Remnant II managed to improve upon the original in almost every way. If this wasn’t the year 2023, it would have featured on many more Game of the Year lists, as it fully deserves the accolades. As the year was so strong for releases though, it has sadly been overlooked. Can this first DLC add-on give it a shot of recognition?
Remnant: From the Ashes wasn’t afraid to mix it up with its choice of DLC. There was a roguelike mode and an entirely new area featured, not to mention Adventure mode and other tweaks added as free additions. The Awakened King for Remnant II plays it a lot safer. At least at first glance.
It will see you return to the world of Losomn. You know, the Bloodborne looking world where the Dran and the Fae have been thrown together. If I am saying words that you perhaps don’t understand, or the context of them, I would advise against partaking in the Remnant II: The Awakened King DLC just yet.
Whilst it can be played at any point after arriving at Ward 13, The Awakened King DLC follows on from the events of Losomn in the main game where you remove the Imposter King. In their place, the Awakened King has risen.
To start it, simply roll a new instance of The Awakened King in Adventure mode.
This new vision of Losomn is big. Perhaps one of the biggest ever areas in a Remnant game, at least the first time you play it. Launching it for the first time in Adventure mode will allow you to see everything that the new DLC has to offer. New areas, bosses, loot, weapons and even a new Archetype are all waiting for you within.
Remnant II: The Awakened King is also full to the brim with secret and side areas to discover. A run through of purely the main areas will not take too long, but you’ll be missing most of the storytelling and worldbuilding that usually accompanies you. Once again, the story is a bit light for Remnant II, there will only be little bits here and there. It wasn’t until I was approaching the end of The Awakened King, and I happened upon Nimue again – this time found within Losomn – who gave me the full breakdown of what was occurring. In all honesty though, I had already shot anything that had moved by this point, and I wasn’t prepared to change things up now.
With new DLC comes new bosses, and The Awakened King isn’t short of them. There are a ton of new aberrations that act like mini-bosses. One particular encounter had me facing off against one aberration but a quick read through a book found elsewhere told me that he had an acquaintance with another, and they’d had a bit of an argument. Killing the first aberration meant I was fully expecting a second to appear moments later. I wasn’t disappointed, but others may not be so lucky if they cannot locate this particular book.
The actual bosses unfortunately don’t feel as inventive as those in the main game. It feels like those in the DLC revert back to the first game’s method of bullet sponges. In fact, what I found the trickiest element of the boss battles was the arenas that they found themselves in. The Sunken Witch was set in a maze-like labyrinth underground, but most of the areas were blocked off until they were hit by an attack from the Sunken Witch herself. This then revealed extra areas to the maze, but also made it more tricky to defeat her. And secondly, the Befouled Altars weren’t even really a boss; it was another confined area where you had to shoot an altar that just summoned dozens of adds your way. And you have to do this boss twice in different locations too.
You can’t blame the environment though on the final boss; that is just a tricky, tricky fight and rightly so.
Completing the DLC just means there are more secrets to uncover. You won’t be able to unlock everything in the one playthrough. Several items and loot pieces require a new roll of Adventure mode where the DLC areas mix in with the base games. That, and certain areas in the DLC like the Lighthouse have multiple rewards, but only one can be unlocked at a time.
That all said, only a new melee weapon was superior to what I had equipped at the time. Much of the new loot hasn’t really been worth seeking out in all honesty.
Any excuse to return to Remnant II is a good excuse. And even though The Awakened King does commit a few of the same issues as the first game, it is a solid addition to an already excellent experience. Perhaps best of all though is that those wanting to go romping through it with friends will discover that only one needs the DLC for all to enjoy. That needs to be commended.
With more DLC to come, maybe Remnant II will get the recognition it deserves in 2024. Only time will tell, but for now, the post-release offerings are off to a good start with Remnant II: The Awakened King.
