Remnant 2
Developer(s)Gunfire Games
Publisher(s)Gearbox Publishing
Director(s)David Adams
Designer(s)Jonathan Baldessari
Nicolas Fikac
Ryan Heaton
Teandre Roberts
Michael Smith
Cindy To
Richard Vorodi
Writer(s)
  • Kal-El Bogdanove
  • Adrienne Arno
  • Adam Heine
Composer(s)Rob Westwood[lower-alpha 1]
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
ReleaseJuly 25, 2023
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter action role-playing video game developed by Gunfire Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. A sequel to Remnant: From the Ashes, the game was released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S on July 25, 2023.

Remnant 2 received generally positive reviews from critics. The game sold over 1 million units during its first week after launch, and over 2 million units by September 2023. Three DLC expansions are planned, with the first one, The Awakened King, set to release on November 17, 2023.[1]

Gameplay

Like its predecessor, Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter inspired by Soulslike video games.[2] Players can wield up to two guns, alongside their melee weapon. At the beginning of the game, players can select their character archetypes.[3] For instance, the Gunslinger class replaces the Ex-cultist class from the first game, and focuses on the use of firearms. The Challenger class can unleash a shockwave that disintegrates enemies, while the Handler class has a dog companion who will aid in combat.[4] Players will gain the ability to dual class as they progress in the game. Players can also activate different archetype-specific perks and skills. For the Gunslinger, their unique ability is "Loaded", which instantly reloads all the firearms the character is carrying.[5] For the Handler class, the prime perk ability is "Bonded", which allows their dog companion to revive the character after they have fallen in combat.[6]

While the first game features procedural generation by changing a level's layout and enemy spawn points, it has been significantly expanded in Remnant 2. According to Gunfire Games, enemy types, the aesthetic of a region, boss characters, non-playable characters and the game's storyline and quests are also randomly generated.[7] Players can play through the entire game solo, though the game also supports a three-player cooperative multiplayer mode.[8]

Synopsis

Set after Subject 2923, the final downloadable content pack released for Remnant: From the Ashes, the game's story follows a nameless survivor who is tasked with stopping "The Root", a race of evil plant species which seeks to destroy the multiverse.[9]

Development

Remnant 2 was officially announced by developer Gunfire Games and publisher Gearbox Publishing during The Game Awards 2022.[10] The game was released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S in July 2023.[11][12] The story of the game is set after the final downloadable content released for Remnant: From the Ashes, though Gunfire deliberately kept the game's narrative simple to ensure that all players "have no trouble picking it up".[13]

For Remnant 2, the team intended to significantly build on the foundations laid by Remnant: From the Ashes.[14] Two main development goals were to expand gameplay variety using the archetype system, and increase the game's replay value through its procedural generation system. Explaining the system, David Adams, CEO of Gunfire Games, added that "at the top level we randomly generate the order of the biomes" that a player may encounter. The system will then generate "one of two unique storylines" in each biomes, and "all the mini bosses, side quests, events" within it. This helped ensure that players had more incentives to replay the game.[7] As each players will have a distinct experience playing the game, the developer hoped that players would be inclined to share their game experience with their friends.[13]

The game's first downloadable content (DLC) pack, titled The Awakened King, was released on November 14, 2023. Two more DLC packs are set to be released in 2024. All three packs are included in the game's Ultimate Edition.[15] David Adams, President of Gunfire Games, also revealed in a interview that the team would love to explore a survival-like game mode in the future.[16]

Reception

Remnant 2 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[17][18] 86% of critics recommend the game on OpenCritic.[20]

Rick Lane of PC Gamer praised the game's combat and implementation of procedural generation, but felt that the story was not cohesive enough to tie the rest of the game together.[26]

Sales

Sales of Remnant 2 outpaced its predecessor, managing to nearly double the concurrent player count of Remnant: From the Ashes on Steam at launch. Remnant 2 was the second best-selling video game on Steam at launch.[30] The sales of the game exceeded Gearbox's expectations.[31]

Remnant 2 sold over 1 million units during its first week after launch.[32] In the United States, the game was the best-seller in July 2023.[33] By the end of September 2023, it had sold over 2 million units.[34]

Awards

Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2023 Golden Joystick Awards Best Multiplayer Game Nominated [35]
The Game Awards 2023 Best Action Game Nominated [36]
2024 The Steam Awards Most Innovative Gameplay Nominated [37]
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Action Game of the Year Pending [38]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional music by Òscar Senén.

References

  1. ↑ "Remnant 2's first DLC The Awakened King gets November release date". Eurogamer.net. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ Saunders, Toby (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 release date, trailer, and pre-order news". Radio Times. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Morse, Blake (March 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 is looking classy in more ways than one". Shacknews. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ Ramée, Jordan (March 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 Makes A Good Case For Having A Dog With You In A World Of Monsters". GameSpot. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ Northup, Travis (March 8, 2023). "Remnant 2 - Introducing the Gunslinger: A Desperado Who Never Runs Out of Ammo". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Northup, Travis (March 16, 2023). "Remnant 2 - Introducing the Handler: Surviving The Root with Man's Best Friend". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Northup, Travis (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 Doesn't Want You and Your Friends to Experience the Same Game". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Sawyer, Will (July 28, 2023). "How Remnant 2 multiplayer works and how to join other players". GamesRadar. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Northup, Travis (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ Wilde, Tyler (December 9, 2022). "Oh, sick: Remnant 2 announced". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Sinha, Ravi (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 is Out in Summer 2023, Handler Class Revealed". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ Savage, Shaun (June 13, 2023). "Remnant 2 Release Date Set for July 25". Try Hard Guides. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Dickinson, Rich (July 28, 2023). "Up From the Ashes Once More, Remnant II is Here and the Head of Gunfire Games Answers All Of Our Questions". Xbox Wire. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ Erskine, Donovan (June 23, 2023). "Gunfire Games on designing Remnant 2 and expanding the universe". Shacknews. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (November 1, 2023). "Remnant 2's First DLC the Awakened King Has a Release Date, Price, and Teaser Trailer". IGN. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hussain, Mudassir (December 18, 2023). "Remnant 2 Game Director Would Love A Survival-Like Mode After Second DLC". eXputer.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Remnant II for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Remnant II for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Remnant II for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Remnant II Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  21. ↑ Mills, Steven (July 20, 2023). "Review: Remnant 2". Destructoid. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ Blake, Vikki (July 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 review - an eclectic but ever-rewarding third-person shooter". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (July 25, 2023). "Remnant II Review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  24. ↑ Wakeling, Richard (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 Review - What The Dog Doing". GameSpot. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  25. ↑ Helm, Jordan (July 20, 2023). "Review: Remnant II". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  26. 1 2 Lane, Rick (July 25, 2023). "Remnant 2 review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  27. ↑ Smith, Nat (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review – multiversal madness". PCGamesN. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ Chandler, Sam (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review: Rootin' tootin' boogaloo". Shacknews. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  29. ↑ Raisbeck, Alex (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review - a war across worlds". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  30. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 Developer Promises to Improve Game's Performance Following Huge Launch". IGN. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  31. ↑ Kerr, Chris (August 1, 2023). "Remnant 2 has topped 1 million sales in one week". Game Developer. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  32. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (August 1, 2023). "Remnant 2 Sells 1 Million Copies in First Week". IGN. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  33. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (August 21, 2023). "Remnant 2 leads July sales". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  34. ↑ Velde, Aernout van de (November 16, 2023). "Remnant 2 Sales Surpass 2 Million Units Worldwide; Payday 3 Expected to Perform Below Management Expectations". Wccftech. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  35. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 10, 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  36. ↑ Stewart, Marcus (November 13, 2023). "Here Are The Nominees For The Game Awards 2023". Game Informer. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  37. ↑ Blake, Vikki (December 16, 2023). "The Steam Awards 2023 shortlist has been revealed - here's what Steam players think are 2023's best games". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023.
  38. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
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