Fate/Samurai Remnant PS5 Review 8/10 “There can be only one” ⚔️ @FateSR_Official @TransvaalGF #IndieGame #GameDev

Fate/Samurai Remnant  is set in Japan during the Edo period (1600s), you play as protagonist Miyamoto Iori, a young Ronin who spends his time helping his town doing odd jobs in any way he can, but suddenly his life gets turned upside down. No, he doesn’t get in trouble and have to move to Bel Air, he is instead chosen to take part in the ‘Waxing Moon Ritual’, whereby seven fighters compete to the death, with the winning fighter getting to have a wish granted.

Miyamoto knows very little about the ritual and so is very unprepared when he is attacked by another fighter, but luckily for him he has a servant - a warrior from the past to help him in his battle. The servants are very powerful and well-versed in combat and the Waxing Moon Ritual, Miyamoto’s servant is known as ‘Sabre’, and initially takes a somewhat disliking to Iori as he is inexperienced and lacks knowledge, Sabre advises for him to just stay out of the way and let them handle the gruelling fights with the other fighters and their servants, he obviously disagrees and vows to fight and get better, until he - with Sabre’s help - can defeat all six other fighters. 

What's great about their dynamic is although Iori doesn’t possess all of the knowledge and fighting ability, Sabre in turn is unfamiliar with the current world, as they have travelled from the past - so both characters each help the other grow and learn as the adventure goes on. 

The story and cast of characters are fantastic, they have my highest praise I never once was bored or irritated by a character or their relationships, the story is well told and progresses at just the right pace, it also does a good job of explaining itself. I had no knowledge of the series so everything was fresh to me and at no point did I feel lost or confused, characters are bright and vibrant, and well-connected in the universe, with great characterisation and interesting backgrounds. Every time their backstories and motivations for the participation in the ritual were revealed, I found their reasons fascinating.

An ARPG with hack-and-slash combat, in Fate/Samurai Remnant you face hordes of foes at one time, and have to use your weapon to cut down all of the enemies, now - I must admit that this isn't my favourite style of combat, but I enjoyed it enough to get through the game, it has enough variety of style, techniques and special moves to get through all of the fighting and remained engaging enough, though this does mean it was more engaging in the latter half of the game when you have more upgrades and new fighting techniques. Throughout your time with the game, you’ll unlock the typical upgrades, and can upgrade your weapons, as well as learning new skills - all the staples of an ARPG, effectively.

Little niggles do appear as you get through the game, they are not enough to ruin the experience but they are noticeable. The frame rate did dip at times, and there is no English voice acting available - which isn't a problem per se, but during combat lines of dialogue will pop up and you are so engaged in the frenetic action that you can completely miss the text at the bottom of the screen. Combat itself at times can be a bit repetitive and certain enemies have shells that have to be broken down with special attacks which can take much longer than they should, and that did feel like a real hassle at times.

SUMMARY
I loved the world of Fate/Samurai Remnant and especially the story. Even with a combat system that is not my favourite and a few other little niggles, nothing could dampen the absolutely engaging plot and wonderful cast of characters.