One hallmark of games inspired by FromSoftware titles including Dark Souls and Demon's Souls (with a remake coming to PS5) is a focus on deep lore that dedicated players can uncover but doesn't impede the core gameplay experience. Souls-like games come in a variety of flavors, but Gunfire Games struck gold with its third-person shooter Remnant: From the Ashes, which has sold over 1.6 million copies as of July. Tomorrow, Remnant will receive its final DLC Subject 2923, which includes a new campaign to expand upon its rich lore.
Gunfire Games introduced its universe through the 2016 VR game Chronos, which had players unwittingly kill the guardian of a jungle planet called Yaesha, leaving it vulnerable to invasion by a dark army of tree-like monsters called the Root. According to Design Director John Pearl, the team liked thr concept so much it became the basis for 2019's Remnant, which explores devastation caused by the Root across numerous realms like Yaesha — one month after the events of Chronos in the wasteland planet of Rhom and Earth. Game Rant sat down with Pearl to discuss what new areas are being added in Subject 2923, and how they will impact the game's overall narrative.
Pearl said there are "technically two-and-a-half biomes" being added through this DLC: The icy planet Reisum, seen in much of Subject 2923's marketing; a rural area on Earth; and Ward Prime. The latter is "a unique experience," both due to its less-open environments in an industrial complex, and because of what it will contribute to the lore.
Subject 2923 takes place a year after the final boss fight in Remnant's base game, when it becomes obvious the Root has not been eradicated. Ward Prime contains its remaining tether to the Earth, as it is the location where humanity first made contact with a Root entity in the 1960s through its "Dreamer" experiments. Gunfire has dropped hints about how Dreamers, world guardians, and the Root are connected, including patching in an event for players to explore the lab of Dr. Leto Apostolakis, but this DLC promises more closure.
"It is the story we wanted to tell," Pearl said. "There's a lot of stuff that will be delivered upon based on your experience, and we're hoping people who really dig the lore are going to find some of the connections we let loose."
Reaching Ward Prime and stopping the Root once and for all is ultimately the goal of Subject 2923's standalone story campaign, which can be accessed regardless of whether players have beaten the base game (though Pearl recommends doing so). The developer's initial goal when creating Remnant: From the Ashes was to introduce multiple worlds with "their own unique histories, evolutionary tracts, politics, and catastrophes," according to Pearl. This gives players different perspectives, such as Rhom having the ruins of a technologically-advanced society because its secret world boss Ezlan, the Undying King, nuked the entire planet to stop its invaders.
Reisum will stand out because it offers yet another perspective, but also because of how it expands upon what Remnant already offers in terms of locales, enemies, and bosses. Many of the creatures on Reisum are pulled from high-level ideas and concept art created during the earliest development stages — with one "striking" example being a humanoid giant who chases down man-sized rats, according to Pearl. There are multiple ideas that did not fit the base game's biomes which will return in Subject 2923, and henceforth be accessible in Adventure Mode for all players, as well as Survival Mode for those who bought the Swamps of Corsus DLC.
Pearl said Remnant's first major DLC, which takes place at an indiscriminate time between the base game and Subject 2923, was vastly different. The main purpose for Swamps of Corsus was to flesh out the smaller, fan-favorite biome so it would have enough content to appear in Adventure Mode, which was introduced through a free patch and allows players to re-roll the game's randomly-generated worlds without having to go through the story. Survival Mode, by contrast, sets players up with limited upgrades in a random world with mixed-up item drops and enemy encounters.
Pearl hopes people "take in" Gunfire Games' efforts to resolve plot threads from the base game, and connect with some of the "larger-than-life, interesting characters" that will be introduced. He points to Mud Tooth, a human living in a crashed helicopter on Earth who gifts an item if players listen to enough of his stories, as one example of a character the developers recognize was popular in the base game. The Design Director credits Remnant: From the Ashes' voice actors for giving its NPCs "a lot of great life," and says there are a "couple good ones" in Subject 2923.
"We're excited for people to get their hands on this DLC," Pearl said. "There's a lot of cool things to find, and for those who just want to shoot stuff there are a lot of cool bosses."
During an interview with PC Gamer last month, Pearl said "anything is possible" for the future of Remnant, but he confirmed to Game Rant that Gunfire Games does not want to grow stagnant, and is moving onto something new he can't talk about yet. Though, he teased the possibility of a next-generation console release saying, "They are right around the corner. So, take that for what you will."
Gunfire Games is not going to abandon their popular title just yet. Pearl said designers are constantly watching forums and Twitch streams of Remnant players co-operatively taking on the Root to see what is considered over- or underpowered. The team hopes to leave the game "in a solid state" whenever they are finished with it. "We want to make sure there's a lot of ways to play, and a lot of that comes from interacting with and watching the community," Pearl said. The upcoming DLC should offer plenty more for fans to sink their teeth into, both in terms of gameplay and lore.
Remnant: From the Ashes is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Its Subject 2923 DLC launches tomorrow for $9.99.