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Of all the best retro remakes and reboots of old games, Shadow Labyrinth might very well end up as one of the strangest. A dark and gritty sci-fi game about cruel enemies, all the while being empowered by the dark, eldritch horror known as… er, Pac-Man? Yes, Shadow Labyrinth is a reboot of the Pac-Man franchise that seems to be inspired by games like Hollow Knight, Metroid and Inside, among other things, and certainly one of the more unique new games to come out in recent memory. I can't say anybody saw it coming, but I suppose you should credit developer Bandai Namco with not being too obvious and wanting to keep things fresh. Personally, I can't wait for the boss battle with a giant cherry.
But Shadow Labyrinth is only the latest in a grand history of retro reboots that went out to reinvent the games they were building on. Some of these stumbled hard, like Metroid: Other M falling short of the best Metroid games, or the 2002 Space Invaders remake "Space Raiders" best being forgotten. But there are some success stories! In fact, some of the best games in recent memory have been new takes on the supposedly "untouchable" classics.
With that in mind, I've been going back through my library of games to enjoy all the great reworkings and modern twists on old classics out there, the 5 best retro remakes and reboots, or at least those sequels that found new angles on what came before. Though for the sake of this list, I'll be considering "retro" as anything that came out 20 years ago or more. If that slaps you in the face with the cruel reality of the merciless passage of time, so be it.
5. Tetris 99
Developer: Arika
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
It shouldn't work. It couldn't work. "What if Tetris was a Battle Royale Game" sounds like some silly meme, and yet the end result is undeniably entertaining. With nearly a hundred players all furiously building walls at each other like competitive bricklayers, there's something completely absorbing about the sheer frenzy of it all.
If you've got a Switch online subscription, you can get this one for free, and it's definitely worth a try on that basis alone. That being said, maybe brace yourself for a brutally tough playerbase – after having been out for several years at time of writing, those remaining are likely to be some very stiff competition.
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order
Developer: MachineGames
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3
The Wolfenstein franchise has had multiple reboots and remakes to various degrees of success, but it's the New Order that easily takes the gold. Focusing on a whole new alt-history continuity where the Nazis win WWII with space-age tech, hero B.J. Blazkowicz becomes head of the resistance and begins fighting back in colorful locations all across the world – and even beyond it.
Yes, the New Order is a gleefully fun and ridiculous game – to the extent that one mission has you fighting fascists on the moon while dual-wielding shotguns – and yet it's really well-written in a way that can be incredibly affecting, with character development being a high point in our Wolfenstein: The New Order review. Despite his capacity for extreme violence, Blazkowicz is a soft-spoken protagonist who seems permanently (and understandably) exhausted by his exploits, and the supporting cast is all robustly written too. Not to mention that you can actually play part of the original Wolfenstein in a hidden easter egg!
3. Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver
Developer: Game Freak
Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS
Let's get this out of the way: Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal, the second generation, are the best Pokemon games in the core franchise… Or at least they were, until Heart Gold and Soul Silver basically just improved over them in every way possible. This is arguably the only regular remake on this list, rather than a full reboot, but to be honest, HG/SS builds so expansively on what came before that they feel like a bona fide elevation.
As games go, these are complete fan-pleasers. You want quality of life improvements that don't compromise the core experience? You want your Pokemon to follow you around like they did in Pokemon Yellow? How about having your Pokemon follow you around in real life, with the attached Pokewalker device? I tell you, if Game Freak wants to win people over, just port these to Nintendo Switch 2 – it'll be the easiest fortune they ever made.
2. Doom (2016)
Developer: iD Software
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
The 2010s were just a really good time for reimaginings of classic FPS shooters, perhaps none greater than Doom (2016), a game so good it launched a new era for Doom games that's still ongoing today, and arguably helped to inspire the bouncier, faster-paced era of shooters that supplanted the heavier, more realistic military ones before it.
Doom (2016) is a game so cut down to basics that it's both deeply refreshing and completely hilarious. The Doom Slayer is basically the Tasmanian Devil, a vortex of endless violence who wakes up, starts murdering demons, and does nothing else for the next fifteen hours. Fighting first across a Martian space base before venturing into hell itself, there's never a moment where you doubt that you're the most dangerous thing on the battlefield, submitting anything the slightest bit infernal to atrocities that even they would probably consider a bit much. Still, that's part of its charm, and one of the reasons that our Doom review gave it full marks.
1. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Platform(s): PC, PS2, GameCube, Xbox
Did you forget that this one wasn't the first? The original Prince of Persia was a supremely retro step-platformer that came out in 1989, for the Apple II computer! The legendary 2003 reboot for the franchise immediately became a contender for one of the greatest games ever made, and Sands of Time has managed to hold onto that crown and stay in those discussions ever since.
A fluid and wonderfully charismatic game with a great gimmick, Sands of Time blends parkour, combat, and the ability to play with time seamlessly together, while also featuring a great story and developing romance behind it all. A highly anticipated remake has been in development hell for years, but if you can find a copy for PC or an old PS2 to play it on, you'll still have a great time with it even now.
Feeling old-school in your tastes? You can check out the best PS2 games right here, or go even further back with the best retro games!
