With Remnant 2 hot off the presses, I wanted to go back and take a look at the previous game in the now-series, 2019's Remnant: From the Ashes. I've been playing it with my wife this past week, and now that we've beaten the campaign, I think it's worth pointing out: You should probably play Remnant: From the Ashes, especially if you're interested in Remnant 2.

Remnant 1 received a lot of press at release, mostly for being a ripoff of both Dark Souls and Destiny, but I think that doesn't give it enough credit. It takes a lot of panache to get a game out the door that blends co-op loot-and-shooting with the sensibilities of a modern single-player adventure game. I think that in many ways, Remnant's biggest hurdle is getting people to actually play the damn thing. At first glance, it looks like a drab shooter with very little to offer, but I promise that there is really a lot of fun to be had under the surface. There's a flow and an arc to this game that other titles like it just can't compare to. It's co-op, but in the Monster Hunter way where you can drop in for a misson or two and then take a break and go do something else. Most of all, it's a short game, and I mean that in the polite way where the game is accessible for people who don't have a ton of time on their hands. It manages to dodge the monotony of Destiny 2's grind cycle without slipping into the stoicism of a true Dark Souls clone. It's a good game.

And even so, people don't seem to remember it very fondly. Why?

Well, the story's a bit shit, isn't it? The entire game is spent chasing after a single old man, and as soon as you find him he gives you the key to the final boss. Most of the NPCs chatter about things that make logical sense but don't really engage the player with the story. And because the game is short, it's that much more obvious that nothing really happens in Remnant: From the Ashes. You land your boat, talk to a series of cryptic old men, and then get back in your boat. On that note, the gameplay is a bit formulaic as well; after a few loops in a single area, it's obvious that the game's random level generation isn't doing it very many favors. I think that that's where the game mostly falls apart: There's enough content to play the game a dozen times over, but the content isn't structured or elegant enough that I really want to. That leaves it in a fuzzy gray area that I don't think it really deserves when I've happily played it for 40 hours with little complaint.

Remnant leaves me wanting more from the sequel. I've heard good things, but I don't know if I'm ready to go on another world-hopping adventure just yet. What I do know is that I think more games should strive to be like Remnant 1: Fun, polite, and respectful of my time.

Score - 11/15