Remnant II Review

Thanks to the folks at Gearbox Publishing, we’ve been taking a look through Remnant II for our full review and common-sense parent’s guide. As ever we’ve got our full video review just below where you can see Remnant II in action. You can also keep reading for the extended written review. Video and Written Remnant II reviews come with our usual common-sense parent’s guide which runs down concerning content, as well as our usual accessibility assessment.

The Basics – What is Remnant II About?

Available on: PC (Steam, Epic, Arc), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Price: £41.99
Type: Third-person Shooter / Action RPG
Download: 69.86GB (PC)

Remnant II is Gearbox Publishing’s follow up to the 2019 title Remnant: From the Ashes. This one brings forward a lot of the mechanics and elements which made the first title incredibly popular. It also adds new features, as well as a fresh, original narrative. These add to the world building of Remnant: From the Ashes quite successfully.

You’ll continue with the first title’s theme of travelling to various worlds using the crystalline World Stones. There are five different worlds to explore in Remnant II, each coming with their own story and unique enemies and environment styles. After activating your first crystal, you’ll begin adventuring in one of three of these worlds, with some randomisation on these go give a new experience for new characters. You’ll unlock a further two worlds through story progression as well.

Gameplay sees more of the familiar blend of action-RPG souls-like mechanics with third-person shooter gunplay. Each character archetype brings its own weapons and combat style, and these can all be augmented with weapon modifications and mutators.

In true action-RPG style players will move through each world, travelling between checkpoint crystals and defeating various mobs and specialist enemies. This will work towards tough bosses to round off the world’s story, and continue the overarching larger narrative. Resting at checkpoint crystals respawns enemies, and players can also use these to travel back to Ward 13 to restock and upgrade weapons.

What’s new in Remnant II About?

Remnant II’s new additions to well to make the title feel like a very worthwhile successor to Remnant: From the Ashes. This includes new archetypes, and more of them, with five to choose from overall. Each Archetype provides a distinctly different play style, with different ranged and melee weapons as well as unique armour.

These five options really give a markedly different experience for players. This is compounded further when mixing them up with friends through online play, where players will support each other as the game scales difficulty around them.

Remnant II has also removed specific armour set bonuses, instead focusing on mutators for weapons. This move allows players to model their own fashions as you find new items in the various worlds, without worrying about how they will affect your gameplay. Mutators provide up to three set bonuses, which will allow players to gain similar upgrades, without affecting the look of their character.

The UI and HUD have also been completely overhauled. This change aims to provide players with all of the information they need, without overwhelming or confusing items and pathways. It’s also now possible to select favourites within weapons and trinkets, which can allow you to easily access your preferred equipment.

The 3D map and new breadcrumb system also allows players to find their way around the place a little easier. The mini-map now provides a 3D view of discovered areas, with items highlighted in various colours to allow you to identify quest, gear, consumable and rare items really easily.

As you discover new areas, players are also able to travel to various locations using the World Stones. Rather than only being able to visit “last locations” as in Remnant: From the Ashes, the world map allows you to select various points to drop back into worlds quite easily.

With procedural world generation, the team have looked to make it as easy as possible for players to find their way through the sprawling areas. It makes a specific effort to avoid hand-holding, while ensuring players have the information they need to keep going.

Is Remnant II Safe for Children?

Rating: Adults Only.

Remnant II is rated by PEGI at 18 and above, and by the ESRB at a mature 17+. There are a few elements at play here, however the primary concerns are blood, violence and gore, and bad language. These are rife throughout the title and, while secondary, paranormal and demonic enemies will mean that fear also ranks high on the list.

Your party can also be joined by others online, bringing interactions with others online. Overall this is one which we’ll not be letting our Micro-Bandits play, and it’s not one I’d be comfortable playing around them, making it one for adults only.

Is Remnant II Accessible?

Rating: Intense.

There have been changes made here to make levels a little easier to get around, but even on its easier difficulty Remnant II is still a solid challenge. Players can alter voice, effects and music to make things more audible, and it’s good to see pretty widespread controller and keyboard customisation options. It’s definitely not one for those looking for a relaxed experience

The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for Remnant II

Gameplay – 5: Remnant II continues to blend the challenging and rewarding gameplay of soulslike titles with action RPG gunplay, and I am definitely here for it. With the mix of different archetypes, players will be able to find a role which fits them, and the mix of gunplay with tough, hard-hitting enemies still works very well.

Visuals – 5: I’ve been really impressed with the visuals here, which remain solid through gameplay as well as cutscenes. Playing here on PC I’ve not noticed any drops in framerate even with a lot of things going on, and quality has remained high throughout.

Audio – 5: The voice acting and effects are really good, but the classical OST is where Remnant II really shines. This one has a beautiful score, with dramatic music swelling during intense fights. Even characters’ vocal call outs don’t get too repetitive, and it’s just a well put together package all around.

Narrative – 4: There is a decent little story here, however I’d have liked to see some deeper background on characters and a little more world building in our primary world of Ward 13. Things are decent enough, especially for a game focused mostly on action, but could have gone a little further to create a stronger bond to NPCs.

Replay – 5: There are so many things to keep dragging you back in to Remnant II. The multiplayer mode and different archetypes work well together to give a different experience. Outside that, the slightly randomised starting worlds and path also give a reason to hop back in and get involved. While we’ve sunk considerable time in, there are still puzzles to explore even after you’ve completed the main story. The more open Adventure Mode lets you explore worlds and grab loot that you missed as well as replay boss fights if that’s your kind of thing.

The Verdict – Is Remnant II Worth It?

Pixel Bandits Another Dimension Level for Remnant II is an outstanding 9/10. Remnant II is an incredibly enjoyable romp through fantasy, high-tech and well-defined worlds. With each area coming with their own unique environment and enemies, and using procedural generation, each adventure manages to feel different. The addition of some well-implemented multiplayer and new (and in my opinion, improved) character archetypes gives players a lot of options.

While the upgrades for armour have been removed, the shift of these to weapons really allows players to make their character their own without having to use styles they don’t enjoy just to get points. The modification visuals for weapons alongside these new mutators provide another element of customisation.

While it’s possible to bend the title’s styles and gameplay to your will, however, it’s still going to be a challenge. Remnant II does well to scale difficulty in multiplayer, and while there are difficulty options, you’re looking at a tough challenge at minimum.

If players are looking for souls-like action, Remnant II definitely comes highly recommended. It’s important to remember, though, that this is not just another action-RPG clone. Remnant II really stands in its own right as a challenging but exceptionally rewarding multi-hyphenated third-person-shooter-action-looter-RPG.

As ever, to provide this review and common-sense parent’s guide, we received free copies of Remnant II from the folks at Gearbox Publishing.