Remnant: From the Ashes

Remnant: From the Ashes is an action RPG combining ranged, third-person combat with procedurally generated levels and soulslike elements such as limited healing via flasks, harsh punishment for mistakes, and demanding boss fights. Players explore a post-apocalyptic, heavily devastated Earth invaded by a mysterious entity called the Root, with the world laced with portals to other fantasy and sci-fi dimensions, each with its own unique enemies, weapons, and fragments of story hidden in the environment. Co-op for up to three players is the core of the whole experience, letting players share danger and loot in procedurally varied versions of individual levels on each playthrough, so even repeated play through the same area offers a different layout of enemies and side events.

On PS4, the game offered solid and satisfying action shooting with an emphasis on correct positioning and use of cover, complemented by crafting of weapons, mods, and upgrades from materials obtained primarily from defeated bosses, who also serve as the main source of the game's difficulty and progression. The atmosphere combines dark fantasy with pronounced sci-fi elements and a bleak, locally devastated visual style that nicely underscores the feeling of a lonely fight for survival in a ruined world consumed by an alien power, full of abandoned cities and overgrown vegetation.

Remnant: From the Ashes surprisingly succeeded as a project from a smaller studio that managed to elegantly combine soulslike pacing and difficulty with a cooperative shooter for up to three players, and it earned a loyal fanbase despite a fairly modest marketing campaign at launch. Its success eventually led to several sequels, and the title is still praised today as an inventive alternative for fans of demanding action RPGs who want to share the difficulty with friends rather than face the controller alone.

Why play: For players who want to share soulslike pacing and difficulty with friends instead of facing it alone - a cooperative shooter for up to three players offers an inventive alternative among demanding action RPGs.