One of the most prevalent Japanese game developers in the 21st century has been Type-Moon, the company behind the ever-famous Fate/ franchise. This titan of the visual novel genre has taken advantage of that fame to expand into other genres and license their IPs out to other companies in order to produce spinoff titles.
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Fate/Samurai Remnant is a good time and likely to provide many hours of enjoyment to fans of Fate and Omega Force’s other games.
This has naturally raised a few questions ranging from “Where do I start the Nasuverse” and of course “Which Type-Moon game is the best?” Putting together a list of which games are the best can be difficult for most people as the various spinoffs span many different genres and developers. If one were to examine the games based on their quality as well as their cultural impact, however, then they could put together a cohesive list of the best Type-Moon games.
13Fate/Extella
Just Misses the Mark
Topping off the list is the one game that most Fate fans wouldn’t recommend you purchase: Fate/Extella. This game was an attempt to combine the world and characters of Fate/Extra with a musou gameplay style similar to Koei’s Dynasty Warriors franchise. Unfortunately, this mixture doesn’t end well as stages in Extella tend to go on for far longer than one would expect with little variety in terms of both gameplay and visuals.
The one saving grace Extella gives players is an intriguing plot involving the new servant introduced in the title: Altera. Her introduction and the lore that came with it have affected the Fate franchise for nearly a decade since its release as it has been relevant to plots such as the Lostbelts in Fate/Grand Order. Unfortunately, a decent plot is not the only requirement to place high on this list.
12Fate/Extella Link
A Much Needed Improvement
Despite itsmediocre reception, Fate/Extella was able to receive a sequel in 2016 which fixed many issues with the original game. Stages in this title do not drag on for nearly as long as the original and gameplay is spiced up greatly via a skill system similar to Musou titles such as Warriors All Stars. The game also brings in popular characters from outside of the Extraverse such as Astolfo from Fate/Apocrypha and Scathach from Fate/Grand Order. These changes result in a much more streamlined and fun gameplay experience.
Unfortunately, Extella Link falls flat in a major area where its predecessor succeeded: story. The main plotline of Extella Link does little new or interesting with the Fate universe and falls flat in many areas. Which, unfortunately, means it must fall low on this list.
11Fate/Unlimited Codes
An Unlimited Amount of Fun
One sadly forgotten Fate/ spinoff was Fate/Unlimited Codes for PlayStation 2. This title took the fantastic and iconic cast of Fate/Stay Night and dropped them into a traditional fighting game. While one would expect some true PS2 shovelware from a premise like this, this title was published by Capcom and developed by Eighting; masters of the fighting game genre who are currently developing the upcomingHunter x Hunter fighting game.
Because of that dev team, Fate/Unlimited Codes is a fantastic fighting game with a wide variety of characters who almost all play differently. The game even has iconic moves such as the Luvia infinite slap-grab which goes viral at least once a month. While the title is fantastic, the fighting game genre isn’t super fitting of the Fate/ IP, thus making it hard to justify placing this title high on the list.
10Fate/Extra
21st Century Rock-Paper-Scissors
The first Fate/ game to hit English shores was not the original Visual Novel or even the later gacha game, but rather the 2010 PSP JRPG: Fate/Extra. This title exists in an alternate universe from the original Stay Night continuity and is instead about a Holy Grail War taking place on the moon. Here, the player has the option of summoning one of three servants before going through a grand tale which, like many RPGs, involves fighting a god.
While the plot of Fate/Extra has been praised by all sides of the community, the game has also been lambasted for its unique battle system, which is best described as a video game adaptation of rock-paper-scissors. This strange battle system turned off many players and has been completely abandoned in the upcoming remake, Fate/Extra Record. Because of that, it must fall low on this list.
9Fate/Grand Order
A Decade-Spanning Story
Next up on the list is the second longest-running Fate/ spinoff behind Prisma Illya: Fate/Grand Order. This 2015 gacha has evolved tremendously over the past decade, with ever-changing gameplay mechanics that have now become nearly unrecognizable since its launch. The constantly changing nature of Fate/Grand Order and its ongoing plot have allowed the Fate franchise to remain in the public consciousness during the periods of time between major Type-Moon releases and deserves to be respected for that alone.
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Zenless Zone Zero going gacha would be frustrating for some RPG fans.
Unfortunately, it must be placed in the bottom half of this list due to the mere fact that it is a gacha game. For many players, the amount of fun you’ll have with this experience depends entirely on luck and if you draw a good character. Hopefully, in the future, a majority of the Fate/Grand Order cast gets to appear in other spin-offs like Samurai Remnant.
I spent several years of my life working on getting Miyu and Illya to NP Level 5, Bond 15 and Level 120 and do not regret it for a moment.
8Fate/Extra CCC
Your Kouhai’s Favorite Game
After the mixed reception of Fate/Extra’s battle system, Type-Moon quickly created a sequel that played much better via a revamped battle system. With reworked gameplay, the cast of Fate/Extra finally had a chance to shine. Or at least they would have, but the game originally went unlocalized for over a decade and was soon forgotten among other obscure PSP JRPGs.
Thanks to recent fan translations, however, fans of this franchise have finally been able to experience the plot of CCC in all of its glory and bond with the character known as BB, who ever since her introduction has been rising up the ranks as a fan favorite character. Because of this and the better gameplay, Fate/Extra CCC has more than earned its placement in the middle of this list.
7Fate/Kalied Liner Prisma Illya (3DS)
The Forgotten Spinoff
The 3DS game based on the popular Type-Moon manga Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya does what no other game in this franchise would dare to do: Let you actually play as Illya. The gameplay of this title takes the form of a 3D arena fighter similar to modern anime titles such as Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles andBleach: Rebirth of Souls.
While that may not sound like a particularly appealing pitch, this title makes up for it in pure charm. The models of each character are made to look as cute as possible in a way that only the 3DS can truly achieve and the main Prillya characters aren’t the only ones given this treatment, as every servant from Fate/Stay Night also makes and appearance in this game. It may be the most niche Type-Moon title, but it earns a placement in the middle of this list for charm alone.
6Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Fate/Unlimited Codes wasn’t the first time a Type-Moon Visual Novel cast was put into a fight game, as long before that the cast of Tsukihime have been beating each other down in best two out of three goodness. The Melty Blood subseries of spin-offs have become iconic games in their own right, being played by many people who have never even heard of the original source material.
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The newest entry in the series, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, is no exception. This game features fast-paced battles, a wide range of characters (including cameos from other Type-Moon works), and a fantastic soundtrack that more than earns its place in the middle of this list.
5Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
A Loop of Fun Times
Next up on the list is Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, the only direct sequel to Fate/Stay Night. This game takes the fan-favorite characters of Fate/Stay Night and puts them within a time loop. In between figuring out the serious nature of this loop, the player is greeted with dozens upon dozens of scenes of their favorite characters participating in a slice-of-life shenanigans that the life-or-death nature of the original Fate/Stay Night wouldn’t be able to accommodate. Scenes that portray Caster as a housewife and Lancer trying his best to fish are a delight.
Hollow Ataraxia can be seen as a victory lap for any fan who has already played through the famous Fate/Stay Night. It’s a highly recommended and greatly written experience that deserves to be high on this list, but it must also rank below other games due to being supplemental material for Stay Night and not a game that can stand on its own.
4Fate/Samurai Remnant
A Feudal Times Grail War
Next up is the only non-visual novel to make the top five on this list: Fate/Samurai Remnant. In the past, whenever the Fate IP tried to break away from its VN genre roots, the results were mixed. Whether it be Fate/Extra’s gameplay being compromised or Fate/Extella Link’s story being nothing to write home about. Very few Fate/ spinoffs have genuinely felt like they’ve lived up to their full potential.
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Fate/Samurai Remnant is the first Fate/ spinoff game to avoid this problem as the game expertly combines the thrilling plots and character exploration one would expect from this franchise with incredibly fun Musou gameplay. The gameplay of Samurai Remnant remains incredibly fun for several playthroughs and allows the game to more than earn a placement near the top of this list.
