It’s been a momentous week for Warcraft fans, with the 30th Anniversary celebrations of the franchise continuing, and the unveiling of remasters of the original Warcraft games. But the jury’s still out on the graphical “enhancements” that have seen some fans criticize the remakes as looking like mobile games.
Unveiled during the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct stream, the remasters of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, the games are marketed as remakes rather than reimaginings – like the disastrous Warcraft III: Reforged released in 2020. Announced alongside new World of Warcraft features and updates, the RTS remasters are already causing quite a stir.
Image Credit: Blizzard
Warcraft Remasters Another Reforged Blunder?
The graphical changes in the remasters have honed and modified many of the original charming sprites from Warcraft 1 and 2, turning the pixelated units into something more ‘emoji-like.’ This has led to criticism from fans and publications across the internet, with Rock Paper Shotgun saying the remakes “look like Zynga games made by a blind duck.”
We wouldn’t got that far, but the anti-aliasing that has rounded the edges and upped the resolution of these classic games has definitely helped filter out more than just pixels – it’s helped reduce the charm and visual style of the original.
While not nearly as big a misstep as Warcraft III: Reforged, which was at times unplayable and made unfavorable choices to the gameplay and narrative of the original, these Warcraft Remasters have definitely made similar mistakes, albeit on a smaller scale.
Image Credit: Blizzard
In related news, the often maligned Reforged has also received what some are dubbing a 2.0 update, bringing more freedom for switching between Reforged and Classic HD assets, improved lighting, and XP and leveling for Ranked Play multiplayer matches. It’s probably not fully redeemed Reforged, but it’s a step in the right direction.
You can pick up all three Warcraft RTS titles, plus versions of the original, un-remasters Warcraft games, bundled together in the Warcraft Remastered Battle Chest for $39.99. Or if spending $40 for Reforged isn’t up your alley the Remasters of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness are on sale separately for $10 and $15 respectively. It’s a little steep, but par for the course for Blizzard titles. Maybe not too much to pay for some of the best RTS games of all time.