Remnant 2 PC Review

Remnant 2 is Gunfire Game’s latest action RPG third-person shooter and sequel to its cult classic fan favorite soulslike shooter Remnant From the Ashes. The game expands on its predecessor in several ways, specifically with its story, boasting an interesting concept, expanded gameplay mechanics, an even better soundtrack, and more. However, while it succeeds at improving several elements of the last game, the sequel also neglects several features that would’ve otherwise provided an even better experience.

Remnant 2 takes place in a torn futuristic world with monsters, magic, alternate worlds, and mysterious powers. The game follows you, a scavenger and survivor, scouring the game’s unforgiving world. After being cornered by a nest of monsters, you and your partner are saved by a mysterious and supernatural group that takes you to their budding community, where you learn more about the game’s world and are introduced to a crystal that serves as a portal to several worlds. Unfortunately, some of your new friends are pulled into the portal, and unsurprisingly, it’s up to you to go into it and scour several mysterious objects in order to find and rescue them.

Unraveling World

The first aspect of the game that really caught my attention is the concept, as no two players get the same gameplay experience. Upon entering the crystal, some players will be sent to a post-apocalyptic Victorian village with insane denizens or a futuristic world with killer robots, a world with moving sentient cubes, a jungle world, and many more. Each world succeeds at engaging players with its unique challenges, boss fights, and intricate and fascinating lore. As such, an experience from one world will be vastly different from the other, and the overall experience is unlike any I’ve had in a game, which was a great feeling.

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Unfortunately, the story is one of the less impressive aspects of the game. While it succeeds at setting up the game, the lore, and even the characters, a lot of that is left behind after the first few hours, and only about three characters in the entire game were given any attention. This decision was likely made in order to focus more on the gameplay elements, and the story only truly develops near the ending, which was disappointing. I’m convinced the story would’ve been one of the better ones this year if enough attention was given to it. 

The concept also bleeds into the game’s environmental design and art direction. Immediately upon booting up the game, players will notice the intricate level designs seen in each world’s dynamically generated dungeons, which range from creepy desolate streets to scientific metallic halls and labyrinth-like areas. The environments are also quite detailed, with crisp models, great reflections, and great lighting.  

Variety is Key

Remnant 2 also delivers in terms of gameplay. Like its predecessor, the game offers players many weapons, skills, crafting materials, powers, and tools. Weapons include but aren’t limited to assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, cannons, and more. The sequel also introduces the expanded archetype system, which introduces new archetypes like my favorite, The Gunslinger, which, like the name suggests, is centered around guns and pistol optimization. There’s also the Challenger archetype, which serves as a tank; the dog-loving Handler archetype, the party saving Medic archetype, and more. These archetypes do a great job of allowing players to tailor their playstyle however they wish with unique powers, passives, upgrades, and more. However, leveling up can be a pain, especially playing solo, as players have to mow through hordes of enemies to gain items and experience points. Additionally, the gun selection is limited, especially at the start of the game, which has virtually the same gun types with slightly different variants.

Other than that, Remnant 2’s gameplay is still fun and highly engaging. Shooting guns feels satisfying and weighty; enemies aren’t bullet-spongy, and fighting enemies and bosses is beautifully challenging. However, while I enjoy the game’s difficulty (which can be selected), some bosses on higher difficulty settings can be so brutal that it is not advisable to fight alone, especially as a few of these bosses are almost blatantly tailored to be fought by many players. And speaking of multiplayer, Remnant 2’s co-op mode is also excellent. Despite mostly playing pre-launch, I ran into no connectivity issues, glitches, or disconnections. Playing with a party was smooth and effortless. And while I ran into a few glitches here and there pre-launch, my overall experience was relatively painless in terms of performance.

Final Thoughts

Overall, while the game’s story left much to be desired, Remnant 2 still offers a fantastic gameplay experience, especially for fans of the first game and those looking for a unique and challenging experience.

 Have you played this game or are you interested in it? What do you think about our review? Let us know in the comments section below.