Remnant 2: The Forgotten Kingdom DLC Review — Everything We Hoped And More

Gunfire Games hit a home run when they released The Awakened King DLC for Remnant 2. It showcased amazing weapons, maps, bosses, and other items, so when I had the chance to play their second DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom, I was hyped to the brim. It had to be more of the same while being distinct and having its own identity, which is something a lot of developers today can’t seem to fulfill.

Fortunately, I’m glad to share that this DLC went above and beyond my expectations. This is quite easily the best Remnant 2 has ever looked, played, and felt, and as someone who’s played the base game and the first expansion for hundreds of hours, I was thoroughly impressed from start to finish.

Story And Setting

Remnant 2’s The Forgotten Kingdom DLC features a strong narrative that steadily builds up towards a massive payoff and twist. The base game and even the first expansion didn’t feature an overly compelling story, but this add-on delivers its plot with finesse that keeps you intrigued.

We return to Yaesha with the new DLC, which is honestly a breath of fresh air since it seemed like almost everything was a part of N’Erud. The main source of storytelling comes from Walt, a Pan who’s from the same kin as Dwell at Ward 13. He talks about the ancient lost tribe of Pan, which fell ill and had to search the seas for a cure.

Remnant 2’s The Forgotten Kingdom DLC features a strong narrative that steadily builds up towards a massive payoff and twist.

The tribe’s leader, Thalos, eventually meets with an important figure, someone I won’t spoil, who grants the leader and his people the cure in exchange for something. As the game progresses, you and Walt regularly meet each other and uncover the story bits and pieces from the murals spread across the world.

A Simple Premise Carried By Passion And Care

Although the story itself isn’t too complex, The Forgotten Kingdom is interesting primarily because of Walt. I love this character—his dialogue, his accent, and his emotions are so spot-on that I was always invested in what he had to say. He’s the only NPC you interact with, yet I felt he alone carried the cast.

The world and setting also play a huge part in personifying the lore. Each and every environment tells a story by the way it looks. The wonderful music for these worlds further helped to add more flair and character to the DLC. I did feel as though the ending could’ve been more charismatic, but aside from that, this is hands down Remnant 2’s most serious attempt at a compelling narrative yet.

Gameplay

The Forgotten Kingdom DLC’s gameplay loop features more of the same from Remnant 2’s base map, which is essentially action-packed combat, fluid movement, insane customizations, and, overall, just a fun time. So, instead of gushing over the core loop again, I’ll go over the things that make The Forgotten Kingdom’s gameplay feel unique.

First and foremost, there’s been a major overhaul to the map layout. Almost all the locations in this DLC have incredible level design, which encourages traversal and exploration. Every corner is worth checking out because it might be hiding some important loot or, better yet, an entirely new area.

The Forgotten Kingdom DLC’s gameplay loop features more of the same from Remnant 2’s base map, which is essentially action-packed combat, fluid movement, insane customizations, and, overall, just a fun time.

Puzzles are also a major focus in these areas. In fact, there’s a whole location that’s entirely built on solving puzzles. And no, these aren’t half-baked, boring puzzles; instead, they are well-designed and incorporate movement and critical thinking. I liked how these segments helped deviate from the looting and shooting, keeping the gameplay loop fresh and interesting.

There’s also the enemies who aren’t nearly as annoying as the ones in The Awakened King. Keeping in line with the story, the enemies here are mainly made from stone. While it does make them seem repetitive design-wise, their attack patterns and mechanics really make these enemies shine.

Gunfire Games really wanted to ensure that the enemies in this expansion had variations, and no other enemy type highlights this aspect more than the bosses. The bosses here have a huge moveset, clear weaknesses, and a pattern that forces players to adapt to their style. On top of being challenging, it made them fun to decipher and play around with.

Instead of aiming at bullet sponges, you must learn the boss and figure out strategies mid-combat. The final boss is a perfect example of this phenomenon, which is why they were probably my favorite in The Forgotten Kingdom. 

Out With The Old, In With The New

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Remnant 2 DLC if it didn’t add any fun weapons and archetypes, and I’m happy to report that these inclusions are, indeed, fun. Starting with the most important, The Invoker archetype is the only new archetype in the Forgotten Kingdom, and like with the Ritualist in The Awakened King, it follows a certain theme. 

As seen in the trailers, the Invoker is a skill-focused archetype that boosts your weapons’ special abilities on top of giving you and your allies several buffs. In some scenarios, the Invoker’s abilities feel extremely powerful in clearing hordes of weaker enemies.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Remnant 2 DLC if it didn’t add any fun weapons and archetypes, and I’m happy to report that these inclusions are, indeed, fun.

I didn’t get the chance to test these abilities in co-op yet, but I imagine it would play a critical role in team comps. And, if you’re wondering, yes, this archetype is extremely fun, overpowered, and badass, and part of the reason I think that is because of the new weapons that The Forgotten Kingdom added.

Remnant 2’s second DLC features several new melee weapons, guns, and a ton of rings and other attachments. Despite the game having an abundance of items already, these new add-ons still managed to be unique and creative in terms of both mechanics and looks.

The best part, though, is that the items you get are consistently better the more you progress through The Forgotten Kingdom, so there’s a major incentive to keep pushing. Heck, even the new armor sets in the game are exquisite and crafted to pure perfection, especially the Invoker’s outfit, which you find towards the later half of the DLC.

Gameplay-wise, Remnant 2’s The Forgotten Kingdom hit all the right notes. It’s more of the same, but bigger and better, and personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re someone who regularly enjoys the game’s combat fundamentals, just know that you’re in for a worthwhile experience.

Visuals And Performance

Remnant 2’s The Forgotten Kingdom is arguably the best this game has looked, mainly thanks to the environments that look like they’re ripped straight from a painting. You can see how Gunfire Games had an artistic vision for each new area, and that vision is perfectly captured in reality when you first step into the Glittering Grotto.

The graphics are as still crisp, immersive, and visually stunning as from the base game and the first DLC, but the artstyle for the new locations in The Forgotten Kingdom are really what set this expansion apart. They’re packed with vibrant colors, jawdropping backdrops and skyboxes, fluid in terrain and detail, and generally have a defining vibe to them. In simple words, they’re a feast for the eyes.

The graphics are as still crisp, immersive, and visually stunning as from the base game and the first DLC, but the artstyle for the new locations in The Forgotten Kingdom are really what set this expansion apart.

Performance-wise, The Forgotten Kingdom DLC carries over much from its base game, which includes relatively stable performance in most circumstances but with occasional frame drops. I usually hit 60+ FPS when exploring the open world on my RTX 3070, but the figures dipped significantly when there were a ton of particles popping up on the screen, especially during boss battles.

Running this game on High Settings, I never encountered any visual bugs or glitches. Make no mistake: you will need a beefy PC to make it run smoothly, but the results you get at the end are worth every drop of performance. I just wish the performance’s stability was completely consistent throughout the experience.

Verdict

Remnant 2’s The Forgotten Kingdom DLC captures everything great from the base game and pushes it to a new height. It’s a massive step up in every department, or at least the ones that matter, a bundle of creativity, passion, and class neatly wrapped up and gifted to the audience. 

If you weren’t a fan of Remnant 2 previously, I doubt this expansion will change your mind. However, for anyone who’s either a fan or wants to be a fan of this franchise, The Forgotten Kingdom is sure to meet your expectations. It’s also noticeably longer than The Awakened King DLC, so it’ll keep you hooked for a while.

This has been my review of Remnant 2: The Forgotten Kingdom DLC. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other recently-published reviews:

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