Remnant 2 'The Forgotten Kingdom' review: Yet another reason to play one of the best games of the past year

Remnant 2 was a massive summer hit of 2023, topping out at over 110,000 players on Steam. With over two million sales, it's safe to say the game has been a tremendous success. As a result, the hype for each DLC release is immense, including The Forgotten King.

A new one-shot adventure for players to tackle, The Forgotten King sets players back in the world of Yaesha, home of the Pan. In it, players will uncover secrets, dangers, and adventures. Is it worth the return? Let's find out!

What is Remnant 2?

Remnant 2 is Dark Souls with guns. Similar to the joke, Fallout is Elder Scrolls with guns, except both are rather valid. Even the Creative Director for Gunfire Games says so; therefore, it has to be true! Moreover, it's procedurally generated, so no two playthroughs will ever be the same.

Imagine a world where every step you take is dangerous, and every decision you make could be the difference between life and death. Remnant 2 is that world; every Soulslike fan's dream come true. With its vast array of explorable zones, unlockable items, and craftable weapons, this game is sure to keep you on your toes from beginning to end. And let's not forget the dashing clads of armor that will make you feel like a true warrior. It's a game that begs to be played over and over again as you strive to attain everything there is to unlock. Trust me, once you start playing, you won't be able to put it down. Heck, I bought it twice!

Check out my initial Remnant 2 review for detailed information and insights into the main game.

What is The Forgotten Kingdom?

The Forgotten Kingdom takes us back to Yaesha, the realm of the Pan—the original realm of crazy that was initially featured in Remnant: From the Ashes. The Pan are a mostly docile race of creatures that only become hostile once something awful happens to them, which, unfortunately, seems to be their entire existence. I'm here to share with you that something has happened to them yet again.

The player meets a Pan, who is quickly named Walt for simplicity. His actual name is humorously long, and the player immediately nopes out of ever saying it. We find him anxiously studying a mural. In it, he's discovered remnants (pun intended) of a civilization long lost in history, one of which he was ridiculed for believing in by his peers.

He's anxious and exhilarated by this discovery. The more the player pesters him, the more you'll get out of the character. Over time, you'll come across Walt periodically as he unravels more behind the enigma of the lost Pan society. 

With that comes the introduction of the DLC antagonist. You'll meet them early and grow to learn that not everything is as it seems. So far, from what I can tell, there isn't much of a decision to make like there has been in past Remnant stories, which disappointed me a bit, but nothing that I found distracting from my overall experience. I also didn't find the overall story all that enthralling either, but more on that later.

Remnant 2 The Forgotten Kingdom: The pros

The Invoker

The Invoker is a skilled practitioner who draws strength from the Nature Spirits of Yaesha. By harnessing the mystic power of the jungle, the Invoker enhances their skills and unleashes powerful attacks based on the unrelenting power of nature. With a deep connection to the natural world, the Invoker can channel Yaesha's energy to achieve feats that others might deem impossible. And it mostly delivers that.

Starting off, the Invoker gets a skill eerily similar to the Challenger's Warstomp, Way of Kaeula. With it, the Invoker casts a wave of water coated in electricity. Those caught in it share 1,600 bursts of damage. This wipes the floor of most singular enemies you'll be fighting at mid-difficulty. I had a total blast with it and had a big ole' smirk across my face with every use.

Then came my new favorite mastery for group play dynamics, which will be the Archetype's second power, Way of Meidra. It grants healing, life steal, and casts increased elemental damage on all enemies within its zone. Paired with the Nebula secondary or other elemental weapons, you'll make quick work of anything that decides to enter the Thunderdome. It's the last ability that fell flat for me. 

I need to do a little more testing, but it didn't smash the "fun" button while I played. In practice, your player builds up a collection of shards. Once they've reached the maximum capacity of ten, they can recast the ability, hitting all enemies for 100 damage times the amount of shards they've collected. I imagine this was supposed to feel like Ironman's final move in Ironman 2, but I was simply whelmed by it. Every Archetype has seen its share of buffs and nerfs, and I imagine the Invoker will be worked on post-launch. 

Thus far, its Prime Perk alone makes it a devastating class to use with its ability doubler. Overall, the Invoker is the Archetype I'll be running in the primary slot. I plan to make it the first I unlock on my next character, too!

Weapons and other items

I couldn't stop finding new stuff to play with while playing through The Forgotten Kingdom. I started by playing my basic crit build and found items that made the build even better! I also found builds to toy around with when I go back to stacking bleed. Something I wasn't testing in The Forgotten Kingdom since plenty of enemies for the DLC are immune to it.

Let's talk about the weapons, though. Specifically the first main hand I came across. In Halo, I hated the Needler. I don't know why, but I always thought it was a silly, stupid weapon. It never did the damage you wanted it to when you needed it the most, and other guns consistently outpaced it. The Thorn, a Needler-inspired rifle, is everything I wanted the Needler to be.

I had so much pleasure just trying to time blasts while turning my character to try and screengrab one of those movie explosions. Spoiler, I never quite got it, but I had plenty of fun going for it. It's my new go-to weapon outside of meta builds, and I'm really hoping some crazy stat tinkerer makes a build specifically using Thorn.

I also got my hands on some melee weapons, and I have to say, Mirage is my favorite by far. It's like having a sandstorm at my fingertips - I can't believe I've gone so long without it. Where has this type of weapon been my whole life? It's nothing special alone, but paired with elemental effects, it's fantastic for some group devouring.

There are also plenty of treasure hunts for players to go on for items and weapons. So far, I've found and completed a few of them, but some still have me over here wracking my brain trying to figure it out. The mystery is what I love about Remnant 2, and it's going to be hard not looking up a guide come launch. I hope to figure it out before the embargo lifts! I don't want that kind of enticement!

Remnant 2 The Forgotten Kingdom: The cons

Unfortunately, with everything comes some negatives.

I adored my time with The Forgotten Kingdom, but there didn't seem to be as much to love as there was with The Awakened King. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty to do and see. But the world itself felt less built out when compared to the sprawling landscape that was found in our return to Losomn. 

In my two playthroughs of The Forgotten Kingdom, the world felt so much smaller. I realize that it's far more vertical than anything before it, but the central hub areas felt significantly smaller and less commanding in their overall presence.

The over-arching story didn't feel as significant or encompassing as the king's betrayal and Nimue's imprisonment. In fact, it's almost too similar in many aspects. A story of a mighty figure who was attacked by their underlings and seeks revenge. If you played through The Awakened King, then you've kind of already played through the story of The Forgotten Kingdom, and that's a bummer.

Remnant 2 The Forgotten Kingdom: Should you play it?

Don't let the negatives I listed deter you. For $10 or $24.99 for the season pass, The Forgotten Kingdom is still one hell of a time. It's absolutely worth the purchase price. It provided me with over 20 hours of playtime, with a lot more to come once my coop buddies join me. 

So yes, you absolutely should play it. Especially if you have Remnant 2. There's no reason for you not to get it. If you liked Remnant 2 as much as I did, or even a little, you'll undoubtedly enjoy your time with The Forgotten Kingdom. Just do yourself a favor and make sure to open your schedule up. You want to avoid being interrupted once you start!

I found myself playing up until the last minute, trying to discover more about the world, and I can't wait to see it in the hands of other players!

The Forgotten King launches today, April 23, 2024! On Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. The initial price is $9.99, while you can snag the DLC bundle for $19.99 on sale or $24.99 for full price.