“Not another movie remake,” social media groaned when Disney announced its live-action “Moana” (Thomas Kail, 2026), mocking the studio’s lack of creativity. Yet the videogame community embraces remakes and reboots, such as “Resident Evil 4” (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2005), just as much as if they were a newly announced game. The fundamental difference lies in what the people receive in exchange for their money. Videogame remakes bring more realistic graphics, smoother controls, and the access of beloved classics on modern consoles, as well as fresh, new storylines. The videogame medium is always developing; remakes do not just present the same game, rather improving it, therefore justifying its purchase.
The upgraded technology in remakes provides a better gameplay experience. The aforementioned “Resident Evil 4”, and Naughty Dog’s masterpiece, “The Last of Us” (2013), are two clear examples of this. “Resident Evil 4” explores the protagonist, Leo, as he embarks on a mission to Spain, where he tries to rescue the President’s daughter from a dangerously terrifying religious cult. “The Last of Us” follows the story of Joel, who tries to safely escort a young, adolescent girl, Ellie, across a United-States devastated by fungus-infected humans. In comparison to its 2005 ancestor, “Resident Evil” (Capcom Production Studio 4, 2023) utilized the RE (Reach for the Moon) Engine, an extremely powerful game engine, first created for this specific game. Now utilized for many more games, like “Streetfighter” (Capcom, 2023), this particular engine is able to power games with much more details that are fundamental for immersive gaming experiences. The lighting present in the game was also improved; thanks to the RE engine, the shadows, fog, and light follow the rules of a 3D space, creating the depth of distance for the player even on a screen. Some annoying details were fixed to improve the overall experience like permitting players to shoot as they moved rather than forcing them to be stationary. “The Last of Us Part I” (Naughty Dog, 2022) benefited from major technological upgrades as well, with a complete revamp of the graphics, now realistic as photographs. Additionally, with the implementation of advanced AI, the zombies are smarter. They’ve learned how to flank the player and don’t just randomly run into frame. Videogame remakes bridge the gap between cherished stories and ever-advancing technologies, smoothing the gaming experience for players.
Remakes also add a narrative depth to games. They allow characters to be fleshed out, and for the story to become even better. “Yakuza Kiwami” (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, 2016) is a combat-heavy game that narrates Kazuma Kiryu’s life, his 10 years in jail for a murder that he didn’t commit, as well as his return to the at-war Yakuza world. The remake decides to explore the antagonist’s story in depth, explaining the motivation behind his descent into crime and how he utilised ruthlessness due to bullying to establish his position. Thanks to the remake, the antagonist isn’t just some flat, 2D villain who enjoys being evil just because. “Mafia: Definitive Edition” (Hangar 13, 2022) also expands its own narrative. The story follows Tommy Angelo, initially a taxi driver in the 1930s who, as the name implies, gets involved in the world of organized crime. The remake introduces more moments with his love interest, and future wife, Sarah. This humanizes Tommy, and showcases the profound love he has for his spouse, which explains the premise of the game, as Tommy narrates his criminal life to a detective in exchange for witness protection for his wife and daughter. Videogames have a freedom of expansion over their own narrative, as they do not need to respect any time constraints. Be it an hour or two, the game writers have complete freedom, as they know games will not be played in one sitting. They do not need to cater to the limits of uninterrupted attention span; truth be told, the new storylines are enticing to players. Remakes also use the structure of an already beloved and well-written story, leaving the time and space to fully develop the details, and to fill in the small gaps that make a game feel real.
The success of videogame remakes relies on the novelty that they propose. They succeed because they do not rehash an almost identical copy of the game’s predecessor, as some movie remakes do. The revamps of video games showcase the thorough understanding of their own medium. They are aware of its biggest problems, upgrading technologies and graphics which rapidly become obsolete, and they fully capitalize on its strengths; the absence of any time restrictions. Any game’s narrative can be elongated, characters explored, and new perspectives unlocked. Video game remakes are played and loved, their new glossy technologies are admired, and their new storylines discovered with excitement. With so much novelty to offer, can the success of video game remakes be questioned?
