Gunfire Games’ Remnant 2 is a random romp with RPG mechanics threaded throughout thrilling FPS action. It’s also a huge improvement on it’s predecessors and an experience where the inspirations are clear – when you take a moment to think about it. From Soulslikes like Bloodborne to bloodbaths like Resident Evil, the Remnant 2 inspirations Gunfire Games’ development team have discussed since launch are all things you can see when you jump into a game. However, more recently, Gunfire Games’ David Adams shares that it was also inspired by an ancient Greek epic – if you can believe it.
Remnant 2 is easily one of the best co-op games we’ve seen come out this year, and it really is a fantastic evolution of the slept-on series from Gunfire Games. It also, it seems, is quite classically inspired – something that may come as a surprise to some of you.
Speaking to principal environment artist Shaun Brahmsteadt, eXputer shares that iconic horror franchise Resident Evil and FromSoftware’s Bloodborne are among the inspirations for Remnant 2’s world – which, when you look at what Remnant 2 presents players with, is quite clear. However, speaking more broadly with creative director David Adams, GameDeveloper reveals that Homer’s Odyssey – one of two epic poems from ancient Greece – was a huge inspiration for the game’s direction as a whole. This, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense; but, we’d be lying if we said it was as obvious as the visceral visuals of Resident Evil and Bloodborne.
With Gunfire Games’ goal for the first Remnant game being “100 percent just little vignettes and little story”, Adams reveals that the studios’ “ultimate goal” for Remnant 2 and – by the sounds of it, the series’ future entries – is to “try and make a game that felt like Homer’s Odyssey”. This being a narrative with a clear backbone and end objective, but one that is defined by the smaller stories and encounters that play out throughout.
In Homer’s Odyssey, ancient Greek hero and king of Ithaca Odysseus is returning home after the Trojan War – a fairly simple story all things considered. What makes this an epic, though, and memorable, is the fact that his journey took him ten years; throughout this journey, which is spread across 24 books, he encounters a number of dangers, adventures, and recalls more and more of his past. It’s these stories within the larger story that really make Homer’s Odyssey the epic it is known for and this feeling is something Gunfire Games wanted to recreate for Remnant 2.
Adams goes on to explain that it’s a “bittersweet” feeling to see players praising the side stories they come across, while being critical of the over-arching narrative.
“People expect the mains tory to be the showpiece… It really isn’t in our game… We feel it’s better to focus on the individual micro stories because that’s the nuts and bolts of the game.”
Gunfire Games wants to continue to refine the experience in the future, but it’s clear that it’s doing something right when it comes to fostering similar feelings to those facilitated by Homer’s epic. Whatever complaints you have about the main narrative, it’s the smaller stories and moments you come across are where Gunfire Games is trying to thrive.
If you’re looking forward to the future of this game, you can find out more about how Remnant 2’s principal designer is teasing awesome updates for traits here. We also have the latest on all the best Remnant 2 weapons and guns – and how you can unlock them – right here.