Sejan
Member
Beginning in 1993, we saw Squaresoft release three classic games through 1997. Secret of Mana in October 1993, Trials of Mana in September 1995 (in Japan of course), and Final Fantasy 7 in September 1997. Recently, these three games have been remade. Secret of Mana was remade first in February 2018. In April 2020 both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Trials of Mana have seen remakes.
I'm particularly interested in these three remakes for a number of reasons. First, each of them was a true classic upon release. Second, because the same company released all six games that are up for discussion. Third, these three remakes followed drastically different philosophies in the particulars of how they are remade. In fact, I believe that each of these remakes gives a prime example of the three main ways that games can be remade. In this thread I'd like to discuss philosophies of remakes and how the guiding principles of this process influence the final product.
Secret of Mana - The Overly Faithful Remake
Secret of Mana is a remake in the most literal sense. They simply remade the original game with new graphics and few other minor changes. The gameplay was nearly identical to the original. To me, this remake was a huge disappointment because it stayed too faithful to the original. So many areas could have been improved such as a combat system that is largely based around waiting for a gauge to fill.
Final Fantasy 7 - The Reimagined Game
Final Fantasy 7, on the other hand, uses the word remake rather loosely in its title. The game takes (part of) the basic story and characters and reimagines them to the extreme. The turn based combat is replaced with an action combat system with only nods to its roots. The maps became the inspiration for new, more expansive maps. Both major and minor characters from the original were deepened in their lore and significance. Overall, I really liked the game, but its hard to describe as a remake when it goes so far from its source in so many places.
Trials of Mana - Somewhere in Between
Trials of Mana is a remake that has been adjusted for modern expectations. The action combat of the original was evolved with the addition of combos and shortcuts, for instance. The maps are very much based on the originals with a few areas moving the camera to recreate the views of the original. The story remains the same with much of the dialogue lifted from the original while adding some story exposition as needed.
My opinions:
I hated Secret of Mana. By holding so true to the original it begged the question of why it even needed a remake in the first place if Square Enix wasn't going to bother smoothing out the rough edges. It would have been better for SE to just port over the original for $10, than try to sell this in the way that they did.
I feel Trials of Mana is quite good. It remains faithful to the original while modernizing the aspects that don't work as well in 2020. I'm very glad to see that SE took the effort to localize both the original version as well as remake it for a modern audience. In most cases, I believe that this is the direction that remakes should take.
FF7R is polarizing. Remaking such a classic in such a reimagined way was certainly a bold move. Some fans appear upset about the changes, while others are on the edge of their seat waiting for the next installment. I, personally, believe that this worked out well for them, but it could have easily failed if it wasn't well received.
Please feel free to discuss any of these remake or others. What successes and failures have we seen in the attempt to remake and recapitalize on older games?
I'm particularly interested in these three remakes for a number of reasons. First, each of them was a true classic upon release. Second, because the same company released all six games that are up for discussion. Third, these three remakes followed drastically different philosophies in the particulars of how they are remade. In fact, I believe that each of these remakes gives a prime example of the three main ways that games can be remade. In this thread I'd like to discuss philosophies of remakes and how the guiding principles of this process influence the final product.
Secret of Mana - The Overly Faithful Remake
Secret of Mana is a remake in the most literal sense. They simply remade the original game with new graphics and few other minor changes. The gameplay was nearly identical to the original. To me, this remake was a huge disappointment because it stayed too faithful to the original. So many areas could have been improved such as a combat system that is largely based around waiting for a gauge to fill.
Final Fantasy 7 - The Reimagined Game
Final Fantasy 7, on the other hand, uses the word remake rather loosely in its title. The game takes (part of) the basic story and characters and reimagines them to the extreme. The turn based combat is replaced with an action combat system with only nods to its roots. The maps became the inspiration for new, more expansive maps. Both major and minor characters from the original were deepened in their lore and significance. Overall, I really liked the game, but its hard to describe as a remake when it goes so far from its source in so many places.
Trials of Mana - Somewhere in Between
Trials of Mana is a remake that has been adjusted for modern expectations. The action combat of the original was evolved with the addition of combos and shortcuts, for instance. The maps are very much based on the originals with a few areas moving the camera to recreate the views of the original. The story remains the same with much of the dialogue lifted from the original while adding some story exposition as needed.
My opinions:
I hated Secret of Mana. By holding so true to the original it begged the question of why it even needed a remake in the first place if Square Enix wasn't going to bother smoothing out the rough edges. It would have been better for SE to just port over the original for $10, than try to sell this in the way that they did.
I feel Trials of Mana is quite good. It remains faithful to the original while modernizing the aspects that don't work as well in 2020. I'm very glad to see that SE took the effort to localize both the original version as well as remake it for a modern audience. In most cases, I believe that this is the direction that remakes should take.
FF7R is polarizing. Remaking such a classic in such a reimagined way was certainly a bold move. Some fans appear upset about the changes, while others are on the edge of their seat waiting for the next installment. I, personally, believe that this worked out well for them, but it could have easily failed if it wasn't well received.
Please feel free to discuss any of these remake or others. What successes and failures have we seen in the attempt to remake and recapitalize on older games?
