Interview with four game developers such as producers of Capcom and Squeeni, ``Why is the remake of the game successful?''
Remaking a popular game in the past and releasing a new one requires overcoming the high hurdles of making it a successful commercial product while protecting the value built by the past game. Technology media Inverse interviewed game developers who overcame such hurdles and worked on highly acclaimed works.
Why Video Game Remakes Are So Good (When Most Movie Remakes Aren't)
Inverse interviewed the creators of ' The Last of Us Part I ', ' Resident Evil RE:4 ', ' Yakuza Ishin! ', and ' FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE '. Inverse asked everyone the same three questions.
Q1: Why are video games suitable for remakes (compared to movies and TV shows)?
・Naughty Dog (The Last of Us Part I) game director Matthew Gallant (Gallant)
What makes video games interesting as an artistic medium is how they are intrinsically connected to the underlying technology. Developers are making tough choices within hardware capabilities and constraints, striving to fully realize the game vision they have in mind. Technological progress is remarkable, so the realm of realization in games is expanding rapidly.
The Last of Us Part I presents a depiction of humans as the main axis, while also expressing the beauty of the natural world without humans, where plants grow thick, colored with light and shadow, and where water, fire, and snow swirl. While this aesthetic remains the same between the original and the remake, over a decade of hardware improvements has made characters and environments more realistic, dynamic, detailed, beautiful and faithful. . Technology brings us closer to the original creative vision.
The application of technology also extends to gameplay. More processing power means smarter enemy AI and more enemies on screen. Developers can update the operation method to match modern common sense and add functions that lead to playability. This is especially important in accessibility, which has advanced rapidly in recent years and leverages new technologies such as speech synthesis and haptics.
・Producer of Capcom (Resident Evil RE: 4), Mr. Yoshiaki Hirabayashi (Hirabayashi)
To be honest, I'm not saying that games are better suited for remakes than others. There are many good remakes, including reboots, in other media such as movies. However, what I can think of when remaking a game is that it has a different appeal than a completely new game, in that remakes offer new experiences to players while allowing them to touch on the memories of the original.
・Chief Producer of Ryu ga Gotoku Studio (Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin!) Hiroyuki Sakamoto (hereinafter referred to as Sakamoto)
Games have a unique appeal that allows fans to actively participate. Even if you could imagine a story, a character, or play the original, being able to relive your memories on a modern platform with upgrades is a far cry from film and television. That's why the announcement of the remake is so exciting. It will be interesting to see what the development team brings with this new version and how small changes can make a big difference.
・ Producer of Square Enix (FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE), Mr. Yoshinori Kitase (hereafter Kitase)
I don't think the game itself is particularly suitable for remakes or reboots, but one thing I can say is that the hardware has evolved remarkably.
Movies have evolved from silent films to talkies, from black-and-white to color, and from 2D to 3D, but the basic experience of actors playing real people and filmed in real places has not changed. . Therefore, since a mere remake does not make a big difference, it is necessary to modify the story and settings in order to create changes.
On the other hand, games have evolved dramatically from 2D pixels to 3D CG due to advances in motion capture and AI. Even if the game were to be remade as it is, the player's experience would change significantly.
Q2: Are remakes more popular now?
・Gallant
Remakes seem to be popular. What has changed is that publishers are responding to strong demand for remakes. Players enjoy replaying their beloved classics, and that demand is motivating more games to be remade. I am also one of them. In FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, I was very happy because I was able to walk around
Remakes are also attractive to developers. It's really thrilling to have the opportunity to revisit a piece I worked on 10 years ago with more knowledge and experience. Trade-offs that had to be made due to hardware limitations and other constraints can be redone.
Similarly, many of the developers of 'The Last of Us Part I' stepped into the game world after playing the (original) 'The Last of Us'. They're excited to be working with the game they loved as a fan.
・Hirabayashi
I think that the remakes that are appreciated by the players are the ones that not only remake, but also retain the same things as the original, and you can feel the love for the original. This isn't a generalization about whether a remake will be popular, but I think it's an important factor in whether players will enjoy it.
・Sakamoto
This industry is also old, and as many titles are released, the need for games is increasing. That's why it's important for us developers to carefully assess when to revisit titles.
・Kitase
I think it was a big factor that graphics performance reached its peak in the era of PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series X. If you want to remake a game with 2D pixels or the classic appearance of the original PlayStation's no-texture, low-polygon era, by creating assets that match the performance of the current-generation hardware, I think it will be useful for the next 10 years or more. increase.
Q3: What was the most difficult part of the remake project?
・Gallant
The difficulty in remaking a beloved game is figuring out what to change and what to keep. In creating The Last of Us Part I, our first priority was to recreate the feel of the original game. There is a certain emotional vibration to the journey that Joel and Ellie are taking together, and every addition or deletion has to be in harmony with that vibration.
To give a specific example, when recreating the Boston Quarantine (the map that appears at the beginning of the game), there was an area that intentionally refrained from adding vegetation. The Quarantine feels like an ugly, barren, oppressive place in contrast to the dangerous natural beauty outside the walls. If we'd beautifying this area for visual upgrades, it wouldn't have matched the narrative of the environment.
A gameplay example would be a defensive battle in a lake area. Players use bolt-action rifles to defend themselves against the attacking Infected, but it's a tense and difficult battle. In The Last of Us Part I, we added the detail of reloading the rifle after every shot. However, by adjusting the timing and making the animation as fast and responsive as possible, we didn't make the already nerve-wracking battle difficult. For animation fidelity, I tried not to lose the feel of the original.
・Hirabayashi
In RE:4, I wouldn't say it's difficult, but I spent a lot of time and effort rebuilding the balance of tempo, tension, and catharsis that are the charms of the original work while keeping it in line with modern standards. .
・Sakamoto
In general, I think it's a matter of striking a balance between keeping and changing parts of the original. While preserving the goodness of the original, while respecting the original, I'm thinking of ways to improve the original and make the fans excited again.
・Kitase
I have two. First of all, especially for RPGs, the old games had simplified expressions, but in exchange for that, we were able to develop a large-scale world. If these are remade with the current HD image quality, it will be a huge volume. The key here is the sensibility of the game designer to bring the game closer to modern quality without compromising the essence of the original.
Another thing is the fans' feelings towards the original work. It is necessary to create a remake work while valuing the user experience that emphasizes the memories of the game that you liked in the past more beautifully than the actual experience.
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