What do I want from a remaster? I want the game I remember - how I remember it. Not how it actually was, but how I remember it. That should be an impossible ask, but NightDive delivers exactly that with this one. Hi-Res textures that still look like the originals, widescreen support, modern controls, beautifully updated cutscenes that look just like I remember in my head. All with the horrible save system, clunky and labyrinthine levels and everything! For people who weren't around at the time, I recommend getting this new version for the updated assets (levels, cutscenes, sprites, etc.) and running them through The Force Engine (just pop that in your favourite search engine) - for a more modern and tweakable take on the game engine. The game itself is a joy. Technically better than the Doom or Build engines, it played smoothly, had a great little story, with a gruffly cynical mercenary protagonist in the Han Solo mode. It's amazing how complex it is for an FPS of it's age. Well worth playing.
Yes, it really does capture the atmosphere of those old, vaguely subversive, science-fiction pieces, but without having aged badly over the decades. The world is alien, and beautiful. The logic behind the situation is good. There are no simple solutions, even once the problem becomes clear. This is a nuts-and-bolts retro-sci-fi walking sim and it hits the mark perfectly. Having said that, it's a walking sim. Resolutely so -no meaningless rubbish combat or traps here. However, unlike most games in the WS genre, it's not about exploring deep emotions, or some dreadful past misdeeds, but it requires thought and contemplation on the nature of life. Without a scientific mindeset, this game may leave you cold. With such a worldview, the game opens up vast questions and leaves you, the gamer to answer them. Not everything everywhere is for us.
Literally took me half an hour. This is essentially an illustrated audiobook, It's quite nicely done, with lovely 3D graphics. A narrator reads the short story Dagon and you click along after each short excerpt, with bonus trivia scattered around to discover. Would I play a full length "game" like this - no way! But a Lovecraftian short story? Quite diverting! If you've got half an hour to kill, it's well worth a quick look.
