I Shall Remain

I Shall Remain is a post-apocalyptic action RPG with survival and strategic elements. Set in an alternate history at the end of the Second World War, it follows two brothers and their complicated relationship with the world after the Z0M81 pandemic, a deadly virus the Nazis released over US territory. Across a story campaign lasting more than 20 hours, you investigate the infection and make choices that can shape the future of humanity.

A world in crisis

The game uses a real-time day-and-night cycle and weather that affects the mood. You encounter NPCs, traders and trainers, and can travel with up to seven AI-controlled teammates, each with a story of their own. The city contains hundreds of places to scavenge and many distinctive buildings to explore, take cover in or loot; entering an unfamiliar building carries risks.

The infection is an ongoing threat. You cannot cure it, but you can reduce it with Serum so it does not impair your skills and performance. Serum is also the game’s currency, used with traders to buy and sell items such as weapons, doctrines, medical kits, water, ammunition, scraps and lantern batteries. Some traders offer services including buying ammunition, improving skill levels and advancing skill ranks.

Progress and choices

You gain experience through your actions, from shooting an Infected to repairing a weapon or running. How you play determines your character’s development. Doctrines improve attributes and skills or grant abilities; the game has up to 128 doctrines, which can be upgraded to strengthen their effects or add new ones.

Quests often relate to the story, though as much as 50% do not follow its main branch. Many side quests and stories give you other ways to explore the world. Your dialogue choices shape how your experience unfolds, and some side-story branches may remain untouched depending on your decisions.

Combat and equipment

You fight thousands of Infected, including more than 20 mutations, using over 30 weapons. These include melee weapons such as knives, baseball bats, planks and crowbars; small arms such as pistols and submachine guns; shotguns and other rifles; and heavy weapons such as machine guns, flamethrowers and bazookas. Each weapon has at least four configuration levels, with different effects on enemies and on you when the weapon is used or equipped. You can also imbue ammunition with Serum for extra damage.

Grenades and mines provide additional ways to attack. You can pick up objects such as barrels, crates and even other NPCs to carry; some objects can be used to barricade confined spaces, while explosive barrels can be shot to detonate and kill Infected without using other resources. At times, you can enter tanks or other vehicles and use their weapons to defend yourself or a wider area, choosing whether and how long to use them.

Survival and your team

Actions such as running, combat and weather contribute to tiredness. Higher tiredness reduces the rates at which health and stamina regenerate and makes accurate aiming harder, so you need to rest regularly inside a building away from the weather. Weapons wear down and can break. You can repair them with scraps, break other weapons for parts, ask a teammate to repair one, or take it to an NPC in the city.

You can bring up to seven of the game’s seven special teammates on your journey. Manage them, equip them with weapons, raise their stats and choose their paths. Infected have a sensing threshold, and walking or using melee weapons instead of firearms can help you stay quiet.