Fight & Flight
HIGH Finally, a boss rush mode.
LOW Waiting on the glider to spawn.
WTF Is that big bubble thing talking to me?
Editor’s Note: This review is for the Remnant II DLC only. For the full writeup of the base game including expanded information and system explanations, please see the main review here.
I absolutely love Remnant II. I don’t think there’s another game out there quite like it, offering players challenging, mechanically interesting shoot-outs across multiple distinct and inspired alien worlds.
Gunfire Games has followed up their masterful base campaign experience with somewhat piecemeal DLCs, each usually offering around 5 hours of additional content, and each taking place in a tweaked version of a previously-visited world rather than transporting the player to somewhere new.
In the third and latest installment, The Dark Horizon, players return to N’Erud, a science fiction wasteland plagued by robots and cyber-ghosts. They’re here to face the doom of this giant constructed biome — the black hole entity known as Alepsis-Taura.
…And that’s basically the entire thrust of the story, which lacks some of the emotional resonance I found in the previous The Forgotten Kingdom DLC. But this is hardly game-killing — Remnant II is more about mood and atmosphere, and N’Erud nails the woe of a lonely, alien landscape.
In the base game, N’Erud was perhaps the least interesting area to traverse as a large, open desert with a lot of empty space between more cramped factory dungeons. Gunfire Games seems to have recognized this shortfall, taking a more radical approach to this revisit.
Here, floating islands of crop fields and mountainous cliffs are divided by seas of oozing purple poison that are still blanketed by the dark, foreboding sky that is distinctly N’Erud. There’s also a new traversal mechanic in the form of gliders to go between the floating islands — players find one, press a button, grab on, and direct their character rides air vents to get where they want.
These gliders highlight the verticality of the overworld — players will scan the horizon for outcrops to soar to — but isn’t particularly interesting and can slow down the pace, especially when in a group as each player must wait for the single glider available to respawn before following.
The other substantial change to the formula is a new upgrade system. these “Prismatic” enhancements have been added with little fanfare — there’s just suddenly a new menu and leveling system to add further buffs to stats like fire rate.
My absolute favorite new addition, however, is the boss rush mode. Quick, simple and long overdue — bosses are consistently the best parts of any run, and now with the base game and three DLCs, there are plenty to rip through. Completion of a boss rush challenge comes with equipment rewards, offering players another way to get gear beyond starting a new campaign.
Other than those change-ups, this is mostly standard fare for Gunfire’s DLC — a handful of new enemies, a couple bosses, and new equipment to further customize the player’s build. Also, I should mention that there’s a new “Warden” which class offers players the chance to bring along a robotic drone companion on their murderous adventures. I tried bringing the little guy along with me (at its most basic level, it added a small shield to my health bar) but ultimately found it to be underwhelming compared to some of the flashier tricks of other classes.
On the face of it, The Dark Horizon is Remnant II’s largest DLC yet, bringing a new leveling system and boss rush mode on top of the usual new equipment and remixed areas. In story and mechanics, though, it’s about as inspiring as a trip through the alien wasteland of N’Erud. Like the previous two DLC, it’s nice to have – and well worth the paltry $10 USD price tag – but I’m still hoping Gunfire Games has something juicier on the horizon.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Gunfire Games and published by Arc Games. It’s currently available on XBX, PS5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 8 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, and Violence. The official description reads as follows: This is a third-person action game in which players assume the role of a human survivor in a post-apocalyptic, fantasy world. Players travel between four different realms to battle demonic forces, alien creatures, and corrupted mutants in frenetic combat. Players use pistols, rifles, shotguns, and melee weapons to kill enemy forces. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and frequent blood-splatter effects. Some attacks on enemy creatures can result in decapitation, with large blood-splatter. One quest item players must retrieve is a severed, bloody hand, which can be examined at close range. The game depicts a topless elven female character, with an exposed breast and nipple. The words “f*k,” “sht,” and “a*shole” are heard in the game.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. Audio cues for enemy presence and attacks do not have a visual component onscreen. This game is not fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.
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