If you’ve played visual novels before, or maybe hang around the fighting game scene, or even just watch enough anime, chances are you’ve heard of the Fate series. Well, the root of it all is getting a new release in Fate/Stay Night Remastered, and it’s coming to both PC (via Steam) and Switch with English support this year.
Announced by Aniplex and Type-Moon (per Gematsu), Fate/Stay Night Remastered is an aptly named remastered edition of the Realta Nua version of the classic visual novel. It’s set to launch “worldwide” in 2024, with language support for English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.
Fate/Stay Night celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, originally launching in 2004. The visual novel follows Shirou Emiya, a teenage boy who gets caught up in the Holy Grail War. This battle royale sees mages summoning ancient heroes to fight alongside them, in search of the Grail and its wish-granting powers. Across three different routes, it spins a fairly winding and exciting yarn about those who seek the grail, why they want it, and what they’re willing to sacrifice or endure to get there.
Do you have enough weapons?
To call Fate/Stay Night a highly influential visual novel might be underselling it a bit. Not only did Kinoko Nasu’s original work become big in its own right, it spawned an entire franchise in the Fate series, which includes the ever-popular Fate/Grand Order game. So, to say this is a big moment for visual novel fans is, again, probably underselling it.
Getting Fate/Stay Night onto modern, accessible platforms is really exciting. It will be the Realta Nua version; I haven’t read that one, but my understanding is it’s the same story with its adult (specifically, erotic/sexual) content removed to meet an Age 15+ rating. It’s also voice acted, and has some new animations and CGs. The F/SN subreddit has a substantial breakdown on the differences, for those who want the details.
Really, if we’re getting a touched-up version that also clears the hurdle for Nintendo’s eShop, that sounds like a good thing all around. And it means that Type-Moon fans are eating especially well this year; Witch on the Holy Night made its way west not too long ago, and the Tsukihime remake is due out in June.
It’s nice to see that, as the visual novel genre continues to expand and evolve over time, its history isn’t getting left by the wayside. Doubly so that the Switch is getting included. While the Steam Deck makes for a good VN machine too, it’s hard to deny that the Switch is an ideal VN machine.
Fate/Stay Night Remastered will arrive for PC and Switch sometime this year.
