[H1]First Impressions[/H1]
I remember [I]Gods[/I] being a hard game. Enemies coming in from different directions, switches that needed to be flipped in correct order and combinations, keys to finds, and chests and doors to unlock, it’s a game I simply couldn’t beat as a kid. In spite of all that, I thought highly of [I]Gods[/I] back in the early 1990s because it was the most awesome looking platform action game for the PC.
In the years that followed that decade, my attention gradually shifted more to adventure games and first person shooters. All the while [I]Gods[/I] remained unbeaten and mostly forgotten. Seeing the game being remastered for modern systems reinvigorated my interest in it. Yet, I went into [I]GODS Remastered[/I] with some trepidation. After all, [I]Gods[/I] is a product of early 90s, and games like it generally don’t age well. It would take a lot of work to remaster it well.
The task of remastering this classic title fell on the shoulders of Nils Hammerich, co-founder of Robot Riot. He reportedly coded the game and created the graphics by himself. Thankfully, he also had support from Mike Montgomery of The Bitmap Brothers, the original developer of [I]Gods[/I]. Sound of Games provided the game’s audio. This very small development team, for better or worse, made [I]GODS Remastered[/I] a reproduction of the original as much as possible.
[H1]What [I]GODS Remastered[/I] Did Well[/H1]
Fans of [I]Gods[/I] can play [I]GODS Remastered[/I] with the original VGA graphics, which still look great today if you’re into 16-bit pixel art. You can toggle between this classic presentation and the remastered one with a press of the F10 key. Being partial to our hero’s flowing yellow plume on his helmet, and his classic shredded look, I played the game with the original graphics most of the time.
The remastered version features more detailed background art. Trees and mountains made outdoor scenes more vibrant in the City level, and flowing lava added to the ambience in the final level in The Underworld. While the classic version has simple sound effects and lacks background music, the remastered game features richer sounds and a soundtrack as you play.
As part of remastering [I]Gods[/I], Hammerich incorporated autosaves, infinite continues, and resuming playing at the last save point. While I do miss entering passwords to skip levels, his updates made the game more accessible (i.e. easier). They definitely gave me more than a fighting chance to beat the game! Other than that, [I]GODS Remastered[/I] plays pretty much exactly like the original. Longtime fans will probably appreciate it as it preserves most of what they like about the classic title in the first place.
[H1]What [I]GODS Remastered[/I] Could Have Done Better[/H1]
While I appreciate the clarity and depth the new graphics provide, the overall look is dated and still pretty boring. The graphics, some of which are 3D models, look like they are from the late 1990s, are predominantly brown and grey, and look almost too shiny. These might have been intentional artistic decisions, but they also seem contrary to the idea of remastering the game for modern times.
While Hammerich was respectful to the original designs by the Bitmap Brothers, I wish he had taken some liberties in his recreation of the monsters and backdrops. First, both could have used more colour. Technical limitations in the 1990s might have restricted the total number of colours of the 256-colour palette used, but this isn’t as big of an issue in the 2010s.
Similar can be said for the backgrounds. The original game might have used the same several tilesets throughout, but the remastered version could have introduced more variations to the setting. For example, the walls of the Labyrinth can get bloodier the closer the player gets to the Minotaur. Not only would that heighten the game’s intensity, but it’d help establish how menacing the Minotaur is.
Despite that, I feel Hammerich’s reinterpretation of the hero is too different from the original. The classic hero looks and walks like a goon, ready to pulverize any enemy that comes his way. In the remastered version, he doesn’t appear as intimating, and moves like a robot. It’s not a horrible look, but it lacks personality. This is one area I wish Hammerich had stuck more closely to the original vision.
In fact, I would have much preferred [I]GODS Remastered[/I] be redrawn in the style of the [URL= https://www.simonbisleyart.com/galleries/warriors-bastards/front1/]box art created by comic book artist, Simon Bisley[/URL]. Updating the original sprites with colourful, high-definition ones that look like his artwork would give the game a more stylish and polished presentation, while acknowledging his contribution to the classic game. [URL= https://streetfighter.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Street_Fighter_II_Turbo_HD_Remix]Capcom did something similar with [I]Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix[/I][/URL] back in 2008, and look how awesome it turned out!
[H1]What [I]GODS Remastered[/I] Did Poorly[/H1]
[I]GODS Remastered[/I] is basically the original [I]Gods[/I] game with significant visual upgrade. Hammerich kept the original game’s mechanics in the remaster. Yet, [I]Gods[/I] is close to being 30 years old, and many of its mechanics are very dated by today’s standard. For example, the hero can’t run, can’t attack while crouching, can’t attack in other directions aside from your left and right, and can’t see enemies and death traps beyond the edges of your screen. Jumps are also floaty at times, and moving platforms for some reason don’t actually carry you to places, but require you to walk with them as they move. While these limitations were tolerated, if not accepted, in the early 1990s, they aren’t so much in the 2000s.
So for Hammerich to not create a remastered version of [I]Gods[/I] with modern game mechanics is a huge missed opportunity. Even if you disagree, you have to wonder why [I]GODS Remastered[/I] is so bare-bones. Where is the gallery of production sketches, box art, and print ads? If those are hard to come by, a retrospective piece on the game, or interviews with the original designers at Bitmap Brothers and with Simon Bisley would be great as well. If not, some production photos and notes of the remastering process would be interesting. Yet, there aren’t any of these extras in [I]GODS Remastered[/I].
[H1]Final Thoughts[/H1]
[I]GODS Remastered[/I] is an example of how challenging it can be for a developer to a remaster an old game. It’s not easy to decide what original ideas to keep, what to update, and what to discard. While some fans would like the remaster to stay as true to the original as possible, other would want to see it transcend what the original had achieved. In this case, the developers chose to stick to the original as close as possible.
Yet, [I]Gods[/I] is a relic of the past – wonderful to those who grew up with it in spite of its flaws, interesting to retro game enthusiasts, but too dated for many young gamers. The fact that [I]GODS Remastered[/I] retains pretty much all of the original’s imperfections means newcomers – young or old – may have a hard time enjoying it as much as I did. Although I had fun playing this game, I can’t help but feel it’s a short-sighted endeavour that could have been something better and bigger.
That being said, I will recommend this game. I do so only in hopes that some young, inquisitive gamers, who aspire to be game designers, will play it and be inspired to properly remaster/remake [I]Gods[/I] when they grow up. I may be close to retirement age by that time, but at least I’ll have all the time in the world then for that trip down memory lane.
