FATE: Reawakened is the graphically remastered version of the FATE series, bringing together all four of the original games with brand-new updated graphics. Fans of the original and newcomers alike may find themselves charmed by this graphically improved version of the series, which may have invented the procedurally generated dungeon-delver ARPG altogether. The game includes changes to the original formula, albeit mostly untagged, in the hopes of modernizing the experience. However, some fans of the franchise have voiced displeasure with these changes, and if you’re an old fan of the game, you might find yourself dissatisfied with them as well.
Before I get into this review, it’s worth mentioning that I did not grow up with the FATE games. I have never played the original, and my introduction to the series began with this remaster. While I am not the best person to judge the changes made from the original, I have read feedback from long-time fans and will specify the differences between my opinions of the remaster as a newcomer and those expressed by old fans, which I will share but not comment on extensively.
FATE: Reawakened, to me, feels like one of the granddaddies of modern ARPG titles. Originally released in 2005, not long after Diablo—from which the game took much of its inspiration—FATE: Reawakened seems to take the ARPG elements of Diablo and double down on the dungeon-delving aspects. It forgoes much of the storytelling and instead gives players very simple quests, to delve deeper into procedurally generated dungeons. Each game features several such dungeons, with no other grander goal than to reach the end of these massive dungeons and gather epic loot along the way.
Personally, I find this gameplay loop to be very entertaining, and it’s no surprise why so many games do things similarly. However, while you have to appreciate the way FATE: Reawakened does things, in a way that many other games don’t, I would say that the gameplay—essentially consisting of left-clicking on enemies and stat-checking your gear and levels against their stats—is very dated. Although there are a lot of fun systems in the game and a fair amount of customization, especially when it comes to loot (I especially enjoyed the gem socketing system with weapons), it still feels remarkably basic and underwhelming when compared to a modern ARPG, making the remaster more appealing to nostalgic fans of the original.
That said, nostalgic fans have noted some strange changes from the original that have led to negative reviews on Steam. The two most criticized changes apparently include the removal of potion and spell slots, which reduces the number of tools players had in the previous version for reasons no one can fully understand. The pet system—designed to give you a loyal companion to help you fight through dungeons—has also been gutted, with pets now losing the ability to interact with objects in the same way the character can, which was a feature in the original.
One criticism I’ve seen listed in the game’s reviews, which I actually agree with because I faced it myself, involves the AI behind the game’s monsters. It seems to be quite buggy, with many monsters choosing to idle while being hit or simply running away during an encounter. This greatly diminishes the already teetering-on-boring stat-check combat, as many enemies can be chased into the next room while firing a ranged weapon at them as they refuse to turn around and fight back.
Other criticisms that I personally can’t comment on include the change to the game’s UI, which fans of the original have expressed is far less stylized and too minimalistic compared to the original. The ability to set custom keybinds is also annoying, and menu navigation can be strangely buggy at times. Why the game doesn’t allow you to drag weapons into your equipment slot to equip them—a feature that was apparently in the older games—is completely beyond me.
It would be impossible for me to say that FATE: Reawakened isn’t fun. I certainly lost track of time, playing longer than I intended, just going through the highly satisfying gameplay loop of delving deep into dungeons, completing quests, gathering loot, and heading back to the surface to trade and upgrade my gear before heading back down into the dungeons. However, as a newcomer to the series, what I do like about the game is overshadowed by the parts I found underwhelming or downright uninteresting, namely the main combat gameplay, which simply feels old and far behind other games in the genre. For nostalgic players of the series, you’re either going to love the game or hate it, as much of the game is maintained as it was in the original, but much of it has also been needlessly changed in ways that fans of the series simply do not seem to enjoy.
If you’re a nostalgic fan of the original titles, $25 might not be too steep of a price to re-experience the original games with FATE: Reawakened, even with the changes that fans have criticized the game for. If you’re a newcomer to the series, however, I struggle to tell you that FATE: Reawakened is worth your time; while there are areas of this classic that still shine, much of it feels out of date, and there are simply better games on the market to spend your money on.
The Final Word
Though mostly faithful to the original, FATE: Reawakened remains a game hard to recommend to newcomers to the franchise or die-hard fans of the series, as it feels far too dated to keep the long-term attention of new players, and makes unnecessary changes that the fans don’t enjoy. Regardless, if you’re nostalgic for the series, it may still be worth giving it a try.
FATE: Reawakened was reviewed on PC. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! FATE: Reawakened is available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
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