Remakes and remasters are all the rage currently, with publishers trying to cash in on nostalgia from older titles, revitalizing them for newer audiences. Out of this trend, we’ve received some incredible remakes and remasters, and some that may have been better off as a smaller update.
While remakes and remasters seem to be happening more and more in recent years, the trend actually dates back to the late 80s. Below, we’ll take a look at some games that were some of the first to be remade.
Mario Bros. Returns, or Kaettekita Mario Bros as it’s called in Japan, is a full remake of the original Mario Bros. arcade game. In fact, the game was only released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System on a good old Floppy Disk.
As far as changes, Mario Bros. Returns introduced a number of new levels, allowed you to save high scores, and let Mario and Luigi change direction in mid-air, making the game a bit more fluid to play. It’s still Japan-only, but there are some fan translations out there if you really want to play this remake of the very first Mario game.
Ys 1 & 2 is a remake of Ys 1: Ancient Ys Vanished, and Ys 2: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter, compiling both parts of Adol Christen’s first story into a single game for the TurboGrafx-CD. This action RPG combines the exploration and puzzles of The Legend of Zelda with a leveling system.
This remake improved the original games' graphics, added animated cutscenes, and had voice acting, creating a comprehensive experience. Interestingly, Ys 2 was never released as a standalone game outside of Japan, so the only way to play it in English is through the various compilation remakes and remasters of Ys 1 & 2, like this one or Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles.
King’s Bounty is one of the first fantasy turn-based strategy RPGs ever made, releasing in 1990 for the MS-DOS and Commodore 64. In the same year, the game was remade for the Sega Genesis with updated visuals and a shift to real-time, which actually makes the game much harder.
This remake was also released for the Amiga, but this version of the game only received the graphical updates, so it’s a better option if the real-time shift is too difficult.
Space Quest 1 is the first chapter in the Space Quest series, which are comedic sci-fi adventure games developed by Sierra that follow Roger Wilco, a janitor who sets off on a journey through the galaxy. The games have plenty of parodies and references to things like Star Wars and Star Trek.
In 1991, the first Space Quest was remade using Sierra’s new (at the time) SCI, or Sierra Creative Interpreter, which allowed the game to switch to VGA graphics, as well as adding a point-and-click interface for interacting with the world.
The original Castlevania was remade for the X68000 in 1993 as Castlevania Chronicles, which was then later ported to the PS1 in 2001, and later became available as a PSone Classic on the PlayStation Network.
This remake includes not only the entire original game but also the Arrange Mode, which has updated graphics and sprites, an introductory cinematic, a fully remade soundtrack, and quality of life improvements that make the gameplay a lot smoother.
Dragon Quest 1 & 2 is an SNES remake of the first two NES Dragon Quest games, Dragon Quest 1 and Dragon Quest 2. This remake combined both games into a single version, with improved graphics and gameplay elements taken from Dragon Quest 5.
These changes include tons of quality of life improvements, like being able to equip weapons and armor immediately after purchasing them, making most interactions faster, reducing experience requirements for leveling up, and more. Interestingly, the first two Dragon Quest games are being remade once again in 2025, following the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3.
Super Mario All-Stars is a compilation remake of the first four games in the Super Mario series, Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, and The Lost Levels, for the SNES. This version combined all four games into one, while also bringing updated graphics, parallax scrolling, updated music, and improved physics.
While not bringing anything new to the table gameplay-wise, such as new levels or mechanics, Super Mario All-Stars is still considered one of the best games on the console, and served as the basis for future Mario-related remakes.
Similar to Super Mario All-Stars, Mega Man: The Wily Wars is a compilation remake of the first three Mega Man games, with upgraded graphics and music, the ability to save your game, and the inclusion of an all-new game mode, called Wily Tower.
Despite being a remake of the first three games, The Wily Wars has a slightly different plot, as it’s framed around the concept that Dr. Wily uses a time machine to go back in time and attempt to defeat Mega Man in one of their first three conflicts, which are the first three games.
