You won’t get bored in Remnant 2: you’re never with a world or enemy long enough to tire of it. By the time you you’re starting to get sick of the sinewy strata of Yaesha, you’ll be thrown into a Labyrinth where the stone is sentient, and the cool portal pools belie the fact they may be about to catapult you to your death. And when you think you’ve had enough of those, you can explore the back alleys of Losomn, where gun-touting cockneys and werewolves – well, I think they’re werewolves; the real life and otherworldly walk side by side here – stalk cobbled streets, faces half-hidden by the flickering torchlight. Later, you’ll be chased across an alien sandscape by lumbering robots and petite UFOs, and visit a grey, ashen world where the only colour is the blood that’s spilt – be it yours or theirs.
Remnant 2 reviewDeveloper: Gunfire GamesPublisher: Gearbox PublishingPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Steam, Epic)
It’s a far cry from the broken, and chronically over-used, post-apocalyptic backdrop you kick off in, and came as quite the surprise given I’d missed the original Remnant and had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I can’t tell you how your game will begin because every playthrough is unique, kicking off in one of the three distinct planes detailed above, and each of those are procedurally generated. No, not all set-pieces are individualised – if you replay a dungeon, for instance, you may find more similarities than differences – but it’s enough; enough to make it feel as though this world is uniquely yours to explore.
And there’s substance here as well as style. As deliciously detailed as the worlds are, and as joyful as they are to explore, the gunplay, too, is equally rewarding. You’ll see Remnant 2 described by some as a looter shooter, but that is categorically not the case. 25 hours and four worlds in, I’m still using my starter weapons, albeit souped up with some tasty upgrades and alt-fires that add a delicious layer of absurdity to proceedings. My armour, too, chiefly consists of the same threads I walked in with. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Customisation comes not by collecting and discarding loot but by the plethora of ways you can tinker with your tools, adding mods and mutations world by world, boss by boss, experimenting and upgrading until you hit upon the perfect mix for the job at hand. And rolling out of harm’s way, of course; lots and lots of rolling.