I like the story. It was good enough to prompt reflection upon how one of Fate's big strengths in the Master and Servant mechanic is that you get a narrative predominantly focused on two core characters getting to know each other. And although Hakunon probing into the mind and motivations of Gilgamesh in Fate/Extra CCC is still the gold standard in a way I doubt can be topped, Iori and this Saber are plenty enjoyable as well.

But compared to the other Fate branches this one feels way too much like an unapologetic retelling of Fate/Stay Night in a visually distinct setting, rather than some genuinely unique showing for the mechanics or lore. Iori admires his deceased master/father figure and after accidentally contracting Saber frequently holds her back from her combat potential for fear of collateral, making the pair feel too close to Emiya and F/SN Saber. Thinking about it, this might be the only time I've ever seen such an unambitious Fate. Which is a real testament to the franchise, but kinda ehhh for SR. The roster is posted with already popular servants like Jeanne Alter, Arjuna and Musashi, selected in a way that struggles to convey anything other than FGO fanservice. The musou combat is inadequate when the franchise has already shown off a much snappier and varied system in the Extella games, and the shell system makes enemies feel like HP sponges. Usually I'm a big fan of stagger mechanics (FFXIII or Blue Reflection's combat come to mind), but the implementation here irked me. Additionally the long, hand-holdy leyline grids that get instigated before every story mission are genuinely annoying enough that they make me want to end my session there every time. Those are my criticisms. They get lessened as the game progresses, particularly as you unlock Fire and Void stance, yet ultimately it's just decent. Samurai Remnant is a good enough game. But the franchise usually carries a prestige well above merely good.