Summary
It’s safe to say that the release ofRemnant 2has been a rousing success for developer Gunfire Games, with a strong average of roughly 80,000 active Steam players since launch and plenty of fans enjoying the game on consoles. And while the developer will no doubt continue to support the game via regular updates and DLC expansions down the road, the release ofRemnant 2being in Gunfire Games' rearview mirror brings up the possibility of what is next for the talented studio. Its body of work up to this point taken into consideration, it might be time for Gunfire Games to craft a more classic Soulslike in a sequel toChronos: Before The Ashes.
Gunfire Games releasedChronos: Before The Ashesin 2019 as a loosely-connectedprequel toRemnant: From The Ashes, albeit one that leaned more heavily into the Soulslike aspects of its gameplay thanRemnant. The title was commended for being a competent and original take on the Soulslike genre, complete with a unique aging mechanic and several Easter Eggs connecting the title to theRemnantuniverse. Between the Soulslike elements ofRemnant’s gameplay and the studio’s success in crafting more traditional Soulslikes in bothChronosandDarksiders 3, a sequel toChronos: Before The Ashescould flesh out theRemnantuniverse and see the studio expand its repertoire.
RELATED:Remnant 2’s Visual Aesthetic Helps It Stand Out Among Soulslikes
How a Sequel to Chronos: Before The Ashes Could Make Good on its Premise
As is often the case with follow-ups to new and novel game designs, the second entry in a series typically refines mechanics and systems from the first game to make good on a premise that was more of a proof of concept and not quite fully-fleshed out. Players have already seen this exact scenario play out in a number of franchises, withRemnant 2itself being an exampleof a sequel that improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way. The result is thatRemnant 2takes every great unique premise fromRemnant: From The Ashesand refines it, iterating on what worked while not fixing what wasn’t already broken.
Although not the first Soulslike that the studio worked on,Chronos: Before The Asheswas more similar toDark Soulsthan the studio’s “Soulslite” take on theDarksidersfranchise or theirblending of Soulslike and co-op shooterinRemnant. Several of the ideas implemented inChronoswere unique concepts that, for one reason or another, didn’t quite come to full fruition in the final game. One of these ideas is the game’s use of aging the character to impact how they play and the effectiveness of skills.
Each timethe player dies inChronos(which, as a Soulslike, is often), the protagonist ages by one year, with significant impacts on gameplay occurring every 10 years. The intention of this mechanic was to have the protagonist’s age impact how skills either gained or lost utility as a result of the player character becoming more frail as they got older. With youthful exuberance and energy long gone, the idea was that magic and spell casting would be more useful than skill points allotted toward melee combat and endurance. It is a great idea in theory, however in utility it didn’t quite work out as intended and players could still reliably lean on melee even into their sixties.
Since the release ofChronos, not only has Gunfire Games grown and developed as a studio, but other games have successfully tackled dynamic aging mechanics as well. Most notably,Sloclap’sSifuages its protagonistto great effect and the aging mechanic has a tangible impact on gameplay. Now thatRemnant 2has solidified and perfected the concepts of the franchise introduced inRemnant: From The Ashes, Gunfire Games has a great opportunity to craft a compelling traditional Soulslike that does the same for theChronosoffshoot series.
Remnant 2is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
