Remnant 2: The Awakened King Feels Like Another Bloodborne Homage

Both the original Remnant: From The Ashes and its sequel, Remnant 2 have a few key inspirations behind them. Resident Evil 4 is a pretty clear influence, with the meaty, over-the-shoulder combat. There’s also a little bit of Diablo and a little bit of Destiny in there too, with the emphasis on loot. Of course, the shadow of Dark Souls looms large, and I think it’s fair to say that both games owe a lot to FromSoftware’s groundbreaking RPG. Without it, we would probably have never had either of the Remnant games (and a whole load of others, but that’s a story for another time),

From The Ashes was very Dark Souls in its basic structure. Linear-ish levels broken up by bonfires and boss fights. Thematically though, while it varied a lot, it was much more Sci-Fi than medieval fantasy. As a Sci-Fi nut, I appreciated that. I’m all about weird alien labyrinths and evil hive-mind monstrosities. I am, however, an even bigger Bloodborne nut (I know that sounds gross, but it’s true). I’ve played through it dozens of times, I have all the trophies, including the DLC ones, and it’s still my favorite game of all time. Although I will admit, even after almost a decade, it is badly in need of some kind of remaster.

Imagine my delight then, when, as I was reviewing Remnant 2, I discovered that one of the possible opening areas, Losomn, is basically Yharnham, as my colleague and fellow Bloodborne enthusiast Robert Zak was quick to point out. There are angry townsfolk hunting down outsiders (i.e., you) in a run-down Victorian city, the sewers are full of monsters, and there are even a couple of werewolves on the loose. It couldn’t be more Bloodborne if it tried, and I didn’t mind that one bit. There’s so little Bloodborne about, I’ll take whatever I can get.

Return Of The King

Recently, I was given the opportunity to jump into The Awakened King, the new Remnant 2 DLC. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but as it turns out, Gunfire Games absolutely doubled down on the whole Bloodborne homage thing. The DLC takes place in Losomn for a start. This time though, things don’t kick-off in quite the same way. Rather than dumping you into what looks like a recreation of Yharham town centre, the DLC begins somewhere reminiscent of the Fishing Hamlet from the Old Hunters expansion. Yes, this is a Bloodborne deep cut.

I’m a big fan of Lovecraft’s stories, and something about the Awakened King brought them straight to mind.

The overarching narrative concerns the return of the One True King, who has re-awoken following the fall of The Impostor King in the base game. Naturally, he’s out for blood, and it’s up to you to stop him and prevent his insidious influence from plunging the land into darkness. His return spells doom for the people of Losomn, and boy does it show. Misery and decay are the order of the day.

I get a powerful Lovecraft vibe. Some ancient evil is stirring, and nobody knows what to do. People are being driven mad in their droves, and the end of days feels as though it’s rapidly approaching. I’m a big fan of Lovecraft’s stories, and something about the Awakened King brought them straight to mind.

A Debt To Lovecraft

That familiar feeling hit me as soon as I stepped out into the harbour. The dark, roiling sea, and the dark, haggard figures dotted along the waterfront felt just as much a nod to the work of H. P. Lovecraft as Bloodborne ever did — The Shadow Over Innsmouth to be precise, a personal favourite of mine. There’s a palpable air of desperation and decay. Rotting fish and dilapidated shacks all over the place. Everyone you meet who isn’t trying to kill you is mumbling about some kind of spreading darkness or blight, and many have given up hope altogether.

The rest of the game is hardly sunshine and rainbows, but there are no other areas that feel quite this unsettling. It’s a horror with a (mostly) human face, which I find is always the most disturbing. Most of the enemies you’ll be up against are flesh and blood, rather than haunted shrubberies or giant stone automatons. One of the new elite enemies is a woman in black robes and a wide-brimmed hat who chases you around with a giant axe. She would probably get on well with the giant chainsaw-wielding man from the base game who also pops up in the DLC. Later on, you get to explore a couple of sewers, filled with things that look like the messengers from Bloodborne grew up to be pure evil. With scary purple eyes.

Predictably, Losomn was one of my favourite areas in Remant 2, so getting the chance to explore more of its dark and dreary back alleys suits me down to the ground. There really isn’t enough Bloodborne in the world, so it’s nice to play something that so obviously takes inspiration from it. The Awakened King scratches my very specific itch, and I’m grateful for that.