Remnant II Review

If you haven’t played Remnant: From The Ashes by developer Gunfire Games and publisher Gearbox Publishing, then I urge you to do so. Currently, it is heavily discounted in the Ultimate Sale on the Xbox Store and has many highly positive reviews. In a quiet release window for games before a surge of greatness in the gaming world towards the end of 2023, now is the perfect time to indulge in the second game in the series Remnant II.

I’ll hold my hands up and say that I never fully finished the first title when it was in Xbox Game Pass, but I played enough to make a comparison. What I can say is the second coming does everything better in almost every single way. After close to 30 hours with another playthrough on the horizon for me with friends, I can safely say this is one of the greatest games I have played this generation.

Which Edition Should I Go For?

What is fantastic about Remnant II is that it doesn’t demand that full £59.99+ retail price that games demand of you these days. Entry to the bog standard version of the game is £41.74 which is reasonable for the quantity and quality of content you’ll be getting alone or with your mates. The deluxe version gives you three days of early access to the game with elder, radiant and void armour sets.

You can of course pay for the ultimate edition of the game that does ask for that pledge of £58.49 but in return, you’ll get early access, armour sets, some extra goodies for your inventory and 3 additional downloadable content packs that will be released within a year of the game releasing. You can of course buy all of these add-ons separately at a later stage if you require which may be the option you require if you’re new to the Remnant experience.

A Fluid & More Engaging Time

I’m surprised Remnant II clicks with me as it does border on similar types of games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne and whilst it certainly still is a challenge here, it didn’t leave me wanting to throw my controller at the wall in a fit of rage. Sure I died more times than I can remember but every time I did, I could always see my persistence paying off and proceeding with slightly different strategies and playstyles. If you played the first title then you’ll probably instantly notice there is much more fluidity here, the overall movement and gunplay felt far less clunky and the advancements in the mechanics of the game are clear to see. Whilst the storyline isn’t the most mind-blowing and quite predictable at times, I did enjoy absorbing every snippet of dialogue and narration.

Now I won’t spoil the story for you but it isn’t a huge must to have played the first game it may be beneficial to educate yourself on the lore and how the world has been developed through chaotic times. It isn’t long before you start engaging with survivors and merchants in an area called Ward 13. Think of this as your central hub where you can return to upgrade your gear, purchase useful stuff for your inventory and more. I found myself exploring this area for almost an hour before even diving deep into the campaign by having conversations and asking questions to NPCs and even stopping to read the books scattered here and throughout the worlds the game offers.

Choose Your Archetype

Archetype selection rests on your personal playstyle and you do have a choice before you jump in, I would advise you to choose carefully as you may regret your decision. I chose the Medic who can heal himself and his allies with further enhancements along the way with traits but the trade-off is that some other classes appear to be a little more powerful. For example, the Handler class has a dog as his companion who will attack enemies alongside you and will attempt to revive you when you’ve bit the dust.

There is also the Gunslinger who has power and performance and specialises in raw damage. There is also the Challenger who is strong and can get stuck in the midst of close combat. The beauty of these choices is that it gives the replayability factor to go through the game several times if you choose. I am looking forward to attempting a fresh play in co-op with one of the other classes.

Gameplay

Remnant II is played in a third-person perspective with over-the-shoulder views for gun combat. Melee is also an important factor when getting up close and personal with different enemies. There are two slots for weaponry and for the majority of my time, I had a LMG-style weapon and an automatic pistol which I obtained from finding a key in a chest at Ward 13. Movement and gunplay are both fluid and punchy with the ability to upgrade weapons as you progress to pack more power. It is important to play with caution and be mindful of ammunition as it can be pretty scarce. Enemies may drop additional ammo on occasion but if you’re caught short then you have to rely on hand-to-hand combat which is a nightmare amongst some, especially the flying enemies.

I found the enemies that could fly a bit of a persistent annoyance as they were aggressive and can follow you. If you aren’t careful they can swarm and consume you to the point where healing is impossible and you succumb to your death. Boss fights are pretty intense but you can find a method in the madness with opportunities to recover, conserve ammo and pick a window of time to attack.

Upgrading weapons is done by picking up scrap and other materials but I found out the hard way that it is best to pick two weapons to consistently update rather than trying to do several and then potentially not use them. It is disappointing not to see much customisation or upgrading of armour. It does become more fun later in the campaign though where you can have two archetypes on the go at the same time, so if you want to mix things up then you absolutely can.

Try To Stay On Track

During the game, you’ll be attempting to find answers within the storyline by proceeding through several different areas in the game. Many have different enemy types and aesthetics. There were many times when I lost my way and some puzzle-solving is required along the way. For example, you may need to navigate the area you’re in to obtain an item to unlock or create a door to move forwards. The punishing part though is that if you die and respawn at a checkpoint then you may have to fend off every enemy you just dispatched off as they respawn if you pass away.

Beyond weaponry, there are loads of rings, amulets and more to flesh out your character loadout and it is extremely fun swapping and changing out parts to experiment with your character. There are chests randomly dotted around the procedurally generated areas to pop the lid off to see if you get some rare loot.

Graphics & Audio

Visually Remnant II is absolutely stunning on Xbox Series X and for the entirety of my review of the game, I played using the balanced mode. This mode-locked the game in at 60 FPS and I did not really experience any hiccups in my entire time using this. You can unlock the framerate with performance mode but I did notice some juddering in high-intensity areas where combat was consistent. Quality mode appeared to look a little dumbed down to me in comparison to balanced but I would personally tinker with these options yourself to see how it fares with your screen and setup. Balanced was the way forward for me and the locked framerate presented the game wonderfully with gorgeous graphics in a huge variance of environments.

I enjoyed the lighting in this game and it compliments each area really well. What did confuse me almost all of the time was the game’s map design which attempts to show several floors. When you get lost in some of the levels, which you will do it becomes natural to try and utilise the map but for me it just added more confusion and lots of running around which is fine if you love exploring, but frustrating if you just want to solution to proceed. The art, character and environmental design are superb and whilst there is still a linear structure to the game, there is still plenty to discover. The audio is excellent with pretty decent and believable voice acting and a brilliant soundtrack that sets the tone and atmosphere constantly.

Final Thoughts

Remnant II takes the greatness of the first game and expands on it with gleaming polish across the entire game. It is certainly one of my highlights of 2023 so far and quite possibly one of my favourite games of this generation. Sure it isn’t perfect but it isn’t far off the mark and whilst some on PC are currently struggling with certain issues, I had a trouble-free time during my 30+ hours on Xbox Series X. The range of archetypes, drop-in and out co-op multiplayer and difficulty levels alongside upcoming DLC packs make for great longevity and replayability into the future.

If you’re into the Soulslike/looter shooter genre that may not be as hard as something such as Elden Ring or Dark Souls but still enough of a challenge to test your patience, then it is well worth your time. For those who like it absolutely rock solid then you’ll be pleased to note that you can ramp up the difficulty to cater to your sadistic playstyle. Don’t sleep on Remnant II, it will nestle amongst the best games of this year for sure.