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Fast Facts

Remnant: from the Ashes is a third-person adventure RPG. Developed by Gunfire Games and originally released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows in the summer of 2019. It’s an eclectic story setting of an apocalyptic event that razed the world and interdimensional travel to find its source. Is it worth picking up? Let’s find out in this rapid review!

Wood Rot 

The world has fallen to the interdimensional blight known as the Root. Humanity is on the brink of extinction after a century of battling off the Root. The last bastion of hope, known as Ward 13, may have the answer to defeat it once and for all. 

Thanks to extensive research and scientific breakthroughs, the remnants of Ward 13 have uncovered the knowledge of the World Stones. These massive floating rocks are portals to other worlds. The missing Founder of Ward 13 could be the key to the secret of the stones, and you must find his whereabouts. 

You are one of the few who remain in this dying world. You must travel to mysterious worlds in search of Founder Ford and the origins of the Root to destroy it once and for all. 

Welcome to Ward 13

You start by making your character and learning about Ward 13. There are three classes to choose from. These are the Scrapper class, which mainly focuses on up-close melee combat. The Ex-Cultist, which is a sort of support and the Hunter, specialises in long-range weapons and accuracy. 

All of these classes have their pros and cons, but unlike many games that share class builds, here they are pretty flexible. All can use the same armour and skills, as well as weapons. The only difference is their initial loadout. I went for the Hunter, which gave me the Shadow Walker trait, making me hard to spot. I also received a weapon mod called the Hunter’s Mark. This allows me to see the location of enemies, even through walls, for a short period. 

There are three weapon types: long guns, handguns and melee weapons. More become available as the story unfolds. They can be attached to all but melee weapons. As expected, their powers can vary from offensive to defensive and will require their gauge to fill up before activating the skills.

Roll for Initiative

There are some role-playing elements, such as levelling up your character. Each level will require you to allocate a point to one of your many traits. The beauty here is that you’ll start with basic ones, and the rest unlock as you carry out certain actions. 

I found this mechanic very refreshing, and it encouraged me to try different actions. As an example, if you keep constantly reloading, a fast reload trait will become available. This allowed dipping in your points, and it made using time-consuming weapons a lot easier. 

Armour also offer bonuses, especially when equipping a full set. They can be improved if taken back to Ward 13 in exchange for scraps and items. Scraps are the currency used in the game. 

Your character can also find and equip different rings and amulets that offer different boons, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for them. What’s more, a defeated boss drop can be given to an NPC in Ward 13, which can be turned into a weapon or mod. There is a lot of depth to your character’s build, and I’m glad that it’s flexible. 

Biohazard 4

Gameplay is pretty addictive and fun; very akin to Resident Evil 4/5. The mechanic of emptying a clip into the hoards of abominations and picking up ammo is a very intense and enjoyable experience. Playing with other people changes the dynamic a lot, and I highly recommend it.

It helps to have a partner when treading into different worlds. Picking up items will be shared amongst all players. Thirdly, downed teammates can be revived by using your Dragon Heart; the game’s Estus Flask.

Your character will be able to carry recovery items that either heal or abate status effects. The Dragon Heart can save you from respawning at a crystal bonfire.

Dark Soul Searching 

There are some Soulsborne mechanics in the game, albeit tweaked to suit the gameplay. The aforementioned Dragon Hearts work like the famous Estus flasks and the like. They can be refilled at crystal bonfires or teleport stones. 

Reaching these will replenish your ammo as well, and all enemies will respawn. I found no massive penalties for dying in this game, except having to redo my journey and, hopefully, go beyond.

This version comes with all released DLCs, as well as an Adventure Mode and a Survival Mode. These are great additions to an already great package. All of these can also be played online and will grant specific rewards, particularly the Survival mode. You only start with a handgun and need to stay alive as long as possible. This mode will reward the player with Glowing Fragments, which are needed to create powerful equipment and armour skins.

Magnifying Glass

Visually the developers have done a decent job in bringing the different worlds to life. I did not encounter many issues during my playtime, except the controller intermittently losing connection with the game when returning from the Switch’s home screen. 

This has been fed back to the developer. My main issue is the size of the map and the lack of zoom. It is very hard to read where you are on it, and although it does not affect the gameplay, it feels like an incomplete job on their part.

Summary

Remnant: From the Ashes is a great game. The dynamically generated worlds mean that no two playthroughs are the same. Playing online with friends is an awesome experience, as their world layouts may differ from your own. I recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a third-person adventure game where you will be outnumbered but never outgunned.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4 out of 5

4

Grab your copy of Remnant: From the Ashes from the Nintendo eShop