Highlights
- Fate/Samurai Remnant is an original adaptation of the Fate series, which is a big deal as most Musou games are adaptations of other properties.
- Unlike most Musou games that feature multiple playable characters, Fate/Samurai Remnant focuses on one character, Iori, but also includes controllable partners called Servants.
- The game offers non-linear progression, allowing players to unlock districts, take on quests, and explore a small but open world, giving it a more action RPG feel.
What is a Musou game? Western fans generally refer to them as Dynasty Warrior games, but Musou is the shorthand name in Japan. Things technically began in 1997 when the first game hit PS1 shelves. However, at this time, Dynasty Warriors was a fighting game.
The sequel is where things went into the now classic Musou, hack-and-slash RPG direction wherein hundreds of enemies swarm players at the drop of a hat. Fate/Samurai Remnant is the latest spinoff entry in the series. It has a lot of DNA of its predecessors, but it also does a lot of things differently. Let's see what these differences are and if they are better.
7 It's An Original Game
Most of Omega Force’s work involves adapting other properties into the Musou style of gameplay. They do have their own series like Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, but over the years those sequels have diminished. It would seem like the real money is in helping other companies create spinoffs like the Attack on Titan anime game from 2016 or Hyrule Warriors for The Legend of Zelda.
While Fate/Samurai Remnant is also an adaptation of another property, there is no anime equivalent for it yet. It is simply a new entry in the Fate series, and it’s a big deal for it to appear first as a game. Originality is hard to come by these days, so it’s a huge plus for this game.
6 Focusing On One Character
Most Musou games feature dozens, if not hundreds, of playable characters. However, this game limits players to one. Iori is the hero of the game, although truthfully he is not the sole playable character.
Players will get partners called Servants. They can be controlled during certain boss battles or through the activation of a meter that fills in battle sort of like Limit Breaks in the Final Fantasy series. These moments are fleeting though, so it’s kind of nice getting to focus on one character via Iori in Fate/Samurai Remnant.
5 Non-Linear Progression
The game is not set up as a series of stages and missions. Players will gradually unlock districts they can travel to and fight random wards of thugs, accept quests from NPCs, and of course follow the main story.
It’s not technically an open world, because each district is rather small. However, there is a lot more freedom than most of the other games. Except for the combat system, one may not even realize that is a Musou game. Fate/Samurai Remnant is definitely more of a straight-action RPG with a samurai theme to it.
4 Everything You Do Matters
There are typical RPG side quests given to the player via NPCs involving gathering items or fighting enemies. However, most of the side quests in Fate/Samurai Remnant are hidden though through a series of Achievement-like activities that dish out some incredible rewards.
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Everything the player does matters, from talking to specific NPCs like courtesans to using a sword technique a set number of times. It’s nice knowing that players can be rewarded for the most menial of tasks, keeping those dopamine levels up and helping them focus on playing more.
3 Spells & Abilities
This is not unheard of in a Musou game, but Iori has a skill tree in Fate/Samurai Remnant and his partners do too. Players can increase stats and gain abilities from passive boons to new spells. Spells in this world are called Magecraft, and they can be equipped using the face buttons on the controller. Partners can equip abilities to the face buttons as well, giving players a total of eight abilities they can use at any given time, switching between them using shoulder buttons.
That’s not even including the super attacks or the aforementioned ability to temporarily switch to controlling partners. It’s a familiar hack and slash battle system, but the customization is fairly deep, allowing players a wealth of options to take down opponents both large and small.
2 Pacing Between Battles
When players do decide to follow the main story, they won't be gated by a twenty to thirty-minute endless battle which has plagued the series for decades now. Things admittedly go faster with a co-op partner, but that is beside the point. Also, the newer games at least allow players to suspend missions to resume whenever they want, but it still gets tedious especially if the mission ends in a failure.
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Fights in Fate/Samurai Remnant are fought inside towns or in some cases dungeon-like areas. The battlefields are minuscule in comparison, and these encounters shouldn’t last more than five to ten minutes tops. It’s refreshing to see Omega Force pull back and dish out more bite-sized missions
1 Even On Easy, Iori Can Die Quickly
The challenge level is something that may surprise players, because the Musou games generally have a relaxed system of difficulty levels. The easiest settings typically allow players to breeze their way through thousands of soldiers, especially in the main Dynasty Warriors entries.
There are difficulty modes in Fate/Samurai Remnant too, but even on the lowest setting, players cannot sit back and watch the game practically play itself. Players have to pay attention to blocks, counters, and their health even in normal side hustles. One never knows where death may hail from. This may seem like a downside for some fans, but to others, it may get them more excited to check the game out. However, it should also be said that hardcore players need to know Fate/Samurai Remnant is nowhere near the brutality of a Soulslike experience.
Fate/Samurai Remnant was released on September 29, 2023, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch.