Fate/stay night Remastered holds onto several 2000s trappings that may not appeal to contemporary sensibilities, but playing it most certainly brought me back to my younger days. The moment I saw the slick anime intro following the lengthy prologue, I knew this was the kind of game I would have absolutely devoured twenty years ago. Fans laud Fate/stay night Remastered for good reason and I am glad I finally got to play it.

Fate/stay night is a great read and introduction to the Fate franchise, and all three routes maintain the same quality in terms of the plot and themes. Personally, I don’t think any route was bad. It just falls to personal preference. Compared to Type-Moon’s newer games or stories, yes, it can be overly wordy. And yes, it looks dated in both Takeuchi’s art style and in the Powerpoint-like transitions. I honestly found it charming though, and it works in the context of such a classic game. So rejoice, Fate fans. Our wish has finally come true.

The bottom line is that Fate/Stay Night is a keystone work in a genre that’s never been more popular on our side of the globe. For decades, it seemed like this historically important (and good as heck by itself anyway) visual novel would never be readily available and professionally localized like this. Anyone with an interest in anime, gaming, and alternative forms of digital storytelling owes it to themselves to check this story out. It’s one of the all-time greats, and if you do take the time (and it does take a lot of time), you’ll easily understand why Fate is such a big deal nowadays. And if this is your first time, welcome to one of the most absurd, yet rewarding rabbit holes you can dive into.