[h1]Overview:[/h1]
'[i]Remnants[/i]' is a first person shooter where you play as an unnamed individual who finds themselves trapped in a mysterious cave system inhabited by strange flying drones from unknown origins. As you explore the cave, you'll soon discover the odd colored ruins that also lie beneath the tunnels each with their own unique symbol and purpose. It's your job to explore these ruins, take advantage of their environmental functions and ultimately escape the very cave you found yourself trapped in. Plot alone is pretty weak as you can probably tell but the game plays fairly well with a weapon system that although isn't something new, also isn't something many developers incorporate.
[h1]Gameplay:[/h1]
The format of the game consists of the player having to enter 7 different doors, each with their own chamber, enemies and mini-boss. Throughout the game, you discover various ruins and elements that function as their own respectable ammunition and to which all are somehow compatible with the odd looking but [i]very[/i] convenient rifle that you hold from the very start of the game. Along with these colorful crystals comes a pretty nifty but somewhat confusing fusion system where you can combine different crystals to create new elemental ammunition that isn't obtainable through natural means.
This is a pretty cool idea as it gives the player a lot more variety on top of the few default crystals they get from the beginning of the game. Not only that, but the elements each behave a different way and encourages the player to fight using different elements. The rifle has 3 different loadouts and an ability to toggle between them making changing up the gameplay seamless rather forcing the player to constantly open up an inventory system just to try something new. I [i]will[/i] say though, that despite there being a pretty convenient way to use every element, I found myself only using a select few as I found them to be objectively better than the rest.
That being said, all of them play a vital role in the game's climax as they're all needed in order to beat the final boss. The fodder that you fight throughout the game can be killed by any element of your liking but once the final boss comes around, the only way to beat it is to destroy it's shield which can only be destroyed by using select elements. This is basically the game's way of making the player utilize all the elements they collected during their playthrough (which is all of them) by making the final boss invulnerable unless said player uses all the elements at their disposal.
There's also a leveling system which I absolutely love when it comes to games of any sort because it gives the player a sense of progression. It's always a good touch knowing your efforts are being put towards potential improvements on stats to make your overall character better like increased attack, more health and even shield. On top of extra perks that kick in when you find secret red orbs hidden around the levels, '[i]Remnants[/i]' really does give the player a lot to work with especially for a free game. It's great fun and gives the player an assortment of different ammo to make the game feel more like a variety shooter than a generic one. It's relatively easy to pick up and play and is a great title for fans of first person shooters, casual and hardcore alike.
[h1]Controls:[/h1]
Works perfectly fine and I haven't run into any issues when it came to trying to actually [i]play[/i] the game. It's your typical run'n'gun game and it does it more than exceptionally. As mentioned, some confusion could arise regarding the whole weapon wheel on the rifle but not unless you've actually played the game, you'd learn that it really isn't as difficult or complicated as it initially seems. The game itself is quite fast paced so I can see people with slower reflexes having trouble with this game but even with that being said, the game is still very easy and enemies are always dropping resources.
[h1]Graphics:[/h1]
For a free game it looks pretty good. Although many people would say it's outdated considering when it was released (and to some extent it is), I [i]will[/i] stand by the game from a visual standpoint as say it still looks appealing. I've read that some people were having frame rate and stuttering issues but I myself didn't run into any performance problems so in regards to that aspect, I'd heed the warnings just to be safe. It could be optimization issues or I just got lucky. The game is also locked at 60 frames and there's no way to change it but there are plenty of graphics settings! Nonetheless, the game ran great for me and I ran into no hiccups. I will say that the graphics [i]could've[/i] used some touch-ups in some areas. Missing shaders and minor flickering areas are common in [i]Unreal Engine[/i] games but I digress.
[h1]Audio:[/h1]
This is where the game is a bit lacking. I've played so many run-of-the-mill shooters both good and bad that I developed a psychological complex where just by listening to the audio of some games will set a standard of what kind of quality I feel the game has in terms of it's audio. '[i]Remnants[/i]' unfortunately falls in the latter as it doesn't sound the best if I have to be brutally honest. You know those cliche action movies that try a bit [i]too[/i] hard to hype up the action scenes by throwing in obnoxiously loud music? Imagine that kind of music but cheesier and played from the start of the movie to the end. Now imagine that the movie is the game, that's basically '[i]Remnants[/i]'. Sound effects also take a bit of a dive but fortunately everything still comes together fine enough and if the gameplay can make up for it, then who am I to complain?
[h1]Conclusion/TL;DR:[/h1]
'[i]Remnants[/i]' is a first person shooter that isn't too short nor too long. Explore countless underground rooms filled with drones that want you dead and combat them with the only weapon you have: a mysterious rifle that absorbs colorful ruins, converting them into special ammunition all with a different function and mechanic allowing for various ways to play. In addition to that, the game has a leveling system where you can increase health, shield and even attack points. It plays nicely for me although some users have had performance problems with the game so if you plan to go into this with a semi-medium tower, I'd heed their warnings. For me however, '[i]Remnants[/i]' was a great free shooter and is a prime example of how to make a decent game. If you're a fan of first person shooters, this one is pretty damn good.
