Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom is the latest DLC for the excellent Remnant II. The second of three planned DLCs, The Forgotten Kingdom, takes everything great about Remnant II and its first DLC The Awakened King, and simply adds more of what makes the base game and its first DLC so good. Offering new weapons, amulets, rings and a new archetype, The Forgotten Kingdom expands on the lore and level design of the previous entries.
Players will head back to the world of Yaesha, previously explored in Remnant II’s base game. This time around, players will be tasked with discovering what happened to a lost tribe of Pan while also uncovering the mystery of a living rock-type enemy. Why they are here and how they came to be will be the focus of this 7 to 8-hour campaign.
While avoiding spoilers, The Forgotten Kingdom’s narrative is delivered with the same layered approach that the previous entries have taken. Through a mix of dialogue and journal entries, players will explore the world of Yaesha and discover a mix of old and new locations. Each area reveals new history and lore surrounding the world and kingdoms of Yaesha, giving additional context to the broader world of Remnant II.
While solid and lore-rich, the story of The Forgotten Kingdom lacks some of the decision-making that was present in The Awakened King and the base game, a feature that has been a staple up to this point. The result is a narrative that feels a bit more direct and linear, lacking some of the moral choice moments that make the previous entries so great. Despite this small diversion, the overall story of Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom is engaging and gives the player a reason to once again delve into the lush biome of Yaesha.
“…the overall story of Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom is engaging and gives the player a reason to once again delve into the lush biome of Yaesha.”
Speaking of Yaesha, Gunfire Games has done an excellent job balancing the old and new regarding map design. While you will tread over some familiar landscapes, the way you engage the environment has shifted, offering players a different perspective. Maps are much more vertical, forcing players to think strategically about how to engage their environment.
As for new areas to be explored, Gunfire Games has taken the lessons it learned from its work on The Awakened King and doubled down on level design. As mentioned, verticality plays a large part in the new areas of the map, encouraging players to explore and use a keen eye to spot hidden entrances to new areas. Things get even more interesting with the introduction of trap rooms, which force players to learn layouts and timing in order to advance to the next area. For those easily frustrated by platforming, none of these trap areas are required to move through the main narrative.
Likewise, puzzles, which have been a part of the series thus far, make a return in Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom. While many puzzles can be quickly solved through journal reading and observing the space around you, some puzzles will require more than one playthrough to complete. This offers another reason for multiple playthroughs.
“While avoiding spoilers, The Forgotten Kingdom’s narrative is delivered with the same layered approach that the previous entries have taken.”
The Forgotten Kingdom also offers a host of new enemies and bosses to encounter as you explore Yaesha. Uniquely themed, these new enemy types offer some fun and engaging challenges for veterans of the game. A couple of the new bosses specifically offer a level of challenge I’ve not encountered since Remnant II’s final boss. It’s fun and adds more of an already diverse group of enemy types for you to engage.
Players can expect an array of new weapons, mods and armour to modify and tweak to their play style. Some of the new weapons introduced in The Forgotten Kingdom offer some new and fun mechanics to help players create fun and engaging loadouts for their characters. New synergies with existing weapons and mods help keep things feeling fresh during the playthrough with the Crystal Staff, for example, offering a whole new way to leverage a melee weapon.
The new rings and amulets play quite nicely with many of the existing archetypes with quite a few tailored for the new Invoker, specifically. On that note, as announced a few days ago, The Forgotten Kingdom introduces the Invoker Archetype, a hybrid spell caster designed to enhance all their skills. The Prime Perk doubles the base skill charges and reduces the cooldown of activated skills by 10 percent. This becomes exceptionally powerful when paired with the Ritualist Archetype, essentially doubling skill damage thanks to the second cast granted by the perk.
“Everything about The Forgotten Kingdom feels like Gunfire Games simply took what was great and made it even better.”
While I’ve not been able to unlock the Invoker Archetype yet, it’s already easy to see how, when combined with the Ritualist and optimized gear, this archetype will wreak havoc on enemies. The Invoker is a caster’s dream role. Offering devastating AOE damage and crowd control, it’s a lot of fun to play.
Interestingly, the Invoker also offers an impressive amount of support through buffs like haste and heals while casting their offensive skills. The Invoker feels like an archetype that easily compliments any of the existing types already in the game and will be a lot of fun to explore and adjust to fit your playstyle.
The Forgotten Kingdom is a great addition to Remnant II. It offers new and rich lore while offering a solid, albeit linear, story arc. Everything about The Forgotten Kingdom feels like Gunfire Games simply took what was great and made it even better. The new weapons, armour, items and Archetype all give new depth and options that players can adjust and tweak to their preferred playstyle. If you’re a fan of the series, Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom is worth picking up and diving into.
