Remnant 2, the Souls-like cooperative third-person shooter from Gunfire Games, is due out later this year, and while – Game News was at GDC 2023 in San Francisco, we got a chance to try out Remnant. : Since the sequel to The Ashes, the co-op game has overhauled its progression and build customization so much that you’ll never have the same character twice.
Shortly after revealing Remnant 2 at The Game Awards last year, Gunfire Games offered me the chance to play it. To temper your expectations, I’ve played with three of the game’s classes, or archetypes as they’re called, multiple times in a level and against a boss. I haven’t played the game co-op either, so it remains to be seen exactly how all of Remnant 2’s systems stack up when played alongside others.
If you haven’t played the original Remnant: From the Ashes, it’s important to note that Gunfire Games really leaned into some of the core design principles of the genre defined by Dark Souls. Spatial awareness is key, so understanding what each enemy can do, how they can move, and what they will do when not in your peripheral vision is vital. Combining that with solid shooting mechanics and a wide range of weapons is a lot of fun, because once you find yourself dodging enemies and their attacks while landing critical hits and using your abilities, everything about Remnant 2 starts to click.
It may take a while to get to that click point, as the new passive abilities and archetype system are a lot to figure out. I was stuck playing mid-game with a full build (such is the nature of a preview), but with a proper addition you’ll be there in no time.
The new archetype system is also a very fun twist on the original Remnant formula. I became familiar with the rapid-fire Gunslinger and its rapid-fire ability (which is very similar to Cassidy’s ultimate in Overwatch 2), the heavy and its damage-absorbing abilities, and the Handler, which was automatically my favorite archetype just because they come with a pet dog. Every game a dog gives you is automatically on my radar, so I stuck with this archetype.
The controller was great for solo play, as the dog can revive friends, target specific enemies, and provide buffs to you and your team. Clearly Remnant 2 will also offer a ton of player build options, as two archetypes (three of which I played) can be combined into a single build. So you can be a pistol shooter or a heavy with a quickdraw if you want.
I’ve also been given revolvers, rifles, machine guns, shotguns, and more for each arsenal, and you’ll be able to mix and match any guns you want with your dual archetype build, creating some truly unique opportunities for your characters. You don’t just combine weapons with archetype pairs, as a host of weapon mods offer alternate firing modes, from grenade launchers to under-barrel shotguns.
If it hasn’t already been cleared up, between weapons, weapon mods, dual archetypes, passive perks, and abilities, you have myriad build combinations in Remnant 2. Hopefully the pace of the progression system, which I really didn’t do. . Get a chance to try it out in my mid-game demo – it matches the breadth of choice Remnant 2 wants to offer, because if you do, there’s a great game in this combination that you’ll come back to again and again. Again.
Playing a vertical portion of a game where long-term progression and customization are half the fun, it’s hard to fully understand how those parts of the game will work. That being said, the amount of customization I was shown while playing the game was unrealistic, so you should never get stuck with single settings and options.
While you wait for Remnant 2 to release in Summer 2023 on Steam and the Epic Games Store, our list of the best Souls and RPG games you can play right now is sure to keep you and your party busy. of friends.