Remnant II Review (PS5) | Push Square

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For every sequel that manages to pull an Assassin's Creed II, there are many more that almost make it. Whether it's a result of not quite realising a project's full potential or introducing issues the original never had, these games are just as enjoyable as they are disappointing. Remnant II, a follow-up to the unexpectedly good Remnant: From the Ashes, is one of those titles. It builds upon the PS4 original with more mechanics and deeper systems, but a wider scope makes navigation and knowing what to do next more difficult than it needs to be. While Gunfire Games has an improved sequel on its hands, it's tough not to wonder what could have been.

What turns out to be both the game's biggest strength and weakness is its commitment to providing a randomised, procedurally generated FromSoftware experience with guns. Much like the first game, almost every aspect of Remnant II is determined at random. It's possible for any two players to encounter entirely different worlds and complete dissimilar objectives within them, all the while facing differing boss fights and enemies. Starting a new game essentially hands you your own campaign seed, which can be re-rolled for different variations if you're not feeling the route to completion you’ve been handed.

Procedural generation is a term that turns a lot of people off, but the way Gunfire Games handles it is admirable — to a point. You could argue Remnant II ships with multiple different campaigns at launch; replay value is certainly a strong suit of the experience. By going so far as to randomise the narrative, its characters, and all the locations the developer has built, there's potential to replay the campaign over and over again repeatedly — especially when you factor in