Let me start off by saying I am a big fan of the Fate franchise. When I was younger, I was very intrigued by the concept of having these mythical figures fight each other, and the unique ways each character was portrayed. I soon fell in love with the original characters and story introduced in Fate/stay night, and the rest is history. So, when I got a special chance to try out a preview build of Fate/Samurai Remnant, I was ecstatic. A brand new Fate story set in Edo period Japan? Sign me up! When the game was first announced, I was curious how the action gameplay would be handled. Would it be like previous action games in the franchise, or would it be something different? Let’s see if this first taste of Samurai Remnant left me wanting for more.
The story takes place in 1651 in Edo, Japan. A young man, Miyamoto Iori, finds himself attacked by unknown assailants. He soon comes into contact with a powerful enemy known as Rider and their master, Yui Shousetsu. Just when things seem to be dire, a swordswoman clad in white, Saber, is summoned to Iori’s side. Iori is dragged into a conflict known as the Waxing Moon Ritual. Will he and Saber be able to overcome the other Masters and Servants and claim the Waxing Moon for themselves?
I like what I’ve seen of the characters and story so far. There’s a sense of mystery surrounding the Waxing Moon Ritual and its participants. What is the true nature of the Waxing Moon Ritual, and how is it related to the Holy Grail War, if at all? What is each Master’s motivation for joining the Ritual? What is the identity of each Servant, including Saber? I like how they don’t just give this information right away, I enjoy figuring these things out. A nice feature included in the game is the Logbook, which can be accessed from the menu. It includes information on events, characters, and terminology used throughout the story. The Logbook gets updated as you progress through the game, so don’t worry about getting spoiled on anything. This is very helpful as Fate stories tend to use a lot of different lingo, so it’s good to have something you can access if you don’t understand something.
I only got to see a couple of the characters in this build, but I’d like to focus on the protagonists, Iori and Saber. Iori is a good guy and actively tries to avoid killing people. He doesn’t rush into things, unlike Saber. Saber has no qualms with taking a life, and is eager to go out and take out the other Servants and Masters in the Waxing Moon Ritual. She also has a childlike curiosity, constantly asking Iori about the things she sees around Edo. And, she really likes to eat. It was pretty funny how Iori had to keep Saber in check whenever she wanted to take a frontal approach to situations. These two are adorable as a pair, and really work well off each other. This was only from the beginning parts of the game, so I’m interested in seeing how their partnership develops later in the story.
Fate/Samurai Remnant uses an action combat system. Iori can use standard light and heavy attacks by pressing the square and triangle buttons. Holding L1 allows him to change stances and use magic spells. Holding R1 allows you to use your Servant’s Affinity Techniques, and switch places with your Servant. Pressing the circle button when the Valor Gauge is full allows Iori to use his Valor Strike, which is essentially his special attack that causes a lot of damage. I was able to fight a couple different foes in this preview, ranging from normal thugs to monsters to powerful Servants. While you could slash your way through normal enemies with relative ease, fighting powerful enemies like Servants was a different story. You can’t just wail on them, you really had to time when you attacked. This is when switching places with your Servant comes into play. As you deal damage, the Substitution gauge increases. When the gauge is maxed out, you can control your Servant for a limited amount of time. Your Servant, in this case Saber, is much stronger and more durable than Iori, so you can really deal a lot of damage when controlling them. I think limiting the amount of time you can use your Servant was a good move, you can’t rely on them all the time. It made things more challenging. I got to control three different characters throughout the preview build: Iori, Saber, and Berserker. Of the three, I had the most fun with Berserker. She is a buzz saw, and I was able to completely shred through enemies when using her. Berserker was previously playable in Fate/Grand Order, and seeing her attacks translated perfectly into this system was awesome. From what I’ve played, combat is fun, and challenging enough without being frustrating.
Other than combat, you can travel around different parts of Edo, satisfy Saber’s curiosity by taking her around different areas, eat food, pet animals, spend skill points to upgrade Iori and Saber’s abilities, and even perform maintenance on your swords. I really appreciated how petting dogs and cats actually had benefits, as doing so slightly heals your HP and Affinity gauges. So, there’s no excuse, they deserve the pets!
I really enjoyed the short time I had to try Fate/Samurai Remnant. The story and characters have me hooked, and I’m really looking forward to solving some of the mysteries posed, such as the True Name of Saber. The combat is complex enough without being too confusing, and it was pretty fun using the different characters’ fighting styles, and that was only three of them! I’m looking forward to playing as the other characters the game has to offer. So far, I do think it is different from past action games in the franchise, I think it has the potential to be greater than them. I was already looking forward to it, but now I can’t wait to play the full game.
Fate/Samurai Remnant launches September 29 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Preview build provided by the publisher.
