emanant: From the Ashes is a flawed experience and one I'm not sure I would have played by myself. Recently I met a new friend, who quickly became a good friend and wanted to jump into something on PS4. I hadn't played anything online for almost a year, instead delving deep into solitary game experiences. I had Remnant from PS Plus a while back so I suggested that and off we went. What I found was an interesting experience. It's been described as Dark Souls with guns and I can see why. Equivalents to flasks, items, firepits, enemy design, boss design, level design, it's all here. But there a few aspects that set it apart.
First and foremost Remnant is so clearly designed to be a coop experience from the ground up. The levels are much more open then other Soulsbourne games, fighting enemies often act out more in an arena then a joust or a dual. Allowing freedom for multiple players to take on mobs together or in the segregated fights. Gunplay feels tight and the weapons are cool. You can opt for sharpshooting, close up or mid range. Popping heads was fun at the start and the end. Enemies act differently depending on their faction and feel great. There are a lot of novel weapons, and you can assign an ability to each one. Some come with a built in function such as a rail gun needle poison pistol (what?) that turns into a shotgun, shooting three needles at once. Or a flower rose thorn rifle with a poisonous grenade launcher. Most weapons let you forgo those for abilities such as healing, fire bullets, a barrier that blocks projectiles, summoning skulls, or having your character float, riding a stream of lightning and calling down thunder strikes. Choosing the right abilities often meant the difference between stomping and struggling through a boss fight. My biggest issue with the game is that it doesn't give you much reason to use these guns. The start weapons, for the long range class in particular are strong and I used the level action rifle until the very end of the game. I tried every single weapon but I always returned to this starting weapon. The friend of mine got even worse - starting with a shotgun they didn't like, they were unable to find a weapon they liked for at least half the game. As a result by the end of the game I was glad to see it over and done with, sick of popping headshots, then lever, and repeat. It's a real shame because the weapons have had a lot of thought put into them, making their design unique and to fit this rugged world in their makeshift designs.
The presentation and world of Remnant absolutely stands out. The world has been taken over by mutants, monsters and aliens - utterly destroying it. You're one of the last survivors and you join the rag tag resistance in Ward 13 to find a cure to all these menaces. The design is up there with Destiny or Halo with other shooters with heavy lore emphasis on factions. The Root are cool otherworldly creatures that as the name suggest are very Dryad like in appearance, made from twisting branches and bug like eyes. They spread the root everywhere they go, taking over cities. The Buri are Mad Max meet mutants with giant claws and bone protrusions, shamans that seem to use radioactive material as magic - pretty dope and rad. They hail from Rhom, as you'd expect it's very Mad Max with the skeletal remnants of Skyscrapers and dunes on the horizon. The Pan are the jungle people. Woodland goat like biped creatures covered in fur, dressed like owls and oxen. They're tribal warriors of Yaesha, a swampy forest like planet. It has a rich world and lore for why this happened which I paid almost no attention to. There are notes scattered everywhere and a medical facility below Ward 13 used for experimentations on the "Dreamers" seemed particularly interesting. But this is a game I wanted to jam, not envelop myself in its story.
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| Not all of Rhom's inhabitants are hostile. |
The story and setting did make for amazing backdrops however whether it be the complete post-apocalyptic deserts of Rhom or the dark tall trees and dank swamps of Yaesha. It's all beautiful and interesting to look at while you carve a path through humanity's enemies.
During the story you'll have opportunities to make decisions, help the bug queen of Yaesha or the Undying King of Rhom. This inevitably leads to boss fights and new areas in the quest to help the resistance and save humanity. Some of the boss and character designs in the wasteland are just breathtakingly unique. It reminded me a lot of Warframe, character designs that are like nothing else out there and still look impressive. Each boss fight has their own patterns and abilities. They often summon mobs, require you to mix up abilities and put your skills to the test. Each time you kill one you get an item that lets you craft another weapon. As you level up you can improve passive perks which are quite extensive; from revive speed to weapon reload speed or fire rate. Throw in the equipable items and you have a lot of room for build experimentation. It's pretty clear in the fun I had with Remnant: From the Ashes that the developers new what they were doing. The gameplay and setting is well crafted with a clear intent and singular focus on what they want to deliver. But sadly because of the repetitive nature of the weapons, it's not a game I'll be sticking with or playing again.
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| Yas Queen |
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