Video Game Remakes That Change The Original Story

Key Takeaways

• Great remakes can make changes while capturing the original spirit, as seen in
  Resident Evil HD Remaster.
• Black Mesa
  transformed from a fan project into a commercial remake with Valve’s approval, expanding gameplay elements.
• Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
  diverges significantly from the original, offering expanded content that enhances the player’s experience.

Recently, gaming has seen a lot of remakes, from HD-2D RPGs to big-budget recreations of older-generation classics. Yet, remakes have been happening for almost as long as hardware generations have existed as a concept. The power of new technology has tempted almost every publisher one could name into remaking some of their back catalog.

Remaking a classic can be a controversial undertaking. Some are criticized for changing too much, while others are accused of being too faithful. Sometimes it seems like the developers just can’t win. However, all of these examples show that a truly great remake can make as many changes as its creators want, as long as they capture the spirit of the original, and give players a reason to want to revisit these worlds.

9 Resident Evil HD Remaster

Setting The Bar

The Resident Evil HD Remaster was a modestly titled remake of the original game released for the GameCube in 2002, although most players probably know this version from the re-remaster that came to PlayStation and Xbox in 2015. In 2002, it really set the bar for what a remake could do to change and enhance the original game.

The GameCube remake not only added additional bosses and sequences to the story, but it also made a seemingly simple enemy addition that changed the whole balance of the survival horror game. The “Crimson Heads” are now iconic Resident Evil enemies, due to the smart mechanic of having to burn them to permanently kill them, which becomes its own kind of resource management minigame.

8 Black Mesa

From Fan Project To Full Remake

The development of Black Mesa is a unique story. What started out as a fan project to create the Half-Life remaster Valve never made eventually turned into a full-blown commercial remake with full approval from Valve themselves.

This meant that the scope of the project massively expanded. The final 2020 release was not only a total graphical and texture overhaul, it redesigned enemy AI, added new story elements, expanded map design, and added new puzzles. The remake also ambitiously expanded the game’s closing chapter, set on the alien world of Xen.

Thanks to the attention to detail from developers Crowbar Collective, the remake doesn’t just feel like playing Half-Life, it feels like playing Half-Life for the first time all over again. The love for the source material is evident throughout the game, and the expansions, for the most part, feel natural and enhance the experience.

7 Final Fantasy 7: Remake

Deviations In The Timeline

The first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake does take players to roughly the same point in the story as its original version, with the party journeying out of Midgar, which was the original game’s opening. Yet, the journey of getting there is vastly expanded, and even familiar events are changed and developed.

In fact, it’s pretty much the changes and additions to the original events that define this remake. The majority of playtime features sections that were either vastly expanded from their original counterparts or are entirely new to the remake.

With that said, the game manages to hit most of the same story beats as the original, while showing the player that this is not a straightforward retelling of events. The combat is equally changed with action elements but retains a pleasing interpretation of the ATB system that keeps the strategic element of the original combat intact.

6 Metroid: Zero Mission

How To Revitalize A Classic

Metroid: Zero Mission is old enough for some players to already be calling for a modern remake. In its time, it was a fantastic example of how to update an early franchise entry to bring it in line with its modern counterparts.

As well as a visual upgrade, it also adds new gameplay segments, more areas to explore, and additional abilities for Samus. Perhaps the biggest change, though, was the move to the Game Boy Advance. This meant that the developers could add cinematics, better conveying the world and characters of the original game.

5 Dead Space

Isaac Finds His Voice

Making Isaac Clarke a fully voiced character is arguably the biggest change in the Dead Space remake, yet it’s one that had to be made. It would have been strange to return to a silent protagonist after giving him a voice in the sequels. Compared side-by-side, though, the Dead Space remake makes more changes than players might even notice.

While many players fondly remember dismembering Necromorphs in the original, the gore and dismemberment in the remake is far more visceral and reactive. Players can tear and grind flesh, and dismemberment is more dynamic. This pairs well with combat, which feels more fluid and smooth than the original, while retaining Isaac’s heavy and deliberate movements.

The additions to the layout and structure of Isaac’s journey through the Ishimura are subtle but notable, enough that those who haven’t played the original since its release will end up wondering what exactly is new and what was always there. The game feels like a faithful remake while making a whole host of changes when added up.

4 Resident Evil 4

Leon’s Looking Good

Fans had been asking Capcom for an updated version of Resident Evil 4 for a while, and the 2023 remake certainly delivered. Visually, it’s a stunning interpretation of the original design. At the same time, it made many more changes to the story, action, and pacing of the adventure than many fans expected.

Some changes were controversial. Ashley’s gameplay segments, in particular, were divisive. Overall, though, Resident Evil 4 remake is an exemplary action horror game that builds on the original’s solid foundations. The redesigned boss fights are a particular highlight, with fights like Crowser and Salazar being much more enjoyable than their original versions.

3 Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth

Is This Even A Remake Anymore?

If Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s first part suggested it was diverging from the original, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth screams it. It’s almost like the theme park rendition of the game, barreling players through familiar sights and settings along the ride, and giving them plenty to distract themselves with besides.

So much here is expanded and added compared to the original, it’s impossible to list it all. Yet, amidst all of this, the game’s story still manages to take players on a similar emotional journey, hitting nostalgia and nuance in equal measure.

In amongst all the activities, minigames, and distractions are true developments of the characters and concepts that were featured or touched on in the original, and a lot of it feels like it enhances a player’s understanding of the world and its characters. It’s a fantastic RPG in its own right, too.

2 Silent Hill 2

In My Restless Dreams, I See That Town

Silent Hill 2‘s recent remake has managed to walk an admirable line between faithful recreation and enhanced remake. The visuals, movements, and combat all feel significantly improved over the original game. The bosses, a particular weakness of Silent Hill 2 (mechanically speaking), are also much better realized here.

Early trailers suggested the game might be almost a shot-for-shot remake with the original as far as the story is concerned. However, where Bloober Team has made changes here, they actually work, even managing to expand on what the original achieved in terms of the off-kilter cinematic horror moments.

Not all the changes work as well, some new expanded areas feel a little like unnecessary padding. Yet despite that, Silent Hill 2‘s remake still remains a stand-out example of how to remake something with a modern own flair, all without compromising the original game’s strengths.

1 Resident Evil 2

Raccoon City Reborn

Many consider Resident Evil 2 to be the pinnacle of modern remakes. It captures the essence and feel of the original game, while changing the majority of environments, mechanics, puzzles, and even many story events.

It’s not that everything is drastically changed. Leon and Claire both experience roughly the same sequence of events. There are surprises, additions, and completely new gameplay segments throughout, though. Even the areas that are similar to the original have been adapted to fit the new over-the-shoulder shooter system of some of the more modern Resident Evil games.

The tension and claustrophobic feeling of fighting zombies in close confines is retained from the original, all while giving the player more agency and options in combat. It’s an all-round great game with few flaws and is a must-play for survival horror fans.