Remnants

Remnants
Genre(s)	Action Role-playing game
Developer(s)	Equilibrium
Creator(s)	Aghasi Burian
Platform(s)	PC Aura Qube 360
First release	Remnants January 20th, 1998
Latest release	'Remnants 5 December 20th, 2022

Remnants is a post-apocalyptic action role-playing video game developed by the Syaran game studio Equilibrium. The series is set in Tyran approximately 150-250 years after after the global conflict that served as the apocalypse, bringing an end to human civilization as it was known. The original title, Remnants, was released in 1998 as a top-down, isometric role playing game, and followed by a sequel (Remnants 2) in 2000. A first person shooter spin-off, Remnants Legacy was released in 2006, marking the transition of the game from 2D to 3D graphics. The next main installment, Remnants 3, was released in 2011, followed by Remnants 4 in 2016. The most recent Remnants 5 was released in December 2022. A tabletop role-playing game, a trading card game, and mobile app based in the Remnants universe were released in 2002, 2006, and 2015 respectively. An animated web series consisting of twelve episodes based on the franchise was released between 2020-2021.

Remnants has received largely positive critical reviews and commercial success, becoming one of Syara's most prominent multi-media franchises.

Origins

Remnants was envisioned Aghasi Burian, who joined Equilibrium as creative director in 1996. Burian was inspired by his experience living in Dateva during the Refusal War, living amongst the rubble and destroyed buildings. Burian would later state that Remnants originated as an idea as to what might happen "if the bombing never stopped", eventually leading to the collapse of civilization. After joining Equilibrium Burian pitched the idea to artist Nicolaos Gergev, who created a series of concept art pieces which served as the basis for the first series aesthetic. Remnants marked a noticeable departure from Equilibrium's previous games, which were primarily racing games and an interactive novel.

Synopsis

Remnants begins 100 years after an apocalyptic global conflict that devastates the population and biosphere of Tyran. Most of the details of the conflict and the world before it are not expanded upon; scattered in game writings point towards an alternate history setting (the Republic of Syara surviving into the 21st Century, a war between Quenmin and Acrea over Serikos, and a conflict between the Cacertian Empire and Ossoria over the Nuadan Ocean). The date of the war is given as July 27th sometime in the 21st Century, with no specific year identified. Characters in-universe employ a new calendar based off the war rather than traditional methods, with the first year after the war labeled as Post-War 1, or PW1.

The cataclysmic conflict wiped out 99.99% of the human population, while driving most flora and fauna to extinction. Wide-spread desertification has turned most of western Siduri and southern Eracura into arid and semi-arid lands known as the "Barrens". Large tracts of land are inhospitable owing to contamination from chemical and biological weapons, with scattered pools of toxin and radiation from ruptured nuclear reactors. Agriculture is limited and small scale, and animals are few and far in between. Most major cities have been destroyed and no national governments are known to have survived the war, leading most of humanity to live in small groups and tribes, with anarchic conditions outside scattered settlements. While Syara, Ruvelka, Mansuriyyah, and Górska are mentioned, all have effectively ceased to exist as cohesive nations.

Despite the destruction, continuity of civilization is a recurring motif in the series, with successive installments featuring an increasingly populated world space and more complex societies. Names of former nations gradually became nothing more than geographic descriptors, and non-player characters comment and speak of events in previous titles. Despite this, the world remains a far cry from its pre-war prestige and population. Application of technology, agriculture, medicine and manufacturing remain scattered and unevenly developed. Most of the game takes place in north-west Siduri, with some installments including south-west Eracura and the island of Chryse.

Games

Remnants (1998)

Released in June 1998, the first Remnants title takes place in western and southern Syara 100 years after the war that ended the world as we know it. The player-character is known as the Chronicler, who hails from an unnamed tribe in what had been Scitaria. The Chronicler is tasked with gathering information on the nearby ruins of Lerok. During the journey there the Chronicler chances upon a dying man who asks the player to deliver a computer part to a friend in the settlement of Blackwater. Completing this quest involves an encounter with the Ravaged, a group of people infected with the residue of biological weapons that were used during the war. The Ravaged suffer from immense pain without dying, and fears of infection lead them to be banned from settlements. Upon learning of that the Ravaged intend to set out and conquer all of Syara, the Chronicler is tasked with defeating the Ravaged, which serves as the main story line of the game. Along the way the player can interact with other settlements and tribes, completing tasks for NPCs and leveling up their character. The player has the option of defeating the Ravaged either by killing their leader, the Reaver, or convincing her that a cure can be found in Ruvelka, which causes them to migrate eastward. Either option results in the Chronicler being banished from their village out of fear of infection (although it is later revealed the infection can only be spread intravenously). A non-canon ending allows the player to join the Ravaged, after which they conquer all of Syara.

Remnants was a critical and commercial success, with praise for its writing and environment. The game sold 250,000 copies in Syara within the first six months, eventually surpassing one million copies internationally.

Remnants 2 (2000)

The success of Remnants led Equilibrium to develop a sequel, which was released in October 2000. Remnants 2 takes place 50 years after the events of the first game. The player-character resides in the Bay of Ruchalas aboard a series of connected cargo ships and merchant vessels known as Iron Pier. The player, known as "Shipmate", is sent ashore to trade with a nearby settlement; upon returning they learn that one of the vessels that served as part of Iron Pier was stolen by pirates, and is tasked with tracking down the stolen vessel. Following clues leads the player to Symmeria, where they learn that much of Syara and Ruvelka have come under the domain of the Khanate, who are implied to be descended from the armed forces of Shirvaniya. The player learns the Khanate paid the pirates to capture the vessel in order to mobilize a fleet to invade Chryse, which is under the control of a techno-religious cult known as the Mechanica Disciples. The player can choose which side to support; if the player chooses to support the Khanate, they must assist in acquiring vessels, fuel, and navigational equipment to help prepare the Khanates' navy. If the player sides with the Disciples, they must travel to an abandoned Ruvelkan military bunker in the Kurilla Mountains to retrieve military technology for Chryse's defenses. The final events of the game involve an invasion of Chryse by the Khanate; if the player sides with the Khanate they must battle the leader of the Disciples, the Automaton, while siding with the Disciples involves fighting the UrKhan, the leader of the Khanate. Defeating the Khanate paves the way for the rise of the Rioni Republic in central Syara and Ruvelka.

Remnants 2 was a commercial success, selling more than a million copies. While it received generally positive reviews, it suffered some criticism for its continued usage of the original game engine, known as Carver, which some critics pointed out by 2000 was an already dated engine that struggled with the more complex set pieces required of the game.

Remnants Legacy (2006)

After the success of the first two games, Equilibrium planned to produce another sequel, slated for release in 2004 with a new engine that would mark the transition to 3D graphics. These plans were cancelled after Equilibrium ran into financial difficulty following the bankruptcy of its partner studio Moonlight productions, which had helped produced Remnants 2. Equilibrium was forced to lay off 50% of its staff and cancelled work on its new engine. In 2003 the company was acquired by Second Wind Arts and Electronics, who agreed to support another release if Equilibrium partner with another partner studio StormMaker. Equilibrium agreed, leading to Remnants Legacy, which was released in 2006. Unlike the previous two installments, Legacy was a first person shooter utilizing 3D graphics. Many roleplaying elements were cut in favor of a streamlined plot and gameplay.

Legacy takes place in between the first two games and involves the player, known in-game as the "Hunter", tracking down the remnants of the Ravaged. The Hunter, who works for an organization called the Verdicts, completes a series of missions involving killing Ravaged and bandits. Along the way the Hunter can recruit followers and soldiers to assist in their missions, who will provide back up, supplies, and useful information. At the climax of the game, the Hunter and their team encounter an operational railroad and train, which they must capture from the Ravaged and defend it from their counter-attacks. If the player has amassed enough followers, they then have the option of taking the train for themselves, which prompts the Verdicts to attack and the Hunter must defeat them as well. The game ends with either the Hunter then boarding the train and taking it wherever it leads, or securing it for the Verdicts to set up as their new base of operations.

Legacy was moderate commercial success, selling half a million copies within a year. It received mixed reviews from critics, namely for its significant departure from the rest of the series in tone, story, and mechanics. It did however receive praise for its own gameplay elements, with a common description among fans becoming "it's a good shooter, but not a good Remnants game".

Remnants 3 (2010)

After the moderate success of Legacy, Equilibrium was given the green light to produce another Remnants game. Development began in 2007 and featured a return to the fold, with the genre reverting to action RPG, while maintaining the 3D graphics. A new engine, Lighthouse, was developed for use in the game. Remnants 3 was originally slated for release in 2009, but the outbreak of the Zemplen War led to repeated delays. While the extended time allowed the designers more time to flesh out the story, the passage of time also forced Equilibrium to keep up with developments in technology and gameplay; Remnants 3 was finally released in January 2011.

Remnants 3 takes place 50 years after the events of the previous game (200 years after the war). The Player-Character awakens on a beach on the coastline of Hayreniky and is dubbed the Survivor, evidently having been shipwrecked. In the 200 years since the war civilization has gradually reasserted itself, and western Siduri is now noticeably more populated. Several major story lines emerge as the player explores: much of western Mansuriyyah has been united under the Caliphate, an Islamic faction led by the aging Emir, who's triplet sons are in conflict with one another to secure the Caliphate after their father dies. A newly manufactured, highly addictive drug known as rush has spread throughout southern Syara and Ruvelka; rush addiction has become a major problem with devastating effects on the community, while the growth of rush has led to the rise of several prominent drug cartels and crime families who are vying for influence. Only the Caliphate has managed to stem the tide of rush by outlawing it within its territory and executing drug dealers. The main questline involves the player siding with either one of the cartels or one of the sons of the Emir. Siding with any of the cartels involves crushing the other drug families, then manipulating the politics of the Caliphate to ensure the easily manipulated son Khalid comes to power, so he can declare rush halal. The player must then kill off or intimidate resistant imams to ensure rush spreads into Mansuriyyah. If the player sides with the Caliphate, they must assist one of the sons in securing power after the Emir dies. Regardless of whom the player chooses, the Survivor must then defeat the other brothers before defeating the cartels, crippling the production of rush. The Survivor then pursue a cures for rush addiction, alleviating the pain for many communities.

Remnants 3 was a major success, selling more than 8 million copies across Tyran. The game received praise for its story, gameplay, immersion, and worldbuilding, while criticism was directed towards its inconsistent writing and pacing, which were largely the result of the game's repeated delays and gaps in development.

Remnants 4 (2016)

Remnants 4 was released in 2016, set another 50 years after the previous title and thus 250 years after the war. Remnants 4 features a much smaller but more densely packed world map, with elements of crafting and settlement construction. The entirety of the game takes place within northern Syara, Chryse, and southern Górska.

The player is known as the Emissary, who resides within the Kingdom of Zov in northern Symmeria. The Emissary is tasked to travel north to Chryse and Eracura to pave the way for a migration of the Kingdom, in order to escape the expansionist Rioni Republic. The main questline involves the Emissary traveling across Chryse and southern Eracura to determine where their people may migrate to. Along the way, the player encounters the remains of Mechanica Disciples, and Górskan tribes and settlements. The Emissary must complete quests and tasks for the various tribes, some of which are incompatible and force the player to choose which side to support. At the culmination of the quest, the Emissary assists their people with migrating into southern Górska, and must then fight off and hostile tribes while integrating into the area with the support of their allies.

Remnants 4 was a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies. Critics praised the game mechanics, world design and character options, while the game's much more limited scope and story were subject to criticism.

Remnants 5 (2022)

The latest installment in the series, Remnants 5 takes place 300 years after the war. The game features the largest map of the series, covering much of eastern Syara, Ruvelka, Mansuriyyah, and Shirvaniya. After three centuries the world has begun to recover from the war, with increasingly complex trade, politics, societies, and proto-states emerging across the Barrens. The largest of these is the Rioni Republic, which controls all of Syara and western Ruvelka up to the Kurilla Mountains. The rapidly growing nation however is in need of new territory, having outgrown its lands and is looking to expand east and south. Much of eastern Ruvelka and Shirvaniya is in a state of flux and dominated by independent city-states owing to the collapse of the Khanate, which now exists as a rump state. The Caliphate of Mansuriyyah is in the midst of a civil war between rival Islamic sects, which has allowed a drug and slave trade to flourish and is destabilizing the regions as drug and slave cartels run rampant.

The story introduced the player-character known as the Mercenary, who narrowly escapes death after their caravan was ambushed thanks to a Ruvelkan tribal named Arinkah. The Mercenary learns their caravan was attacked because (unbeknownst to them), they were transporting bribes for local towns in eastern Ruvelka to convince them to support the Republic. The attack was ordered by Damira, a warlord who seeks to carve out her own dominion in eastern Ruvelka and northern Shirvaniya. The player has the option of allying with each of the five main factions; the Rioni, the Khanate, the Mubarak Caliphate, the Qawiun Emirate, or Damira. The player also has the choice of overthrowing Damira and taking over their movement to forge their own empire.

If the Mercenary allies with the Rioni, they must deal with the drug and slave traffickers rampant in southern Ruvelka and northern Mansuriyyah, before resolving the Caliphates' civil war by helping either side defeat the other. The player must then assassinate Damira, leading to a final climactic battle with the remaining independent states and the Khanate. A Rioni victory ends with the Republic annexing eastern Ruvelka and northern Shirvaniya. If the Mercenary chooses the Khanate, they must forge an alliance with Damira or kill her to draw the rest of the city-states together to oppose the Rioni. They then must resolve the civil war in the Caliphate by supporting either side, then do battle with the Rioni, with victory resulting in the Rioni withdrawing west to the Kurilla Mountains and securing eastern Ruvelka and Shirvaniya for the Khanate. If the player sides with Damira, they must either kill the ilKhan or forge an alliance with Damira and the Khanate, before resolving the Caliphates' civil war. The Rioni must then be defeated in battle, after which Damira establishes an empire of her own in eastern Ruvelka. If the player chooses to kill Damira and take over themselves, they must repeat the same quest line but for their own gain.

If the Mercenary backs the Caliphate, they must defeat the Emirate, then stamp out the slave and drug trade, which will turn Damiras' faction hostile as she relies on the illicit trade for funding, forcing the player to kill her. Afterwards, the player can ally with or kill the ilKhan, and afterwards must do battle with the Rioni, resulting in a Rioni withdrawal. If the Mercenary sides with the Emirate, they have the option of forging an alliance with Damira, but must kill the ilKhan before doing battle with the Rioni.

Remnants 5 received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success upon its release, becoming the recipient of numerous gaming awards. Praise was directed towards the immense world space, ample player choices, and writing.

Gameplay

The first two Remnants games were top down isometric role playing games; following the release of Remnants Legacy, the games transitioned to a 3D graphics engine, and subsequent titles allowed for first and third person point of views adjustable while in-game.

With the exception of Legacy, all games start with a similar character creation system. Players may first choose a physical appearance (which became much more expanded in the 3D engines), after which they are given the opportunity to select an Archetype. Archetypes are pre-coded characters design for certain playstyles; for example, the Gunslinger Archetype has bonuses towards firearms, while the Engineer Archetype has bonuses towards repair skills. Players can opt to create their own character through the DISC system, or Dexterity, Intellect, Strength, and Charm. Each attribute affects certain skills; Dexterity alters speed and weapons handling, Intellect improves mechanical and medicine skills, Strength increases health and carrying capacity, and Charm affects speech and bartering skills. Skills are related to specific tasks such as stealing, speech, weapons handling, bartering, or repairing items. Players can upgrade these skills upon gaining enough experience and leveling up. Players may also select Traits which offer a tradeoff of a bonus in exchange for a detriment, for example a Trait that increases the players repair and scientific skills but reduces their speech and bartering abilities.

The world space is populated by non-player characters (NPCs) which can be interacted with through a variety of means. NPCs are typically either named or generic. Generic NPCs are usually used just to fill up locations, while named NPCs are usually involved in quests or offer services like merchants or companions. NPCs can give quests for the player to complete, ranging from item retrieval to assassination. Each game (with the exception of Legacy) features a reputation system that is broken down into Personal and Location scales. Personal reputation concerns their player and is dependent on player actions; doing things like murder and stealing results in an negative reputation with neutral parties, while helping others earns a positive reputation. Location reputation refers to the players reputation with a specific place or faction. Having a negative reputation can turn NPCs of that faction hostile, while a positive reputation can lead to benefits like cheaper prices for goods and services. In later installments, having a positive or negative reputation with one faction can influence the players' standing with another faction.

Players can acquire items such as tools, weapons, food and medicine by either scavenging across the Barrens, purchasing the item from vendors and merchants, or crafting the item themselves if they have the necessary parts. Tools include machine parts and items that can be used to repair other items. Weapons range from melee weapons such as clubs, axes, or spears, to explosives like grenade and firearms. Firearms range from pre-war models based on real life weapons (which are more expensive and powerful) or post-war manufactured weapons (which are typically of cheaper quality). Currency varies across the series; in the initial two installments the in-game currency was referred to as scrap, or scrap metal, and was measured in weight, with the more weight being the more valuable. Remnants 3 and 4 introduced minted coins made of metal, while Remnants 5 introduced paper money from the Rioni Republic. Players can dress themselves in a variety of outfits, from casual wear to body armor.

Players have both a journal and an inventory in each game. The journal contains information related to quests, notes, hints, and player details such as skill levels or if they are suffering from any ill effects from drugs or the environment. Inventory contains a list of what types of items the player is carrying and in what quantity.

Combat in the first two games was turn based, then transitioned to real time with the release of Legacy. Players may tailor their character towards specific fighting styles through selection of attributes and skills. Strength can assist with melee weapons, while dexterity helps with firearms. Players have a set number of hitpoints that are raised with each level. Wearing armor reduces the amount of damage taken by enemy attacks. Killing enemies gains experience points that are counted towards the players level progression.

Themes

According to creator and developer Aghasi Burian, the "continuity of civilization" is the prime theme of the series. Despite the near extinction of the human race, and the annihilation of the natural environment, humanity continue to persist in a manner similar to its pre-war status. People form tribes and communities, and eventually form more complex societies and eventually proto-states. The series witnesses human civilization recover first through forming isolated communities with nascent trade networks before evolving into larger nations with comprehensive political systems that form their own gravitas and shape the world to their liking. The emphasis on the continuation of civilization has sometimes led the series to be labeled "post-post-apocalyptic"; civilization has already begin to recover by the time of the first game, and as the series progresses the old world becomes increasingly distant and forgotten by the characters in the series.

However, the series still deals with dark and mature themes, some of which have been the source of controversy. In an interview in 2004, Burian stated that part of the appeal of the series was its' "willingness to expose just how bad we could get if things got bad". Slavery, drug use, murder, prostitution, kidnapping, and torture are common features of the Barrens, of which the player can partake in all. Some restrictions however were put in place at the behest of the development team, such as child killing and sexual assault, per Burian.

The original idea book we had was deep and dark. We poured through history for inspiration and saw a lot of nasty stuff. I grew up in the war but some of it was too much for me. Originally we included the option to kill the child NPCs in some of the towns, but we scrapped that after deciding that the bounty system we had in place for it wasn't enough. While drafting up ideas for some locations, one of the writers was spitballing ways to immediately earn a negative reputation and the idea of sexual assault was brought up. To say that it was an uncomfortable topic would be to put it mildly, and shortly thereafter we concluded that no, we wouldn't give the player the ability to rape anyone or do anything like that. I don't know if it's hypocritical to allow a player to blow off someones head, rip out their guts, get people addicted to drugs, and then say we draw the line here, but I didn't hear any complaints.

At one point during development we had an idea that for a character who's backstory included being a rape victim, and the player had the option of helping her get revenge by killing the guy who raped her. But we scrapped that too. I'm not opposed to using trauma as a literary tool, and when done right it can really elevate the narrative to a level that is hard to surmount. But we were making a game with little 2D sprites and text. To address something as heinous as sexual assault requires, at least in my opinion, a certain amount of gravity and nuance that we could never get in our game. It's one thing to have a nominated actress portray a rape survivor in a film about recovery and overcoming past trauma, because when its done right it can be a tool to help people come to grips with the horror they experienced. Otherwise it's just cheap shock value and incredibly insulting. I don't think us with our dinky little engine could have given it anywhere near the comprehensiveness it needed, so we axed it.

The ability of the player to engage in acts of slavery, cannibalism, and abduction has long been a source of controversy in the series, and has at times threatened to result in certain installments being banned from certain countries. Equilibrium has long defended the inclusion of deplorable acts within the series, with Burian arguing to present the series unblemished by criminal and morally reprehensible acts would compromise some of the key elements in the series, namely displaying the depths humanity is capable of sinking too if conditions are poor enough.