We all have that one game that we absolutely adore, and it feels like a dream when it finally gets a remaster or remake. However, often times remasters and remakes change certain aspects to remove certain elements of the original game that may be controversial or outdated in the modern gaming scene.
Retcons in remakes happen nearly every time one is made, but for games that suffer from poor writing, bad pacing or outdated dialogue, this is usually a saving grace. While the game you loved is stuck in the past, a remaster or remake gives it the chance to shine in the modern era and redo some of its wrongs.
Silent Hill is the monarch of the psychological horror genre and, after a long, haunting 23 years, we got a remake of one of the series' greatest, Silent Hill 2. This title fixed many of the issues that the original had while modernizing it to have an over-the-shoulder view and a disturbingly masterful atmosphere. While the atmosphere was greatly improved for the remake, the story and characterization of the cast sadly did not receive the samelove and attention.
Some cutscenes and character moments have almost been softened down from the more extreme tones that the original game had and many may see this as a downgrade, taking away from its dreamlike feel and more into a grounded one. The cast, specifically Angela, Maria and James, have been rewritten in an unfaithful way that makes them feel strangely composed despite the horrific events they go through in the story, especially when compared to the original.
Super Mario 64 is a legendary3D platformerthat pioneered so much of the genre and to this day is still a blast to play. When Nintendo remade the game as Super Mario 64 DS they made so many changes to the point where the game is night and day. Now the adventure is not just Mario’s quest, but he also has Luigi, Yoshi and Wario to help out.
While nothing in the original title has aged poorly, tons of dialogue was changed to fit the expanded cast and even levels have significant changes which make the entire game feel different. This is one game where the retconning is not important in the story but more so in the gameplay as 64 DS feels like a completely different game than the classic we all know and love.
While many got into the NieR series afterNieR Automata,those who played the original NieR know how excellent the series' narratives have always been. Launching all the way back in 2010, the original NieR was a brilliant title for its time, but after Automata, it direly needed a second chance and in 2021 it got that. NieR Replicant is a masterful remaster that takes the story and leaves it relatively untouched outside the questionable new secret ending.
The secret E ending added completely retcons how the story ends. This mainly includes continuing the D ending, which requires you to remove the protagonist from the story and wipe your save file! This drastic extra ending was very controversial, but many fans actually welcomed it as the base endings were still included. While ending E is likely the canon one, fans can just choose their favorite since the game has others.
One of PlayStation’s most iconic classics will always be Ratchet & Clank, which debuted with a brilliantly charming and funny first entry in 2002. This title started the legacy of the series and in 2016 it finally got to shine again with a remake that reimagined the game. Unfortunately, while this remake did wonders in the gameplay department, playing better than ever, the title’s cheek and tongue humor were stripped down, making it lack what made the original so great in the first place.
Aside from the numerous additions and plot changes, as well as the gameplay tweaks, the biggest retcon of this remake was the fact that Ratchet is pretty much an entirely different character. Instead of being full of himself and ignoring others, he was rewritten to be a goody-two-shoes protagonist with a desire to do good while being a caring boy-scout-like character.
One of the most remake-heavy series in the modern gaming era is the horror survival series, Resident Evil. From 2019 onwards, we have been getting wonderful remakes of the classic titles and, in 2023, Capcom finally dropped the series best, Resident Evil 4. The title perfectly nails the remake feeling by touching up on the original but making the atmosphere more creepy and haunting than ever before.
Being so starkly dark and creepy, the original game was definitely held back a bit by the hardware, and it had a complete face lift when being remade. This sadly included cutting vital plot points and even changing the Las Plagas parasites to connect them to later entries in the series, despite how much it contradicts the original lore. On the bright side, at least the sexist dialogue was rightfully removed, which is a blessing.
Metro 2033 is a 2010 story-driven shooter that quickly got a remaster only four short years after its first launch and this remaster did more than just make the game look better. The original title has two endings based on your choices throughout the game and on your morality, but the remake has retconned morality to be easier to track, as well as one of the endings taking the spotlight.
Both endings were left ambiguous as to which was canon, but the remake heavily pushes the Redemption ending to be the canon one as it picks up from this ending at the start of the sequel. A lot of the game was altered and rewritten in the process to continue this continuity fixing and this also includes making the game more accurate to the novels the game is based on.
Dead Space is well known for its horrifically well-done atmosphere that is unlike any other in both its versions. The remake, however, might have one of gaming’s biggest retcons that does make sense but still feels like an injustice to the original title. The protagonist, Issac Clarke, was a silent protagonist who helped make the more horror elements of the game feel that much more lonely, but now in the remake he talks. This is inline with the sequels, but it does take away from the atmosphere the original had.
Unfortunately, this is not all, as, like most remakes that come out after direct sequels do, Dead Space adjusts certain story elements to better fit into the overall story arc that follows in future entries. This does negatively affect the game as it no longer stands on its own, but it does make the series feel much more connected between the entries, especially with the changes to Issac.
Yakuza (Like A Dragon) has become one of Sega’s most beloved series with its funny, unserious characters and story that are based on the real Japanese Yakuza. First debuting in 2005, this first title started it all and later got remade from the ground up as Yakuza Kiwami. On top of countless added cutscenes that alter the plot and story, Kiwami is an expanded experience that takes what worked and mixes it with more polish, charm and love.
This remake brought the title from iconic to legendary status and retconned the original in one simple way: more Goro Majima. While he had a strong role in the original version, Kiwami not only retcons his personality to be more of a rival to Kiryu but also completely changes his more serious tone to be more like the wild humor the series became known for and puts him quite literally everywhere.
One of the most universally loved JRPG series, Final Fantasy has had its fair share ofremasters and remakes,but none have been more iconic and controversial than the three-part trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 Remakes. These titles modernize the classic by completely changing the gameplay and wrapping it up in gorgeous visuals while also taking the story into a different direction.
The retcons in both titles are almost countless, and the Whispers that mysteriously show up throughout the adventure play around with the idea of a remake. The Whispers always try to course correct everything to be faithful to the original story, just like die-hard fans want out of a remake. However, the development team clearly wanted to push the story and world into a fresh new direction. With characters being introduced earlier or others surviving when they are dead, they feel more like another game entirely instead of a simple remake.
