Not knowing what to expect in a game is my favourite part of playing something new. And in the case of Remnant: From the Ashes, it did not disappoint at all. 

I’ve been longing for a great story driven game for quite a while now, and Remnant really did deliver. It’s evident as soon as you enter the game that it just looks gorgeous and smooth and then you’re transported to your character creation menu. Just like any game with an in-depth character creation menu I spent way too much time perfecting how I wanted to look. You also have the choice to select your voice type as well. That’s when the beautiful story cutscenes begin. Starting in your little dingy you’re trying to get to a lighthouse in a scene that looks straight out of A Perfect Storm. The waves ravage you and you’re washed up on the shore. In an amazing third person view you can play solo or invite two other friends to join you (and trust me, you might need them to help down the track) and armed with your sword you begin a simplex tutorial that doesn’t feel condescending at all and gives you the basic instructions to start your journey.

From there you’re introduced to the worlds new plague, The Root. Slashing your sword through the demon like tree enemies you find yourself at an impasse and have to be saved by the inhabitants of Ward 13. It is in the Ward when you find a group of folks who have been dealing with The Root for some time and could really use your assistance. Like many games out there, The Ward is your starting home-base where missions are assigned, weapon and armour can be upgraded, and trades can occur. After this secondary tutorial you unlock a huge red glowing crystal which is your transportation around the world and back to the Ward. I found this to be super helpful in being able to save your progress and quickly return back to the upgrade section when I had looted enough.

Enemies would drop steel and other bits and pieces that can be used for crafting and the quick travel option makes this very easy. Before travelling in the world there is a secondary choice that must be made, your Archetype. Having three to choose from it became apparent that you’re not just going to be dropped in without any special choices and really showed that this is designed to play with two other people to really set up a small team that would be kitted out to defeat any enemy that may come your way. The classes are broken down into Hunter, Ex-Cultist and Scrapper and each have their benefits, such as long, mid and short-range advantages plus each has mods that can prove to be useful. Being a bit of a rifle enthusiast, I chose to go with the Hunter class as he had the range, I thought could be useful as well as a cool sidearm repeater.

As far as the mechanics of the game go, I think the combination of using weaponry to shoot enemies, dodge strategically and utilise your melee attacks really keeps your interest peaked. When I got to battle the first boss, I found myself realising that just trying to shoot him from a distance was not going to work. It was really great to have to figure out these mechanics and the right combination without having some tutorial treating you like a child. However, I think there is definitely an opportunity with the map and current objective for a tiny bit of change. The map come prove to be less than effective and there were times that I was just cruising around the same areas looking for something that I wasn’t sure I was supposed to be looking for. Coupled with a vague objective, it was sometimes hard to know if you were on the right track or not. After this revelation it was clear to kind of ignore the map and try and proceed in a linear approach to locate the objective. The searching and wiping out enemies, recovering the bits and pieces needed for upgrades just became much more fun. As I did this, I found the mechanics of the game just worked so well and it just became second nature to conserve ammunition and dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge to victory! 

Part of the bio of Remnant, it says that this game is really designed to play with friends. The ability to play as a trio, I believe, is quite important and can add way more enjoyment to the playability. Playing as a solo was still incredibly fun, however if I was in a group with one or more buddies, I think it would have been easier to use strategies and plays that you’re unable to as a single player and move forward through the game a lot more smoothly. The beauty of this is that if some of your pals don’t have the game you can go and locate others in a public lobby and join up and make some new friends to play with. In this day and age of great multiplayer games it’s always awesome to be able to just join up with some other folks that are looking for someone to join their group and smash through with the same objectives in mind. One of the other great parts of the game is that if you’re battling to make it past a part in the game and continue to die, each time you come back the game randomly changes the enemy. With a vast array of different enemy types each with their own specialities, when you spawn back in you can be caught off guard expecting to see the same type of enemy you tried to battle before. 

Overall, Remnants: From the Ashes is a visually appealing game with very smooth mechanics. The difficulties that it provides will keep you entertained and drawn in for many hours and the ability to join a public match if you want to play with others is definitely a great addition. On the surface you play the game in a simplex manner, however if you have a background in MMO style games your interest will stay peaked due to the level of detail added in upgrading and maintaining your weaponry and inventory to stay as powerful as possible. The story and interactive cutscenes also make for an enjoyable experience, but it would have been cooler to have your character talk during them.

Review code provided by Perfect World Entertainment