I first saw Remnant: From the Ashes on Twitch and I was immediately drawn to the world. It is not very often these days that to stumble upon a game without hearing or seeing any previews. Turned out that Remnant took inspiration from great series like Dark Souls, both in its dark tone and difficulty level. Yet at the same time it opened itself up to a more forgiving nature required for a successful co-op experience. Considering this is one of the first original titles from Gunfire Games it is that much more impressive that they were able to pull everything together. Solid gun-play, an interesting universe, and a rewarding challenge level all come together quite well.
I never been good at keeping track of the plot-lines in games like this. There is a force called "the root" that is not only taking over the earth but others planets as well. Its up to you to shoot your way through the monsters that spawn from this blight. You start by picking between three characters classes which feature different a different weapon and mod. All mods and weapons are available eventually so you need not worry being locked into a class. The weapon selection starts with you typical rifle, shotguns, and pistols but gets more wild as you progress.
Remnant is no walk in the park so be prepare for difficult journey. As you progress through Remnant you come across crystals that act as checkpoints. These checkpoints refill your dragon-hearts which are necessary to quick restore health on the battlefield. Be warned that every time you rest at a checkpoint all normal enemies will respawn. The boss fights are a highlight of game and you will have to adapt to a new set of tactics for each one. If overcoming the battles wasn't rewarding enough you'll usually get a new trait or weapon for your arsenal. Surprising Remnant has procedurally generated levels so each play-through will have a random map layouts and potentially feature different boss encounters.
The mods and traits are what set character builds apart. Mods give you a consumable power that builds up after using your gun for so long. These mods could be fire damage, a healing pool, enemy tracking vision, and more. Usually they are interchangeable but more powerful weapons come with locked in mods. As you defeat so many enemies you earn trait points. Traits are how you characters slowly become stronger and more versatile. There are numerous traits that increase health, stamina, speed, and more in a variety of different ways. Focusing on key trait and weapon combos is key to overcoming the challenges you'll face in Remnant.
I was wowed by how clever Remnant balances everything. The gameplay is though but the gun-play is solid and the traits help even the playing field over time. I really liked how simple the character builds and customization are. You have a fair number of options but its not overwhelming and you aren't stuck spending hours in menus planing a perfect build. This game is clearly inspired by From Software games yet the cooperative elements add a new level of joy. I do think the game should have been made for accessible to solo gamers and I have encounter my share of network errors. However, if you have someone to play online with this is a fantastic co-op game; one of the best I've played in last couple years.