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If Fate/Samurai Remnant is the future of Koei’s Dynasty Warriors games, I can’t wait

1K View2023-10-07

Fate/Samurai Remnant

8.2

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SHOULD I PLAY FATE/SAMURAI REMNANT?

If you have a fondness for hack-n-slash games, dramatic anime storytelling, or slick action-RPGs, then the answer is a resounding yes. Fate/Samurai Remnant may be the latest game from Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force, but it’s far from a traditional “musou,” as that studio’s style of one-versus-one-thousand beat-em-ups is often called. Fate/Samurai Remnant heads in a more ambitious direction for its overall structure while still building on many of the elements that make the Warriors titles so beloved. The result is an excellent game that I really hope Omega Force emulates elsewhere.

TIME PLAYED

I’ve spent around six hours with Fate/Samurai Remnant so far, and I’m planning to spend lots more. I completed the prologue in about three hours and spent the rest of the time in leisurely exploration of new areas that opened up in the first chapter. I was able to take on a couple of sidequests and just scratched the surface of the game’s crafting and character progression systems.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT FATE/SAMURAI REMNANT?

• Satisfying, bombastic combat. Even people who don’t get the appeal of musou games can acknowledge that they’re great at spectacle. While Fate/Samurai has a little more depth than the average Dynasty or Samurai Warriors, it’s built on the same fundamentals: one button for regular attacks, one button for strong attacks, and combos stringing the two together that end in ridiculous, over-the-top special attacks. Throw in some magic spells and partner-based combo abilities, and you’ve got a system where fighting just feels magnificent.

• A deep story and charming characters. For those unfamiliar with the wider Fate franchise, don’t worry: Fate/Samurai Remnant is totally stand-alone. The story follows a young samurai named Miyamoto Iori who lives in the Keian Era of Japan in the massive city of Edo (what we now call Tokyo). Iori’s life is thrown into turmoil when he finds himself one of the chosen “Masters” in a life-or-death war for the Holy Grail. But he’s joined by a powerful “Servant” going by the name Saber who vows to assist him.

This tale is filled with fairly standard anime tropes, and it will be especially familiar for people who have checked out other Fate/Stay Night media before. However, Fate/Samurai Remnant handles all those recognizable elements well. The plot moves along at a good pace, the characters are all very likable—even the initially kind-of-bland Iori—and there’s just enough intrigue and mystery peppered throughout that I was always eager to uncover the next story beat.

• Surprisingly cozy day-to-day gameplay. When I wasn’t in the middle of destructive battles, I spent a lot of my time in Fate/Samurai Remnant just wandering around the streets of Edo’s different regions, getting to know people. Omega Force isn’t necessarily known for putting more chill moments into its games, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they’ve built a really lively city that’s exciting to explore. From hearing the latest rumors via gossiping courtesans to purchasing some rice balls from a food stall for the always-hungry Saber to stopping to pet cats and dogs to heal a little HP—I found myself charmed and immersed into the setting thanks to all these little details. It almost reminded me more of a Yakuza game at these times.

• Excellent anime-style visuals. Musou games have never been known for being graphical powerhouses, and Fate/Samurai Remnant isn’t going to change that impression. With that said, the hyper-stylized character designs and general anime filter over everything does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of creating a more visually appealing game. Plus there are lots of great effects during combat, and it all looked awesome without my FPS taking a hit, even on my older gaming PC and on Steam Deck.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT FATE/SAMURAI REMNANT?

• Shielded enemies are a grind. Fate/Samurai Remnant’s combat is built around both taking out small armies of weaker enemies and dodging attacks from bigger foes so you can attack them while they’re weak. That works out well enough, but for some monsters and major boss encounters, the main enemy gets a magical shield that requires using very specific (and limited) magic attacks to slowly whittle it down. This turned the otherwise fast-paced combat into a bit of a slog. When I had one boss over halfway to dead and he suddenly regenerated his shield, I couldn’t help but groan out loud. Maybe this will be less annoying when I’m deeper into the game and more leveled up, but it sucks at the start.

• So...much...talking. I said earlier that Fate/Samurai Remnant’s plot moves at a good pace, and I stand by that. But you should still expect a lot of dialogue. Fate/Stay Night began life as a visual novel, and Fate series steward Type-Moon helped write Remnant. That means they spend a lot of time on building up characters and a lot of time on doling out tidbits of the series’ extremely complex lore. I enjoyed all of this overall, but if you’re expecting the traditional Omega Force approach to plot—that is, barely having any at all—you might get frustrated.

💬 Are you ready to join the Holy Grail War in Fate/Samurai Remnant, or would you prefer the usual historical musou setting? Share your thoughts in the comments!