Remnant: From the Ashes is an action role-playing third person shooter video game developed by Gunfire Games and published by Perfect World Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It was released on August 20, 2019.
2019 was a great year for games. We were blessed with Borderlands 3, some pretty good changes to Destiny 2, the Division 2, Metro Exodus, and so many more that I can’t count. We also got a neat little gem from Gunfire Games called Remnant: From the Ashes. The reviews were solid, it had Dark Souls-like combat and death systems, and it looked graphically pleasing. So I picked it up and was not disappointed.
As I’ve mentioned this title comes from Gunfire Games, who worked on the VR title Chronos (which is actually a prequel to Remnant, by the way) and the Darksiders series. But Remnant stands out from their previous works in a few unique ways. It’s a souls-like (having the characteristics of Bandai Namco’s Dark Souls series), so it’s got that classic “fight from campfire-to-campfire” mentality, but there’s a twist: Remnant has guns. Yup. You can slice, shoot, or bash your way through hordes of enemies to your heart’s content. There’s a pretty big variety of weapons within classes, even if there aren’t that many different classes to choose from. It’s important to note that this game is not a “looter shooter”, where downing enemies causes random weapons and perks to drop. Similar to the Dark Souls games, every weapon and armor piece is carefully placed. There are boss rewards, items placed randomly throughout the map, and gear hidden in specific spots to find.
Each boss kill will reward something, with world bosses giving you items and dungeon bosses (basically powered up elite enemies) usually dropping weapon mods. There is also an alternate kill method for most of the world bosses. If you can achieve a specific objective before you take them down, you’ll get a different weapon than the normal drop. There’s pretty solid enemy variety, with four major enemy factions each tied to a unique location in the “Remnant” world. You’ll usually be fighting a small roster of common enemies, which respawn every time you use a checkpoint crystal (once again, like a Dark Souls campfire). Less frequently you’ll come across elite enemies that randomly spawn while you traverse the map. Sometimes this can be a bit annoying. You might have an enemy spawn just ahead, or, in some cases, spawn behind you at very bad moments (I’m looking at you, dual sword guys. *shudder*).
You don’t go up against true hordes if you play solo, but there’s still enough to smack that the game is definitely a challenge. Multiplayer, however, is where the real fun’s at. You can team up in 3-player co-op with friends or randoms online, and shoot your way through the post-apocalyptic world together. Going co-op, at least from what I’ve seen, amps up the difficulty accordingly. Enemies will have more damage and health, and will come at you in bigger numbers (time to take out the sewer tumbleweeds, bois). Deaths don’t set you back on anything but time. If you die, you respawn at your last checkpoint crystal, but unlike Dark Souls you don’t lose any currency or have any other deficit.
There’s also a great deal of environmental variety. The game takes place over four (or five if you count one very small zone) different locations, each with a corresponding faction and aesthetic. The graphical design of the surroundings is amazing. Dungeons feel like dungeons, with tighter halls and a darker shader set. Roaming around outside of dungeons draws you in, putting the beauty of its world on display. The entire world layout is generated at random when you start a campaign, so you may see recycled elements or layouts every once in a while. While these recycled bits can get a bit bland after a while, it’s nothing so major that it detracts from the overall aesthetic. The lush and detailed environments (especially the jungle biome) really drew me into the world and made we want to play more and to know more.
I’ve given quite a few pros, but not too many cons. The biggest downside of this game is actually a pretty important flaw: anti-cheat systems. Based on what I’ve heard from multiple sources, the anti-cheat system works by scanning your save file every time you play. If it finds evidence of cheating, it locks that save from being able to play online. The problem, though, is that if you unknowingly play multiplayer with a cheater, the system may flag your save and prevent online access. You can get around this by backing up your saves so you can reload from them if your save gets shut out, but that’s a pretty big hassle to do every time you play. I’ve never had this issue happen to me (I have only played with trusted friends), and it doesn’t seem to be overly frequent, but it is still a hazard.
Overall, I love this game and rate it an 8 or 9. The aesthetic, the gear, and the enemies all comes together to create a truly enjoyable experience, whether you brave the apocalypse solo or with a few friendly guns at your side. I would be perfectly fine recommending this for its full price of $39.99, but if you see this baby on sale, snap it up. You won’t regret it.
The Numbers:
Gameplay: 9.5/10 — Gameplay? Amazing. Honestly, Dark Souls with guns. Gunning down hordes of post-apocalyptic enemies with up to two friends is both satisfying and well thought-out. Ammunition is important, but not so scarce that you’ll be scrounging half the time.
Graphics/Visual Style: 8.5/10 — While the 4 main environments are beautiful and interesting, the fact that the game is randomly generated means that you’ll be seeing some map chunks and structures recycled. But, while it is a bit noticeable, it doesn’t take away from the feel too much.
Learning Curve/Ease of Play: 8/10 — If you’re a Dark Souls veteran, this game will be a piece of cake. If you’re not an experienced soulslike player, then this will be a challenge. It’s not as brutal or unforgiving as ye olde Souls (you don’t lose any items when you die, for instance) but the game is definitely a challenge, requiring quick reflexes, sharp aim, and good loadouts to survive the dungeons and streets of the world of Remnant. All in all though, its not that hard to get into the swing of things.
The Final Verdict: 8.7/10
Written by Crowbard
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