Remnant: From the Ashes

This is a great co-op soulslike, i actually liked it more than the second one. even though it doesn’t have as much exploration or huge maps like the second game, that actually ends up being a positive in my opinion, because the campaign feels more linear and much easier to follow through the environments without getting lost all the time. i ended up finishing this one, while i gave up on the second because it was just too confusing to find the right path and complete the objectives. if you prefer a more linear adventure and a smoother experience in terms of not getting lost in huge maps and you care more about the co-op experience overall, this game is definitely worth a try. the difficulty is still high, but you can also use wemod if you just want to enjoy the combat and the adventure in a more relaxed way without stress, focusing more on having fun with the journey itself.

Remnant is a souls-like shooter RPG, taking an interesting spin on the traditional renowned formula. Unlike a traditional souls-like, one is given access to a wide array of ranged weapons. The ranged gameplay is a methodical ordeal, as clear ammo management and controlled spacing will become quite invaluable - enemy reinforcement waves led by officer units can cause devastating damage in melee range.

Remnant shines in its procedurally generated adventure system - every new NG will be different for every person, and joining people in public lobbies will also allow you to get a new experience of your own. Regional themes will remain the same, but the available dungeons and potential ‘map blocks’ can change to access previously unseen content. For example during one playthrough you may encounter a sewage system with a mutated mushroom boss. The next playthrough, this exact map spot might have sprawling gardens with Giant tree enemies.

The character building in Remnant is based on interchangeable ability nodes, armor sets, boss weapons, and equipment rings. Abilities are active buffs which are charged by killing enemies, and can be freely moved between weapons, allowing situation-tuned customization. Armor sets, if fully built and equipped, offer unique set bonuses - for example, drinking a healing flask granting nearby allies a damage buff.

Upgrading items from +1 to +10 requires various types of progressively more rare iron alloy, which is found across the world regions. Crafting and upgrading rare weapons usually requires a unique droppable boss item, and Lumenites, which are guaranteed items from area-diverse mini-bosses which will ambush you along your way.

This Remnant installment possesses a hands-on exploratory potential - maps are intertwining, offering multiple side paths, nooks and crannies to investigate. Remnant rewards gradual exploration, as it's feasible to find loot and secrets across the world.

For example, wandering in the desert, you may find a secret alien mechanism which leads to an ancient armory. Or you may find an abandoned lab, which if you carefully investigate, may unveil logs on human civilization attempts at stabilizing the viral outbreak, alongside a mutated boss nearby. Abandoned buildings may contain crafting materials, untrodden forest paths might bear equipment lost to time, while returning to places past visited with new keys might unlock secrets.

Probably my favourite third-person shooter, the guns just feel great to use and character movement is so fluid. Love the setting/lore, love the enemy designs and world aestetics, love the awesome weapons and mods and the fact the mods even visually alter the weapons looks, love all the character build options. Crazy amount of replay value too, the main campaign will be different every time, even different area's, weapon/armour unlocks and bosses. There's also shorter form adventures to play and a rogue-like mode.
It won't be for everyone though, even on normal difficulty this is a hard game, especially some of the bosses (including the first one, took me over an hour to beat and I came close to giving up). I does click eventually though, a lot like the Dark Souls games the more you play the easier it becomes. I did play solo though, I'm pretty sure it would be more accessable in co-op.
One of the few games I've finished and then straight away started playing again and now I've pottered round solving puzzles and reading lore on my own, I guess it's time to try co-op.

easy recommend
good art, nice enemies, good atmosphere, smooth fun gameplay, high replayability

Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person action shooter built on procedural world layouts and high difficulty. The player faces an invasion of corrupt creatures called the Root and travels between realms to stop the spread. The story is minimal and acts mainly as context for combat progression and exploration.
Core gameplay blends ranged and melee attacks. Weapons have mod slots that grant abilities like summoning allies or firing elemental bursts. Positioning matters because enemies rush and flank frequently. Dodge rolls carry invincibility frames and define survival at higher difficulties.
Progression centers on gear upgrades and traits. Traits grant passive bonuses that improve damage, stamina, survivability, or resource gain. Many are unlocked by completing hidden events. This rewards curiosity and encourages multiple runs. Armor sets add bonuses that support focused playstyles.
World design is semi-random. Each campaign generates different dungeons, bosses, and quests. This variability increases replay value but can gate specific items behind new runs. Some encounters maintain high difficulty spikes that require gear checks and team coordination.
Enemy variety changes by region. Factions have distinct attack patterns and elite units. Boss fights often spawn additional mobs, forcing constant movement. Weapon mods and elemental builds help control crowds and break resistances. Team play amplifies these strengths.
Visual presentation uses overgrown urban ruins, alien deserts, and corrupted forests. Sound design telegraphs heavy attacks with clear audio cues. Performance is stable, though some boss arenas feel cramped. Music underscores tension with rhythmic percussion.
Remnant: From the Ashes targets players who enjoy challenging combat loops, loot progression, and replay variability. Solo play is viable, but co-op improves pacing and survivability. Fans of souls-influenced shooters will find satisfying depth and long-term build experimentation.

This is overall a decent game, but falls short of the "Souls-like with Guns" a lot of places claim it to be; it's more souls-lite instead of souls-like. Most normal enemies drop in one or two shots, with difficulty in normal encounters coming from the amount of enemies rather then the strength of the enemies themselves. Some people will prefer this over the stronger normal enemies of most souls-likes, but for me it means that I often die, not from a tough fight, but from a random enemy coming from behind.

Bosses are a weak point, oftentimes being more tedious then fun. The bosses are made for multiplayer so instead of just fighting a single big boss, every boss constantly spawns adds that are more frustrating then fun in single-player. This wouldn't be too big of a deal if the actual bosses themselves were interesting, but most are just tankier normal enemies and the other bosses end up with extremely easy and telegraphed attacks.

Ultimately, singleplayer often ends up being tedious and frustrating due to design decisions to account for multiplayer. That being said, it's overall a fun experience as long as you aren't looking for a very souls-like experience.

This review is based on 100% completion and 29.4 hours of gameplay on Steam, with 33.9 hours played on Epic.
Recommendation:
Would I recommend this game? Yes – but it definitely won’t be for everyone.
This is a souls-like at its core, so the gameplay can be pretty challenging depending on your skill level. On top of that, it’s also quite roguelite, which won’t click with everyone either. If both of those things sound like your kind of game though, this is an excellent pickup and well worth giving a go.
I’ll start with the gameplay, since that’s such a big part of this game. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but there’s a very real git gud factor here. If you’re struggling, most of the time it’s down to learning enemy patterns, boss mechanics, or understanding how your gear and mods work. There’s very little hand-holding, and the game expects you to figure things out for yourself – which I actually liked.
That ties nicely into the puzzles. I really appreciated that the game doesn’t explain them at all. Sometimes you won’t even realise there is a puzzle in an area until you start poking around. That sense of mystery and figuring things out on your own became part of the gameplay for me, and I found it genuinely fun. If that doesn’t sound like your thing though, no stress – this is an older game, and there are plenty of guides online.
The gunplay and combat felt fairly slow-paced to me. This isn’t a fast, run-and-gun experience like Doom, so don’t go in expecting that. Combat itself was solid, with a good variety of weapons, armour, rings, necklaces, and mods that let you experiment with different builds and playstyles. I enjoyed the progression, but it can be punishing. Learning how and when to dodge is essential – if you can’t get the timing down, you’re going to struggle.
There are still people playing, so finding public co-op lobbies isn’t an issue, and they worked well in my experience. Playing with others can definitely be more fun, but solo play is still completely viable.
Visually and audio-wise, I thought the game was great. The voice acting is solid, and the sound design fits the world really well. The graphics have a dark, gritty vibe that suits the environments you move through. Enemy and boss designs are particularly well done – even when there are variants, they generally feel distinct enough. That said, because of the art style, I do think the game may start to feel a bit dated in the coming years, but right now it still holds up fine.
Story-wise, I thought it was decent. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged, even if it wasn’t something I was deeply invested in. Your decisions do matter in places and can affect how your playthrough unfolds, which I liked, and rerolling the campaign lets you see different outcomes. The wider lore around the world, enemies, and items was also surprisingly interesting.
As for the DLC, I thought it was all good overall. It adds more weapons, items, enemies, and areas, all of which feel worthwhile. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the survival mode – it’s essentially a Rogue-like mode, an endless run with random gear and encounters until you die. That mode just isn’t for me, but everything else in the DLCs is solid and, in my opinion, pretty much essential if you’re picking this game up.
Overall, this is a very good game, even if it isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a challenge, this is an easy recommendation. It’s also an older title, so I’d strongly suggest waiting for a sale. I’d also highly recommend picking up the DLC alongside the base game, as you’ll miss out on a lot of content otherwise.
Achievements:
This game requires the DLC for 100% completion. Due to the nature of the game, you’ll need to run multiple campaigns and maps to unlock branching achievements and missables that can’t all be done in a single run. It’s also worth noting that, since this is souls-like in nature, the difficulty of the achievements will vary heavily depending on skill level.
One important thing to mention: if you previously played this on Epic, your progress and achievements will carry over to Steam and unlock when you start the game – this is exactly what happened for me.
Because it’s a roguelite with branching achievements, RNG plays a big role here, so mileage will vary a lot from person to person. If you’re not opposed to using community tools, there’s a world save analyser made by players that lets you roll a run, upload the save file, and see what items, bosses, and events have spawned. If you value your time, this is a great way to avoid running 20+ minute maps that don’t have what you need. You can find that resource online.
Outside of the game’s usual difficulty, the only achievements I’d really warn people about are the survival mode ones.
There are two achievements tied to beating bosses in survival mode, and these can be rough. You’ll need a successful run that reaches at least the 10th boss. There’s no real shortcut here – this is pure git gud. You’ll need to understand boss mechanics, master dodging, and know how consumables and item synergies work. I did this solo, but co-op might make it easier.
For context, my runs went something like this: a few early deaths at the first boss, one run to the fourth boss, and then a final run where I reached the tenth. Expect some trial and error.
When starting a run, I’d strongly recommend rerolling until you get either a Ricochet Rifle (best-in-slot, in my opinion) or a Chicago Typewriter. If neither shows up, reroll. For mods, I used Iron Sentinel, which carried me hard, though Swarm is also a solid option. The Ricochet Rifle was a lifesaver.
My setup ended up being a Spitfire handgun, Labyrinth head armour, Leto’s chest, and Carapace legs. I paired Leto’s chest with a Twisted Idol to reduce encumbrance – otherwise you won’t be rolling anywhere – though a Leto’s Amulet would be even better if you find one. For rings, I used Compulsion Loop and Ring of Evasion, but this really comes down to personal playstyle. I’d also recommend buying the 60-minute consumables; you’ll usually only need one or two health and stamina buffs for an entire run.
Overall, the achievements can definitely be challenging, but they’re doable. Stick with it, take breaks when needed, and don’t burn yourself out – you’ll get there in the end.
For more in-depth yet straight-to-the-point reviews, feel free to check out my curator page here.