Look at the lovingly crafted environments of Remnant before you blow them up

by: Randy -
More On: Remnant: From the Ashes

Now this is some science-fantasy I can get down with. Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival action shooter. When they say "survival," the developers mostly sound like they mean the "scavenge resources to build better guns and armor." They don't necessarily mean there's hunger, thirst, sleep, and temperature considerations for your character.

In Remnant, it's you and up to two other players in some (presumably) drop-in/drop-out co-op. The stages are distinct. There's a consistent aesthetic to all of it, sure, but the half-drowned nature-reclaimed area is distinct from the woody elvish area, which is distinct from the dusty sandpunk level (see below). They're all very good.

One other thing I appreciate in these videos? They're exemplary of patient world building and slow-burn revelation. It's not our three co-op heroes running in guns blazing. It's not cracking jokes and throwing grenades. It's just a moody soundtrack with a patiently orchestrated set of locations. The explorer in me is intrigued. Those of you that need large explosions and bullets, bullets, bullets in order to pay attention? This trailer may not be for you. 

In Remnant, the players open portals to other realms and—don't worry—get to shoot a lot of the inhabitants they find there. The developer is called Gunfire Games after all. It's just neat to see how the world works when the players aren't around to blow it up. Don't misunderstand: I want to go ahead and shoot enemies and blow stuff up, too. I just like how I'm given two minutes in order to enjoy it first.

Remnant: From the Ashes launches August 20 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.