Let’s go back four years to 2019.
The co-workers I convinced to preorder the game and I all jumped in together for a fantastic coop experience.
We spent hours taking on worlds filled with numerous enemies and bosses alike.
Guns are a big part of Remnant 2 as with the original game
A game based on solid shooting mechanics blended with souls-like difficulty.
It’s just dumb fun with a recipe that gives players a reason to return and keep playing.
So, did Remnant 2 recapture those feelings for me?
Guns are a big part of Remnant 2 as with the original game
So far, yes.
But not without some issues you better be aware of.
Ahead of our final score, here’s our review-in-progress for Remnant II.
Guns blazed the path of foes with a wide variety of weapon mods to complement the experience.
Remnant 2 does the same, returning to form with some of the finest coop gunplay I’ve experienced.
Chaotic in every sense but always seemingly manageable so long as you’re on your game.
The Gunslinger class is an early unlock made available to pre-order customers.
Make a mistake; that’s on you, and trust me, you’ll make plenty.
Even the most seasoned of gamers will find a worthy challenge in the game.
Many times, I found myself dying to the silliest of things.
Players meet their first boss during the tutorial mission.
All the deaths I’ve tallied on my pilgrimage through Remnant have been of my own doing.
Even the most seasoned of gamers will find a worthy challenge in the game.
These relics can also be modified further via relic fragments.
Remnant 2 is better on Steam Deck than on some desktop PCs at least
While straightforward, every relic can slot three different fragments.
Guns blazing
Guns, first and foremost, are at the center of Remnant.
While boss weapons exist, the base ones are nothing to scoff at.
Weird streaking is visible all over the screen (seen here at the top) on Intel graphics.
Powerful LMGs, quick lever-action rifles, thumping revolvers, there’s something here for everyone.
Both base and boss weapons come with the ability to upgrade to levels 20 and 10, respectively.
Each requires different resources you’ll find as you progress through the game.
Remnant 2 on the Steam Deck.
Weapon mods are also present, allowing players to identify uniquely with their armaments.
One melee boss weapon I obtained in the first world reminded me of the dark blade from The Mandalorian.
It feels like something straight out of an anime.
Remember me?
This experience is enhanced further by other effects.
Gone are armor set bonuses, instead replaced by mutators.
These mutators can be passive or triggerable via something like a reload or charged melee attack.
Equipping these only furthers your damage output or survivability in unforgivable environments.
Class variety
Classes allow players to stand out from their friends or help in solo adventures.
Be it a tank, healer, support, or DPS, the typical archetypes can be found.
The Medic, for instance, was my first pick.
you’ve got the option to pet the dog in Remnant 2!
While the Medic is suited for solo and coop, another class shines even more when played solo.
A lovely dog that it’s possible for you to pet!
Many classes are better served to take on the challenge alongside a coop buddy or three.
There are no spraying bullets with the Hunter, as each and every shot needs to count.
Only the primary archetype offers a Prime perk, and the secondary will offer its other bonuses.
You’ll get to choose
If an ability doesn’t suit you, every archetype has multiple to unlock.
Bosses share this point of technology, but that’s it.
As of writing, it doesn’t feel like any particular boss has reused mechanics from another.
That could change as I continue, which I sure hope doesn’t.
The makeup of foes inside those areas, though, is shared.
The time spent in these areas doesn’t reflect any need for increased variety.
By the time you’ve mastered the enemy key in, you’re onto the next world.
Remnant 2 Review: The bad stuff
The weakest part thus far has been its story.
While serviceable, there are other highlights for gamers looking to take on games such as Remnant.
His actions cause the world stone to become activated again.
You know, the same stone that unleashed all this chaos, to begin with the first game.
He’s either an idiot or a simple addict; who knows?
While not the latest and greatest, the rig I’m playing on is nothing to scoff at.
A 5900X paired with a 3080 should be plenty for 1440p.
However, even on high configs, the game is unplayable without using one of the three super-sampling techniques.
The game will even find itself dropping under 60 frames a second on medium controls.
DLSS, or your GPUs variation, is an absolute must.
Hopefully, these issues are fixed by launch.
The frame rate will also still be really low in places.
There are streaks along the top and sides, pulsing colors and effects, it’s really not good.
For a game choosing to offer full support for Intel graphics, it’s very disappointing.
Dropping resolution below 720p helps with FSR set to performance, but it doesn’t totally fix things.
If not from the developer, we’d expect some future tweaks to Proton at least could help.
But there’s certainly promise for playing this game on theSteam Deck.
Remnant 2 Review: Should you play it?
With all that considered, my time with Remnant so far has been pretty good.
It hasn’t been a particularly good year for big PC releases so far.
