There’s an terrible lot to love about Destiny/Samurai Remnant — an motion RPG set in 1600s Japan. With the nation getting ready to unprecedented societal change, protagonist Miyamoto Iori finds himself at a loss. A diligent scholar of soon-to-be-outdated swordplay, Iori will get by on native busy work, however cannot shake the sensation that his life is caught in a rut.
Nevertheless, simply as he is considering what the long run holds, he is torn from his on a regular basis conundrums by the Waxing Moon Ritual — an otherworldly occasion by which a selected few struggle to the demise over an omnipotent want. It is a reasonably jarring escalation, however you do find yourself feeling for Iori within the sense that his life would possibly lastly imply one thing — and you actually are rooting for the down-on-his-luck lead from that time on.
The sport’s character-driven storytelling is essentially incredible. Iori and his fellow ‘Masters’ are granted command of extremely sturdy ‘Servants’ — warriors from all through historical past, who’ve been reborn in an effort to compete within the aforementioned ritual. If you happen to’re utterly new to Destiny as a franchise, Samurai Remnant’s usually summary ideas and lore could appear overbearing, however the sport truly does a formidable job of holding you in control. It is also a standalone story, so you do not have to fret about any prior data.
What makes the plot so compelling is the truth that Iori is such an underdog. He could bear the title of a Grasp, but it surely’s his Servant, Saber, who has to carry his hand — initially with disdain — as he learns the ropes. The protagonist struggles to come back to phrases along with his newfound accountability, and it does not assist that his opponents within the Ritual all appear to be so achieved. He is up in opposition to well-known samurai, overseas warlords, and influential politicians. Iori’s journey is not nearly self discovery — it is about incomes the respect of Saber and people round him.
Given the superhuman skills that Servants possess, Iori’s abilities with a sword rely for little or no — and that is one thing that is cleverly mirrored throughout gameplay. In battle, Saber is actually your particular transfer machine; calling upon Saber to unleash magical assaults is how you will deal noticeable injury to your enemies, whereas Iori’s personal strikes are used to construct as much as these explosive moments.
This stability does even out a bit later within the sport when Iori has entry to superior methods and talents, but it surely’s nonetheless an fascinating and pretty distinctive dynamic for a fight system. Taking part in primarily as Iori, the sport conveys your relative lack of energy to wonderful impact — briefly switching to your Servant and mowing down hordes of foes with minimal effort highlights simply how big the hole in energy ranges is. And whereas it could possibly be argued that Iori’s hit-and-run gameplay is not an entire lot of enjoyable at instances, the struggles of the title’s early hours makes your eventual victories all of the sweeter.
Samurai Remnant’s construction is kind of fascinating as nicely. Happening in and across the capital metropolis, you will journey to completely different districts through a map, and every space has its personal 3D area full of landmarks, retailers, and NPCs. These environments remind us of the Like a Dragon collection, the place slim streets and secret alleyways type a tight-knit foundation for exploration. Granted, 1600s Edo does not have the identical degree of element or general scope as Kamurocho, however journeying round city with Saber is surprisingly entertaining, particularly because the curious Servant calls for solutions concerning the trendy world.
If you’re not exploring Edo, you will be partaking in battle. Whether or not it is bandits in a secluded nook of town, or a demonic invasion led to by the ritual, fights plop you into reasonably sized arenas. Typically, you will be up in opposition to teams of foes, and different instances, you will be tasked with bringing down a monstrous boss. Once more, Iori’s greater than able to going toe-to-toe with common people, however Saber’s energy shall be wanted to finest something extra.
Mechanically, fight is considerably easy. Musou followers will really feel proper at residence with the hack-and-slash combo system, however welcome nuance is offered via Saber’s particular assaults, and Iori’s personal stance-specific skills. That mentioned, battles take some time to actually click on, and the mechanics solely attain their true potential when you’re about halfway via the sport, if you’ve unlocked a a lot wider vary of methods.
Fortunately, loads of boss fights in opposition to diversified opposition maintain issues fascinating, and you’ve got at all times received the twisting and turning narrative effervescent away within the background. Upgrading Iori’s tools and talents is an addictive course of as nicely, as loot and ability factors are plentiful all through.
There’s just one a part of the sport that we’re not fairly offered on — and that is the strategic territory-capturing sections. In an effort to correctly utilise the underlying magical energies of the ritual, Iori and Saber have to attach ley traces that run beneath town, and this implies having to navigate a tactical map, flip by flip. The title tries its finest to clarify the way it all works, however the system nonetheless finally ends up feeling convoluted — particularly when new, further actions are incessantly launched. Whereas these strategic segments do inject some selection, they’re only a contact overwrought.
Conclusion
Destiny/Samurai Remnant actually leaves a mark with its character-driven story. The story of Miyamoto Iori is persistently intriguing, and watching such a grounded protagonist navigate seemingly insurmountable conditions is what makes this motion RPG so compelling. The uniquely balanced fight system takes some time to get going, and the technique stuff runs a bit cold and hot, however it is a surprisingly intricate bundle general. A surefire win for Destiny followers and newcomers alike.