Remnant 2
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 in July 2023. It received generally positive reviews from critics and sold over 1 million units during its first week after launch.
Remnant 2 | |
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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) |
|
Composer(s) | Rob Westwood[lower-alpha 1] |
Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
Platform(s) | |
Release | July 25, 2023 |
Genre(s) | Third-person shooter, action role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
Like its predecessor, Remnant 2 is a third-person shooter inspired by Soulslike video games.[1] Players can wield up to two guns, alongside their melee weapon. At the beginning of the game, players can select their character archetypes.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] Players can play through the entire game solo, though the game also supports a three-player cooperative multiplayer mode.[7]
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.[8]
Development
Remnant 2 was officially announced by developer Gunfire Games and publisher Gearbox Publishing during The Game Awards 2022.[9] The game was released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S in July 2023.[10][11] 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".[12]
For Remnant 2, the team intended to significantly build on the foundations laid by Remnant: From the Ashes.[13] 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.[6] 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.[12]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (PC) 80/100[14] (PS5) 81/100[15] (XBSX) 83/100[16] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 8.5/10[17] |
GameSpot | 7/10[18] |
Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[19] |
IGN | 9/10[8] |
PCGamesN | 8/10[20] |
Shacknews | 9/10[21] |
VideoGamer.com | 8/10[22] |
Remnant 2 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[14][15]
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.[23] The sales of the game exceeded Gearbox's expectations.[24] It sold over 1 million units during its first week after launch.[25] It was the best-selling video game in the United States in July 2023.[26]
Notes
- Additional music by Òscar Senén.
References
- Saunders, Toby (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 release date, trailer, and pre-order news". Radio Times. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- Morse, Blake (March 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 is looking classy in more ways than one". Shacknews. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- 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.
- Northup, Travis (March 8, 2023). "Remnant 2 - Introducing the Gunslinger: A Desperado Who Never Runs Out of Ammo". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Northup, Travis (March 16, 2023). "Remnant 2 - Introducing the Handler: Surviving The Root with Man's Best Friend". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Northup, Travis (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 Doesn't Want You and Your Friends to Experience the Same Game". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Sawyer, Will (July 28, 2023). "How Remnant 2 multiplayer works and how to join other players". GamesRadar. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- Northup, Travis (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Wilde, Tyler (December 9, 2022). "Oh, sick: Remnant 2 announced". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Sinha, Ravi (March 15, 2023). "Remnant 2 is Out in Summer 2023, Handler Class Revealed". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- Savage, Shaun (June 13, 2023). "Remnant 2 Release Date Set for July 25". Try Hard Guides. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- 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.
- Erskine, Donovan (June 23, 2023). "Gunfire Games on designing Remnant 2 and expanding the universe". Shacknews. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- "Remnant II for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- "Remnant II for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- "Remnant II for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Mills, Steven (July 20, 2023). "Review: Remnant 2". Destructoid. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Wakeling, Richard (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 Review - What The Dog Doing". GameSpot. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Helm, Jordan (July 20, 2023). "Review: Remnant II". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Smith, Nat (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review – multiversal madness". PCGamesN. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Chandler, Sam (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review: Rootin' tootin' boogaloo". Shacknews. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Raisbeck, Alex (July 20, 2023). "Remnant 2 review - a war across worlds". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 28, 2023). "Remnant 2 Developer Promises to Improve Game's Performance Following Huge Launch". IGN. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- Kerr, Chris (August 1, 2023). "Remnant 2 has topped 1 million sales in one week". Game Developer. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Dinsdale, Ryan (August 1, 2023). "Remnant 2 Sells 1 Million Copies in First Week". IGN. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Sinclair, Brendan (August 21, 2023). "Remnant 2 leads July sales". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved September 1, 2023.