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Remnant 2 has to be one of the most poorly designed layouts of a game I've played

SCB3

Member
So I started a new playthrough after beating the first game last year, I loved it a lot and could not wait to jump in to this, and its been hard work, first the PC version ran like shit so I got the PS5 version on sale to play instead

Then the game gives you so little idea of where to go and what to do, so I explore and finally come across a boss after a solid hour or so, well it turns out I'm fucking deep into the first DLC instead!

Was there any indication of this you ask, none, none at all, surprisingly its not as hard as I though being a post game DLC but still, now I have to resort to fucking Fextralife of all places to find out where I'm actually supposed to go
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
So I started a new playthrough after beating the first game last year, I loved it a lot and could not wait to jump in to this, and its been hard work, first the PC version ran like shit so I got the PS5 version on sale to play instead

Then the game gives you so little idea of where to go and what to do, so I explore and finally come across a boss after a solid hour or so, well it turns out I'm fucking deep into the first DLC instead!

Was there any indication of this you ask, none, none at all, surprisingly its not as hard as I though being a post game DLC but still, now I have to resort to fucking Fextralife of all places to find out where I'm actually supposed to go

What? Why are you lying my guy? You CANNOT play the DLC in the main fucking story/game lmao. To start the DLC you literally have to go start the adventure mode which is a separate save, and pick the DLC. It's impossible to play the DLC in the main story so either you're fucking stupid, lying, or I'm an idiot and I dont understand your complaint.

Also it doesnt even matter if you play the DLC in adventure mode first for being an idiot as its not tied with the main story and its just an alternate version of the first map in the game. Most likely just cut content, a shitty dlc to begin with.
 
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Rockman33

Member
I just don’t think you enjoy what the game is. It’s a RNG based game…

I think the game is amazing. Was actually some what surprised to see that it was my most played game last year on Xbox.
 

SCB3

Member
What? Why are you lying my guy? You CANNOT play the DLC in the main fucking story/game lmao. To start the DLC you literally have to go start the adventure mode which is a separate save, and pick the DLC. It's impossible to play the DLC in the main story so either you're fucking stupid, lying, or I'm an idiot and I dont understand your complaint.
Its a DLC boss apparently, Sunken Witch, a weirdly hard boss for early on
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
Its a DLC boss apparently, Sunken Witch, a weirdly hard boss for early on

A few bosses were added to the main story. You're not playing the DLC. It's just extra content. Is she a shitty boss? yes but I defeated her in my second try with a friend playing on Nightmare, first playthrough. This game has a lot of sponge bosses, so patience is required.
 
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SCB3

Member
A few bosses were added to the main story. You're not playing the DLC. It's just extra content. Is she a shitty boss? yes but I defeated her in my second try with a friend playing on Nightmare, first playthrough. This game has a lot of sponge bosses, so patience is required.
I just beat her, but my god for a first area boss that is rough, the area is cramped and she would just not spinning at one point
 

Dynasty8

Member
Then the game gives you so little idea of where to go and what to do, so I explore

GOOD! More games need to do this instead of holding your hand all the time and telling you exactly where to go.

More than any other game I've played this year, Remnant 2 constantly rewards player's curiosity.

I am so sick of the typical slow walking simulators where your character squeezes through tight spaces, NPCs constantly telling you where to go and what to do, unlimited waypoints and markers, non-stop quick time events, extreme linearity with no reason to go off the beaten path and one shotting bosses to cater to casuals.

Your definition of "poorly designed" is my definition of "creative & excellent design". Maybe try FFXVI if you haven't already, it does all the above stuff I mentioned.
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
I just beat her, but my god for a first area boss that is rough, the area is cramped and she would just not spinning at one point

Well boy do I have some bad news in regards to some other bosses in the game, especially the last one. Good luck.
 

dorkimoe

Member
I actually thought the first one did it better, dunno if it was the layout or the map itself but first felt better
 

Mobilemofo

Member
Didn't play the first one, but picked this up on sale. It's not bad. Not hooked me, but I will play it periodically.
 

SCB3

Member
I actually thought the first one did it better, dunno if it was the layout or the map itself but first felt better
Yea, it felt a bit better in terms of "you've done this, now go here" this just dumps you in and doesn't give much of a clue than "Find Clementine"

People are getting my point wrong, probaly my fault, I don't mind having to figure things out, hell Zelda is one of my favorite series for example, but I need a little more of a thread, a reason to go investigate what I'm doign to see if I'm on the right track of sorts, this game so far has provided that once and thats after beating one of 2 bosses

Now that I'm at the labyrinth section, the game is giving me that sense of why I'm doing this, maybe its just a bad first impression coupled with putting in a DLC extra boss thats pretty badly designed in that hallway as a beginning boss
 

SCB3

Member
Just open the map. There's a giant, yellow exclamation point that tells you where to go.
Only when you get close to where you need to go, that was my issue, I just got dumped in and had no idea if I was going the right way

Think of it this way, you know how in Dark Souls you have the Skeletons near Firelink Shrine and its hard until later when you have the means to pass it or if you're good enough to? Remnant is sorely missing that kinda feedback thats all, the first game was set upo and I did have a LTTP thread on it here:


Note that I've never once stated its a bad game, not at all, I'm rather enjoying it, I'm not asking for a waypoint either, I'm looking for clues or context to what I'm doing or needing to go, the RNG is nice and keeps it fresh but from what I've got through so far its been rather disjointed in weird way

My run order has gone:

  1. Losomn - Where I had to kill 1 of 2 Kings, a hard fight for a starting character sure, but doable
  2. Labyrinth - Fuck that Cube boss, fuck it so fucking much, its not even hard but my pattern recognition seemed to just fucking shit the bed at this point
  3. N'erud - I really really liked this location, it has a very Returnal like feel and very much what I liked from that game
  4. Currently I'm in Yaesha - I'm sure this is a return from the original game, but its a beautiful area and there are Faes here
If I'm not mistaken there are 2 storylines per area and its random which you get, that's the dis-joinment, there seems to be some lack of Overarching story, but maybe I'm missing the point and it is supposed to be these smaller contained storylines that may have similarities, it's starting to feel like a game that requires multiple playthroughs, pretty ironic seeing I just finished AC6 that is similar in that way
 

Reallink

Member
They intentionally designed the game for a terminally online datamining ARG community--and I mean that literally, a lot of content is completely undiscoverable through "traditional/legitimate" means--the developers have stated as much. And of the solutions they actually "spell out" for the player, they're so obtuse and nonsensical you'd have to be a level 100 autist to produce the solutions out of thin air. Ultmately Remnant 1 is a MUCH better game. The controls, movement, and graphics are certainly superior in 2, but the gameplay, enemy, boss, and overall design are vastly inferior to 1. Remnant 1 is a solid 90, Remnant 2 is a low 70.
 
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SnapShot

Member
Does this game have anything interesting going on in terms of story and solo play?
if you like running around exploring dungeons for loot and occasionally fighting mini bosses and bosses yeah, has some creative level set pieces and boss fights. story is ok and "kinda" more interesting than the first game but nothing we haven't seen done before.
 
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Try reading through my updated posts, I never said I was struggling or that I disliked the game btw
Your OP title suggests exactly that, tho. Doesn’t add up, my man. If you worked for Kotaku I’d say you just posted this for the clicks.
 

SCB3

Member
Your OP title suggests exactly that, tho. Doesn’t add up, my man. If you worked for Kotaku I’d say you just posted this for the clicks.
So you only read the title? The thread isn't that long I've been updating my thoughts as I've been playing, I still think Design Layout wise its great, the gameplay is great, the lack of purpose is whats missing, the layout of the game and what I'm playing towards is whats lacking here
 

SCB3

Member
Got to the last area on this first Run through and finally the game is giving Direction! Root earth is linear but there is stakes and implication with the Root and Clementine/Anomaly giving some good story beats towards the end of the game and making it vastly more enjoyable, funny that huh?

I was far too hard on the first few hours of the game, once I got to the 2nd area/The Labyrinth, it very much improves and becomes more of what I loved of the first game, hell I even beat Cancer!

I believe the game does improve and get really hard on New Game plus/Adventure Mode in which it gives bosses random Traits which is a great thing to improve Difficulty other than the usual health gates, making your loadout matter, I'm tempted to jump in to a few and try them out, I feel like with Friends this would be a really fun game together
 

I_D

Member
Only when you get close to where you need to go, that was my issue, I just got dumped in and had no idea if I was going the right way

That's kind of the whole point of the game, no? All of the extra ways to go lead to side-quests and side-loot; so you're always being rewarded. It's very similar to the Diablo series.
If you solely want to stick to the main quest, the exclamation point will show you where to go. But if you don't even want to have to explore to find the main quest, then Remnant probably isn't the game for you.

I understand what you mean regarding the tough-vs.-easy route in Dark Souls, but that's not really the same thing. Dark Souls does have a linear progression route, whereas Remnant is designed to be randomized and non-linear.
I find Remnant to be a bit more similar to Demon Souls' or Dark Souls 2's progression, I think. DeS and DS2 allow the player to go in many different directions, despite being low-level. And those games don't even have the map feature (which I prefer, though I can see why others would not).


Having now put 50 hours into the game, I like it; though I don't see myself returning to replay very often.
I wish there was one more world in the base-game, as the campaign feels just a smidgen too short.
I also wish it was more difficult. There were a few bosses that required more than one attempt, but I first-tried pretty much the entire game. The final boss was fantastic, though.
And the storyline, as is the case in 99% of games, is cringey as hell; but that's to be expected.
 

SCB3

Member
That's kind of the whole point of the game, no? All of the extra ways to go lead to side-quests and side-loot; so you're always being rewarded. It's very similar to the Diablo series.
If you solely want to stick to the main quest, the exclamation point will show you where to go. But if you don't even want to have to explore to find the main quest, then Remnant probably isn't the game for you.
ok, thats fine and yes thats the point, I'm not beelining it and thats not what I meant, the game just feels a bit disjointed until you get to the Labyrinth

Its only then where you get a choice of which World to visit and a reason why, if they took that first couple of random worlds and out them here like the other 2, the game would simply flow a bit better, right now its progress feels off

Look at this Progress Route:

Prologue → Ward 13 → First World → The Labyrinth → Second World → Third World → Root Earth

That Ward 13 to First World route is fine, and tbh it may be cause of the Worlds I got rolled, they felt weird it felt too open in a sense with no real goal than "Explore" which once you meet the Keeper in the labyrinth, roughly a third through the game does it start to click and give you reasons to Explore
 

I_D

Member
ok, thats fine and yes thats the point, I'm not beelining it and thats not what I meant, the game just feels a bit disjointed until you get to the Labyrinth

Its only then where you get a choice of which World to visit and a reason why, if they took that first couple of random worlds and out them here like the other 2, the game would simply flow a bit better, right now its progress feels off

Look at this Progress Route:



That Ward 13 to First World route is fine, and tbh it may be cause of the Worlds I got rolled, they felt weird it felt too open in a sense with no real goal than "Explore" which once you meet the Keeper in the labyrinth, roughly a third through the game does it start to click and give you reasons to Explore

I think I see what you mean, but I don't necessarily agree that it's a problem.

I like that the game has very little direction, and very little story. I find basically all video games to have borderline-useless storylines. Remnant is no exception.
The cutscene right before the final boss, for example (the 'use all my power to open the door' stuff), is a prime example of hilariously-bad. The less dialog a video game has, the more I like it, generally speaking.

As such, the lack of direction is precisely what I want. I just want to enjoy the gameplay and exploration. Any breaks in that action are typically not what I'm looking for. Heck, given the size of the levels, I'm kinda bummed that there's a loading screen between each area.
But, if your goal is to have a compelling storyline with a nice sense of 'drive' for the player, I can see why Remnant isn't good enough.
But again, I feel like that's kind of the point. To me, it seems like the developers might agree with my stance, which is why the storyline takes a disjointed and secondary role.

There are parts of Remnant that are definitely not great, to be sure.
The Labyrinth, in particular, is one of the weakest parts of the game, I think. I feel like I've seen the 'the environment forms in front of you' trope in tons of games, by this point. Everything from Max Payne to Dishonored to Assassin's Creed to Control, and so forth. It's a very tired trope, by this point.


I see what you're talking about, but I kinda of feel like it was deliberate, rather than a lack of skill.
 
That's kind of the whole point of the game, no? All of the extra ways to go lead to side-quests and side-loot; so you're always being rewarded. It's very similar to the Diablo series.
If you solely want to stick to the main quest, the exclamation point will show you where to go. But if you don't even want to have to explore to find the main quest, then Remnant probably isn't the game for you.

I understand what you mean regarding the tough-vs.-easy route in Dark Souls, but that's not really the same thing. Dark Souls does have a linear progression route, whereas Remnant is designed to be randomized and non-linear.
I find Remnant to be a bit more similar to Demon Souls' or Dark Souls 2's progression, I think. DeS and DS2 allow the player to go in many different directions, despite being low-level. And those games don't even have the map feature (which I prefer, though I can see why others would not).


Having now put 50 hours into the game, I like it; though I don't see myself returning to replay very often.
I wish there was one more world in the base-game, as the campaign feels just a smidgen too short.
I also wish it was more difficult. There were a few bosses that required more than one attempt, but I first-tried pretty much the entire game. The final boss was fantastic, though.
And the storyline, as is the case in 99% of games, is cringey as hell; but that's to be expected.

Remnant 2 is nothing like DS2 or Demon's Souls in terms of design and layout
 

SCB3

Member
To me, it seems like the developers might agree with my stance, which is why the storyline takes a disjointed and secondary role.
What weird is that it doesn't on individual stories in each World, I know you get a random story between 2 choices and those little stories are good, I liked the Corrupted Ravager one a lot with the Doe (Though I accidently killed it as I knocked my deck and that made my character slash at it ffs) and that was a nice callback to the first game as well where he talks about the character in the first game killing him

But then there's the story of the Imposter King, Faelin or Faerin, that is also a nice little story that at the part of the game I was at, before I found the labyrinth, made it seem like that that was going to be a major part but nope once you kill one of them, that's it - That's where the disjointment happens, its all set up and no payoff, I still no nothing about that World and I explored everywhere, I suppose its all up to my own interpretation, but to me that's just lazy Storytelling, at least Dark Souls and the like leave breadcrumbs of Lore (which to be fair, N'Erud does do this somewhat as well, so they can do this), whereas Remnant kinda just doesn't go far enough most of the time.

But the gameplay is solid, its got a nice difficulty curve ONCE you get past the first area (though I may have just been unlucky to get a shitty boss first time through) and I can see what they're going for 90% of the time, I just wish it was expanded on a bit more, they have the worlds and semblance of something here, just need to push it a bit further
 

SCB3

Member
This last boss however, its something I'll give it that, game has been a bit of a breeze at times though so I knew something was gonna give me a lot of trouble
 

Aion002

Member
I didn’t really enjoy it.

Would have far preferred a tightly designed single world as opposed to the randomised tile sets.
Me too.

The first one was soo good, so I got hyped for the sequel. Thankfully my backlog stopped me from buying it and the game was released on gamepass.

The game is quite easier compared to the first one and the levels simply didn't grab my attention. Also, most of the bosses are just boring and the insta kills, specially on coop, are annoying.
 

winjer

Gold Member
Today I finished the DLC "the Awakened King". And it was a disappointment.
I loved the base game, but this DLC was just lazy and uninspired.
For the most part, it just reuses a ton of assets from the base game. It ads some new enemies, but most are just annoying to fight.
It ads some amulets, rings and weapons, and a bit of extra story, but not enough to justify 10$.
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
This last boss however, its something I'll give it that, game has been a bit of a breeze at times though so I knew something was gonna give me a lot of trouble

Took me an hour or two with my friend on hardest difficulty. Died a million times. I will give you one free tip tho in the annoying phase. Sound.
 
GOOD! More games need to do this instead of holding your hand all the time and telling you exactly where to go.

More than any other game I've played this year, Remnant 2 constantly rewards player's curiosity.

I am so sick of the typical slow walking simulators where your character squeezes through tight spaces, NPCs constantly telling you where to go and what to do, unlimited waypoints and markers, non-stop quick time events, extreme linearity with no reason to go off the beaten path and one shotting bosses to cater to casuals.

Your definition of "poorly designed" is my definition of "creative & excellent design". Maybe try FFXVI if you haven't already, it does all the above stuff I mentioned.
Yep, right with you there. Remember the days when you played games rather than watched them basically play themselves.

These types of games are so good for that reason, little information and really let the player make their own choices on how to play.
 

bender

What time is it?
This last boss however, its something I'll give it that, game has been a bit of a breeze at times though so I knew something was gonna give me a lot of trouble

The game peaked for me around the point you fought the Cube boss/ a dungeon that had a pillar platforming section and then went downhill from there. It kind of has the opposite problem of the original which started off slow and got more interesting as it went on. Remnant 2 blows its' load early and just becomes a slog for the last 70%.
 
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