock as you progress.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Visuals - 10/10
Ignoring everybody’s deluxe-sized hands, there’s really no major complaint about the game’s visuals. The game possesses incredibly beautiful models for the main cast, stunning animations for their combat skills, especially for their Noble Phantasms (ultimate moves), and delightful imagery and animations. Additionally, everything, from the characters’ expressions, the environment, the commoners walking about, to even everybody’s clothing, was utilized to tell a story. It’s the cohesive effort between the visuals and audio to prop up the story that really brings out all of the game’s charm.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Audio - 9/10
In order to properly deliver the incredible story written by Hikaru Sakurai, writer of Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, and Shunkyoku no Tyrhhia ~What a Beautiful Dawn~, and Yuuichirou Higashide, writer for Fate/Apocrypha, Tokyo Babel, Koei Tecmo and Type-Moon ensured that F/SR’s scenarios are completely voiced-acted by noteworthy talents in the industry. Their performance is nothing short of incredible, with the capability to tell stories without expressly uttering words. Additionally, the sound effects function well for what they’re intended for, delivering an action-packed experience that makes you feel like you’re witnessing the fights first-hand.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Value for Money - 10/10
The game is quite expensive at $60. However, in exchange, you’ll possess a game that may just be one of Type-Moon’s best action games, though ironically not for its action gameplay. It does ultimately fall a bit short of its predecessor, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, but it’s still worth the price for its incredible story, content, and audiovisuals. Plus, the game has different endings depending on the choices you make throughout the story, so it also has a notable amount of replayability. Just note that the differences in the endings are minor and the choices are far and few in between.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Review: A Narrative Masterclass
Fate is a series of games originally created by Type-Moon that centers on the Holy Grail War. It’s a fictional event where seven "Masters" use the power of the mythical Holy Grail to summon "Servants," physical manifestations of legendary, historical figures. Using their phenomenal abilities, they fight a deadly battle against each other until only one Master remains. Their prize? One wish, any wish they may have, will be granted.
I became acquainted with the series by the time MirrorMoon’s translation for the original visual novel came out during the early 2010s. It was only a natural progression of events after having become a big fan of Tsukihime several years before. Although the translation for the game at that time felt quite lifeless and even goofy at times, it was still an amazing read considering how well the story flowed, the amazing characters and the surprising plot twists. Nothing has changed since then, and up until today I am still a big fan of the series. I’ve watched it become a prolific series with several novels, several anime series and movies, over a dozen games and even a few bootleg figures (don’t Google "Sader").
So, yes, of course I would get Fate/Samurai Remnant. And I’m glad I did.
Similar to Marvelous Entertainment’s Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, Fate/Samurai Remnant is essentially a visual novel with a touch of musou, which is a subgenre of action games where fights occur on open fields against a very large number of faceless enemies. And just like the former, it has an amazing story that intricately weaves a dark, gripping story, with just the right amount of humor to balance it out. Although its gameplay isn’t as fun and engaging as Marvelous’ work, it makes up for it with a much deeper, less fanservice-y story that really tries to drag you into the mire of the Holy Grail War.
As with any major Type-Moon release, Fate/Samurai Remnant is far from a disappointment. It’s an epic narrative about Masters and Servants seeking to fulfill their desires, selfish or otherwise, whilst being accompanied by a colorful cast of supporting characters. It’s decorated with beautiful illustrations, heart-pounding animations, and impressive voice acting, all of which truly take the experience to another level.
But it’s unfortunately not without its faults. Even though it was co-developed by Koei Tecmo, which should be able to pull on decades of experience in the musou action genre, its combat is painfully average. Like, average enough to be bad. Despite it being just one aspect of Fate/Samurai Remnant, combat will unfortunately take up a significant portion of your time and will always be front and center. That means it’s a major bummer and perhaps even a dealbreaker for some.
Fate/Samurai Remnant is still an overall amazing game that’s well worth your money. This is especially true if you’re a big fan of the series.
Pros of Fate/Samurai Remnant
| Things Fate/Samurai Remnant Got Right |
|---|
|
Storytelling Worthy Of An Ovation Incredible Attention To Detail Endearing Main Cast |
Storytelling Worthy Of An Ovation
F/SR is no doubt a visual novel first and a musou game second. Its story, the bread and butter of visual novels, was clearly given great care and attention. Together with an abundance of passion and adoration for the series, the developers weave a story that’s engaging, memorable, and endearing.
Its story is told through multiple methods: gameplay, animation, illustration, and narration. Gameplay aside, the animation was provided by CloverWorks Studios; a Japanese animation studio known for their work on popular anime, such as Spy X Family, Bocchi The Rock, and The Promised Neverland. And their reputation precedes them, as their contribution to Fate/Samurai Remnant is a collection of gorgeously-animated scenes that skillfully depict the gripping backstories and events that shape the game’s story.
This visual medium, together with Rei Wataru’s excellent illustrations, were all created to directly complement the narrative that writers Hikaru Sakurai and Yuuichirou Higashide have created. It tells a story of a real battle royale where everybody is trying to get a jump on everybody else, sometimes resorting to temporary alliances and betrayal. Fights will happen outside of your field of vision, and it will happen often. Just because you’re the main character in the story, doesn’t mean that this battle royale is a "you vs. the world" kind of story.
The development is paced extremely well, and each party does not go above and beyond their designs where they act in such a way that they shouldn’t. Additionally, it makes good use of open interpretations, mystery and mystique to keep your attention, whilst never forgetting to provide answers to questions at the opportune moment. The story is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat the whole way through.
Probably most significantly of all, there’s a severe, almost refreshing, lack of fanservice in F/SR, unlike in many of Type-Moon’s work. While some may be put off by that fact, I believe it enhances the narrative experience of the product. You’re no longer distracted by sudden, improbable harem-anime type events that serve to satisfy the unreasonable romances that Type-Moon’s works often have. It doesn't mean it’s always so serious, as the game will still provide an appropriate and healthy amount of levity and insight into the daily life of the ancient Japanese fantasy setting. You’ll see a Servant running a shop, fetching groceries, making pranks, and other menial activities that show an ideal setting of peace.
It’s balanced in all aspects, as all things should be.
Incredible Attention To Detail
One of the great things about F/SR is how organic its world and characters feel.
One aspect of real life that everybody tends to ignore is that everybody changes. While that may be something people easily notice for the main cast as the story progresses, it’s much less obvious for the NPCs that you simply run past during the course of the game. But if you pay close attention to some of the NPCs’ spontaneous dialogues which appear when you’re near them, they will echo sentiments of growing unease as the Waxing Moon Ritual progresses and more and more murders and monsters appear throughout Edo.
This attention for detail extends to how each character is finely depicted in the game. In many, many instances, each character, Servant or otherwise, repeatedly displays certain traits that define their personalities. These are maintained carefully throughout the series and only change after certain, major events.
One of these examples is how Saber, the main Servant, treats Iori, the main character, throughout the course of the game. At first, most of his quips involve remarking about how weak Iori is, which is relatively true given that, besides knowing how to use magecraft, he is still a human. When compared to the strength of a Servant like Saber, they are leagues apart. However, as the story progresses and Saber’s respect for his master grows, he starts making less scathing remarks and instead gradually develops a habit of complimenting Iori for his efforts.
Another wonderful example of this can be seen in Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman depicted as a female in the series. Seemingly sharing the same origins as her Fate/Grand Order counterpart, this Musashi is a lover of all things foreign and has a particular… fascination with young children. In many of her dialogues, she often makes use of English terms, which in the current era might not seem strange at all, but considering the Edo era setting, most of the pure-blooded Japanese characters around her have trouble understanding her words. This is not only indicative of her preferences, but also the state of Japan’s knowledge of foreign countries, having just opened their borders to the world at that time.
Additionally, she’ll often make remarks that make her sound like an old man, commenting on how it would be nice if certain characters were younger or how refreshing it was to see the innocence of youth. She truly is still the Miyamoto "Call The Authorities If She Approaches Young Boys" Musashi Fate fans know.
Endearing Main Cast
Even if a game has an outstanding story, it will still fall flat if it’s not delivered by a cast of well-written characters. Fortunately, that’s not the case for F/SR. Quite the opposite, actually. F/SR has an abundance of wonderful characters to fulfill the plot.
The most memorable pair, of course, would be our two main protagonists Iori Miyamoto and Saber (no, I won’t spoil his True Name). During the promotional presentations for the game, it was noted that Iori and Saber did not get along well with each other, even though they are a Master-Servant pair. They are often juxtaposed against Zhen Chenggong and Archer, another duo in the game who were practically a match made in heaven.
However, that’s not actually the case.
Although they disagree on many things during the beginning of the game, they’re not just a ragtag pair. In fact, at the most argumentative point in their relationship, they were able to work off each others’ personalities very well. Their exchanges usually involve Saber making a biting remark in reaction to Iori’s naive ideas, and the latter responding in a calm, logical manner behind a deadpan face. This would continue for quite a while before they cross the line. Then, they would continue on without a hint of brewing dissatisfaction with the other.
Neither of them are incompetent, so they are able to control each other in a way that feels natural, given their Master-Servant relationship.
None of the other characters are a slouch either. Ruler, for example, is still the arrogant but magnanimous and fair ball of gold and ego that he always was. Kaya, Iori’s little sister, makes a name for herself by being such a warm beacon of hope that even certain Servants hold her to a high degree. Even Lancer, who usually bemoans the fate of her past life and acts like a depressed and disillusioned office worker, would sometimes come out of her shell to do what she feels is right in her heart.
Cons of Fate/Samurai Remnant
| Things That Fate/Samurai Remnant Can Improve |
|---|
|
Sluggish Musou Combat Weak Ultimate Attacks and Limited Skill Slots Baffling Gameplay Design |
Sluggish Musou Combat
Perhaps the only major disappointment in Fate/Samurai Remnant is its gameplay. In particular, it fails to excel in any of the genres it’s supposed to represent, such as being a musou game and a visual novel.
Of the two, the more egregious issue is how dull it is as a musou game. The animation and how it plays is fine, but the disconnect between the gameplay and the context is just bad. For example, every character suffers from sluggish responses. When you fight, there’s a notable delay between your moves unless they are mechanically meant to chain into another. This is glaringly obvious when you’re trying to combo and then decide to dash somewhere else. You’ll be stuck in an offensively long delay well after your attack.
This is a bit more acceptable for humans like Iori, who are limited to weak, fragile, human bodies. But it’s almost a sin for this to extend to Servants, who canonically can gouge the earth by simply running. Meanwhile, most of your enemies, even regular mobs, enjoy an absurd amount of super-armor that Servants have a bit of difficulty against. Like, how is that even possible, when Servants can literally split trees in half with their bare hands?
The issue with enemies’ super-armor doesn’t stop there. Major enemies in F/SR have Shell Gauges, which are basically a measure of how much super-armor an enemy possesses. Depleting it requires you to use certain skills or attack them at certain opportunities. While this can easily be drained by simply wailing on them using your Servant, you unfortunately won’t be able to do that often. Unlike both Fate/Extella games, the vast majority of your playthrough is done using Iori. Being a normal human, he’s not able to directly damage more powerful beings than him with just a sword and magecraft. So, during the times when you’re not able to directly control your servant, you’re stuck with him and his weak self to grind down the enemies’ Shell Gauges. This can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes depending on who you’re fighting.
While I understand the point they’re trying to make of humans being weak, that still does not change how it hurts F/SR’s musou gameplay. While you can enjoy fast-paced combat against normal mobs, everything grinds to a crawl the moment you encounter a major enemy - which will be quite often. By then, it stops being an aloof game for power fantasy enthusiasts, and instead becomes a game of attrition between your enemy and your patience.
These are just some of the issues you’ll encounter in the game that run counter to the idea that this is a "Fate" game. There are other concerns, such as the terrible movesets of certain Servants, bafflingly prolonged recovery times between attacks, etc. Like, why? It’s canon in Type-Moon’s games that certain humans can stand toe-to-toe against Servants. Iori is able to stand his ground against Servants even from the trailers of the game. So why would you design everybody to have such lethargic movements?
Weak Ultimate Attacks and Limited Skill Slots
Every Servants’ Noble Phantasms, which are basically the ultimate manifestations of their legendary weapons or heroic feats, are all quite weak in this game. At certain points, they’re only enough to deplete your enemy’s Shell Gauges and damage them a little. While they could make story-related excuses, it contradicts the animated cutscenes the game shows. For example, Lancer’s "Our Lady of Sorrows" should be able to raze an entire village in an instant, but in actual combat, all it does is to be mildly annoying. What gives?
You’re also heavily restricted with the amount of skills that you can equip. You can learn dozens of skills during the course of your playthrough. They are able to cover you through many situations that can arise on the battlefield, such as when you need a range boost on your weapon or when you need a quick and cheap way to stun an enemy nearby. However, how many ability slots does the game provide you? Four. That’s right, just four. Even less, if you consider having a skill to refill your gauges as a necessity.
Baffling Gameplay Design
F/SR as a visual novel experience is quite unremarkable as well. While it delivers an excellent story with stunning narrative techniques, the few choices that ARE presented to you barely have an impact on the outcome of events. It’s still a far cry from the visual novels that could have wildly different scenarios play out, or even bar you from an entire ending, depending on your choices.
There’s also the issue with a boring gameplay loop for certain quests or commissions.
You see, each area in Edo has a certain set of quests that you can tackle and receive rewards for. For the most part, you can simply fulfill their requirements by dutifully exploring every nook and cranny. This is highly encouraged by the prospect that Saber might find something cool and run off to it, triggering adorable cutscenes where he marvels at how much has changed since the ancient era he lived in his previous life. However, this is entirely ruined by certain side quests being impossible to complete without relying on RNG, such as the subjugation commissions that require you take down a certain number of a certain enemies. The problem is that the type of enemies that spawn in areas are random and in limited numbers. So, tough luck if you didn’t get the enemy you need to spawn. Come again next time!
While it arguably provides some measure of encouragement for players to revisit places and possibly gather essential materials, it’s ruined by the fact that you’re free to just do so repeatedly within the same day. In short, instead of feeling like routine visits to your favorite seaweed farm, it just feels more like a grind.
The rewards aren’t even good.
Is Fate/Samurai Remnant Worth It?
Yes, Skip Lunch For A Week If You Have To
For the low, low price of $60, you can experience dozens of hours of gripping stories written with Type-Moon’s signature mastery over narrative, world-building and characterization. It comes with a decent enough musou gameplay as a bonus, too!
Fate/Samurai Remnant Overview & Premise
In Fate/Samurai Remnant, players assume the role of Miyamoto Iori, the adopted son and disciple of Miyamoto Musashi, legendary swordsman and philosopher. Under his master's tutelage, Iori studied the Niten Ichiryu Style. Unfortunately, his master passed away before being able to teach him its secrets, only leaving behind the Crimson Codex as a heirloom. It is from this floating, sentient book that Iori learns about "Magecraft."
Iori's basic knowledge of Magecraft eventually allows him to form a contract with a Servant, a physical manifestation of heroes and figures from history. It also drags him into the Holy Grail War, where seven Servants and their Masters must fight to the death to have their desires granted. Together with his Servant, a Saber-class famed for their great performance in any circumstance, Iori joins the battle of swords and magic so as to realize his ambitions of a peaceful Edo.
Fate/Samurai Remnant FAQ
Fate/Samurai Remnant Servants
The game has a total of seven servants with masters and fifteen "rogue" servants tied to specific areas. The former seven follow the stereotype classes that the Fate series has established, with three knight classes in Saber, Lancer and Archer, as well as Caster, Assassin, Berserker, and Rider. On the other hand, the fifteen others follow the lineup of the Fate/Apocrypha novel with two of each of the seven classes and the addition of the Ruler class.
Fate/Samurai Remnant Anime
Although there’s an abundance of animated cutscenes created by Cloverworks Studios, there is no anime series for the game as of yet. However, considering Type-Moon’s zealous drive to adapt their works into all forms of media, we might be blessed with an anime adaptation for Fate/Samurai Remnant in the distant future.
Game8 Reviews
Fate/Samurai Remnant Product Information
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| Title | FATE/SAMURAI REMNANT |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 29, 2023 |
| Developer | KOEI TECMO, TYPE-MOON BB |
| Publisher | KOEI TECMO |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | ARPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Teen |
| Official Website | Fate/Samurai Remnant Website |
