Our Fate/Samurai Remnant review covers the positives and negatives of the latest entry in the franchise – so, how does it run on the Switch?
It’s fair to say I have mixed feelings writing this review. Fate/Samurai Remnant is a great game, especially for those who love JRPGs. However, it isn’t a pleasant experience on Switch. On another platform, I’d be having a fantastic time, but the Nintendo Switch port made is practically unplayable at times.
Fate/Samurai Remnant is the latest entry in the long-running franchise, following the story of Miyamoto Iori and Saber as they find themselves getting involved in Edo Japan’s Holy Grail War. You meet and interact with a large roster of characters, unlock new abilities, and delve into the Musou-like combat.
As touched upon, there are serious performance issues with this Nintendo Switch port. I noticed it primarily when wandering around highly populated areas, which happens fairly early into the game. As someone who struggles with motion sickness in real life and in video games, this made the initial few hours difficult to say the least. Strangely, I can look past it in some games, but something about the movement in Fate/Samurai Remnant completely threw me off during frame drops.
Luckily, I didn’t experience severe frame drops during battles, which is surprising considering the Musou-style combat that features multiple enemies spawning at once – this is one of the positives regarding Fate/Samurai Remnant at least.
I also can’t ignore the graphics. JRPGs aren’t always known for sensational graphics, but I can certainly think of a few that push the boundaries (Atelier series, Persona 5, etc.). I will say that Fate/Samurai Remnant looks brilliant on PC and PlayStation, but unsurprisingly, it doesn’t hold up well on the Switch.
While I don’t really mind dodgy graphics here and there, I found it did take me out of the game more than a few times. The textures of buildings and the environment look terrible, especially exploring the first area. The character models look fine, if not a little rough around the edges. Although, the animated 3D cutscenes look absolutely stunning – I just wish this level of quality was seen throughout the entire game.
Onto the positives, my favourite thing about Fate/Samurai Remnant is undoubtedly the character interactions. I adore the process of learning more about each and every character and seeing their personalities shine. Whether it’s the way Iori communicates with Saber, or the way Saber will run off to have a nosey at random things around the town – I thoroughly enjoyed it. Character development is something I always look for in video games, and this title definitely has it – there’s a reason why Fate has been a beloved franchise for years.
The overarching plotline is cohesive and fun to play through too, with an expansive roster of intriguing characters. At times, it does feel like an interactive visual novel, as the game focuses heavily on text – so being a visual novel fan will help your level of enjoyment with this. On that note, I do need to gush about the wonderful character portraits. I do admit that I’m a sucker for anime-style art, but there’s a certain charm to the 2D illustrations in Fate/Samurai Remnant.
In terms of the combat, you need to give it some time to improve. It may seem a little lackluster at first, but once you unlock Saber’s abilities, the Musou-style battles become much more interesting. You can switch between Iori and Saber on the battlefield, whilst utilising a wide range of abilities that cover a variety of elements.
It can seem pretty confusing at first, but I personally think that the in-depth combat system saves the Switch port of the game in a lot of ways. There’s also a skill tree to help you refine a character’s abilities, as well as weapon customisation, allowing you to tailor the combat to your liking.
On the PC and PlayStation versions? Yes. On the Nintendo Switch? Sadly not. I suggest waiting for Fate/Samurai Remnant to go on sale on the Nintendo eShop or for the physical copy to be discounted in-store.
The Nintendo Switch port truly does hinder the game, ultimately. The game itself is excellent if it’s being played on a more powerful platform, and perhaps if this game was released after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 the outcome would be different.
