Fate/Stay Night: Réalta Nua - Unlimited Blade Works

2012

adventure
visual novel
fantasy
single player

The story

The one who obtains the Holy Grail will have any wish come true. The Holy Grail War. A great ritual that materializes the greatest holy artifact, the Holy Grail. There are two conditions to participate in this ritual: to be a magus, and to be a "Master" chosen by the Holy Grail. There are seven chosen Masters, and seven classes of Servants; beings akin to superhumans with incredible fighting abilities. There is only one Holy Grail. If you wish for a miracle, prove that you are the strongest with your powers. Emiya Shirou is a high school student who has learned rudimentary magic from his father and uses it to fix objects. He finds himself engaged in the Holy Grail war as he gets attacked by a Servant. As he gets cornered, he somehow summons his own Servant and manages to stay alive long enough to compete against the other Masters.

What it’s like

Painted, washed-out city backdrops in rain, dusk and cold winter light sit behind anime character sprites, with dialogue boxes that fill the screen at a reading pace. The music leans on soft piano and string swells, which swell into tense, percussive fight themes when the Holy Grail War turns violent. Its vibe is brooding and earnest, with long quiet stretches of school-town routine broken by sudden dread, best suited to a late evening alone or a long stretch of reading at a desk. The pacing is slow and conversational, and the story is told through text, so it rewards patience. Violence is frequent and often bloody, with swordplay, magical blasts and visceral wounds, and there is sexual content in some scenes. Its characters are guarded and principled people gradually opening up, under heavy pressure. It suits players who enjoy dense, character-driven visual novels and don't mind mature content, and it is not a gentle choice.

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