In recent years, you may have seen the terms remake, reboot or even remaster. Gladly employed in the fields of cinema or series, very inclined to offer us many sequels to successful franchises, more and more video games are presented as such. Is this an easy way for development studios to release a profitable new game without real storyboarding?
We must first define these famous terms. A remake is a new version, generally faithful to the original work, but which often offers some script changes, gameplay and above all better visual effects. The reboot starts from the same script base as its original work, but moves away from it very quickly to offer a story almost 100% new. The remaster does not change the story or the gameplay, but merely offers a graphic overhaul to a more or less old game.
It is thus a remake of Resident Evil 4, a cult game first released in 2005 on GameCube, which the Japanese company Capcom has been offering us since last Friday. If the gameplay has been modernized with undeniable graphic improvements, players will find the same scenario as 18 years ago. Special Forces member Leon S. Kennedy, who distinguished himself in Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 2, is responsible for finding the daughter of the President of the United States who was kidnapped in Spain. A simple mission if the inhabitants had not been infected by a mysterious parasite transforming them into bloodthirsty warriors.
Limited risk taking for guaranteed profits
There is a certain ease in betting on returns of already known titles. Risk-taking is indeed less compared to the release of a new license. The studios are surfing on nostalgia to seduce early fans and it’s a safe bet that the simple name Resident Evil 4 will drain a lot of units. Much of the communication is already assured, as the return of a cult game will necessarily be talked about. “There is a nostalgic intent that is obvious but can be risky,” explained to 20 minutes Max Cagnard, journalist and columnist, notably for the specialized site jeuxvideo.com. “The game is 18 years old, so the nostalgia is aimed at people who are in their thirties or forties, it’s a real bet. The real advantage is to have a known brand, such as “Resident Evil” or “Final Fantasy”, which is a priori known to everyone and will be able to reach a younger audience. »
The remake of Final Fantasy VII, a cult game released in 1997, is another good example of the business strategy behind these returns. The Japanese publisher Square Enix has indeed announced that this remake will be released in three separate parts. To follow the adventures of Cloud and Aeris, you will therefore have to warm up your credit card and buy three games, at around 69.99 euros each, where the original story was in a single game at the time. “Publishers no longer just think about providing a video game and then leaving players alone. We must perpetuate the game over time, by offering suites, DLCs [contenu téléchargeable supplémentaire], or payments directly in the game, ”explains Max Cagnard. While playtime and improvements to gameplay and graphics may justify these decisions, it’s still expensive nostalgia.
To accuse Capcom of lacking artistic ambition would be to make him a bad case. Admittedly, the publisher offers remakes or remasters of almost the entire series resident Evil for a few years, but he continues to release completely new opuses, hailed by both critics and players. “Remakes allow Capcom to continue to deliver ‘Resident Evil’ content between two new games. It’s a security because they already have the base material. There is an obvious financial aspect but it remains relevant from an artistic and creative point of view”, summarizes Max Cagnard. This is also the case for Square Enix which, in addition to the remake of Final Fantasy VIIcontinues to work on the upcoming release of the 16th opus, scheduled for June 22.
An undeniable improvement both in graphics and script
In addition to allowing new generations to discover its great classics of the 10th art, the story and especially the psychology of the characters are modernized and much more in tune with the times. The character of Ashley, for example (the President’s daughter who has been kidnapped) was at the time the very archetype of the damsel in distress waiting for her rescuer, like Peach in the games mario. If the plot of her rescue is respected, her personality has gained in depth and she is clearly less of a burden in history than at the time.
The advantage of the remake is that it allows you to reach a new generation of players, who could easily be put off by the aging graphics of the original games, without touching the original story too much so as not to disappoint the first hour fans. One could however think that we are far here from an obsolete and aging title, Resident Evil 4 being released in 2005. But a quick look at the base game shows us that even if it remains perfectly playable, the improvement in graphics in eighteen years is staggering.
The need to rise to the height of the base game
For those who have not had the chance to know Resident Evil 4 upon its release, you have to realize that it has completely modernized, if not to say revolutionized the entire video game industry. Whether it’s a question of moving from the “survival horror” genre to that of “horror action”, of now having a shoulder-mounted camera vision or even real-time and no longer fixed sets, the game was a marker in history and allowed the arrival of many cult games thereafter such as dead space Or Gears of War.
As for Final Fantasy VII, considered the best of its saga, offering remakes of these games forces publishers to release a version that is perfect in every way, at the risk of suffering the wrath of fans who feel betrayed. It’s unthinkable for studios to imagine that with a quality base story, simply improving the graphics will necessarily result in a better game than the original. To convince, it is necessary to bring more.
A worthwhile remake, whether we know the original or not
Because this is the main selling point of the publishers: it is indeed a game in its own right, and not simply a port on current consoles with simply improved graphics. “A lot of things have changed. Technically, first, it is undeniable. But also the basic game, the structure of the levels, the cutscenes, the puzzles… Absolutely everything is modernized. It’s a new game, while respecting the original work,” emphasizes Max Cagnard. To make a real estate metaphor, say to yourself that we would have razed a house and built a new one on the same land, and not just put a few coats of paint on the walls.
The work done is bearing fruit and even those who have known the original version will find their pleasure and will have the impression of playing a whole new game with this remake, in particular via a much more modern gameplay. No more, for example, not being able to shoot while moving. “Some remakes like those of The Last of us Or Shadow of the Colossus are exemplary remakes but are the same games as the base ones. It’s not a real re-imagining as it is here with Resident Evil 4 sums up the journalist.
For this remake of Resident Evil 4, the critical feedback from the specialized media is excellent and the public seems convinced. Enough to convince, if necessary, to continue on this momentum. The publisher Electronic Arts, for example, had not released a new opus in its series dead space since 2013. The success of the remakes of resident Evil convinced him to go for it.
20 minutes had the chance to test Resident Evil 4 and it is clear that it is a real success. Capcom makes us a proposal that is both modern and respectful of the basic game. Those who don’t know the basic game will love it, others will be pleasantly surprised by all the realism provided. We feel the desire not to tarnish the legacy of the original game and to raise expectations before the future release of Resident Evil 9.