We live in the age of reimagining and remasters, and they just won’t stop happening, especially with video games. However you may feel about them, there is still no escape from the limitless ways billion-dollar companies can grasp at your wallet and act super lazy with their legacy franchises. So it stands to reason that said companies would want to ensure their fans have equal access to the previous instalments in those legacy franchises, correct? And they would want to ensure they’re not making too drastic of a change to a game to prevent it from sticking out amongst the rest in a series, right? Not exactly…
For example, the Pikmin series wasn’t selling well before Pikmin 4, so Nintendo took what felt like forever to make it. But when they did, it was pretty different from the first three games, which made it hard for some people to go back and play those titles. Thankfully, Nintendo has provided access to all of the main entries on Nintendo Switch, so that’s great. Why can a new release be bad, though?
Well, as previously mentioned, when a major release comes out, it pretty much replaces the old one for many people, so this could lead to those people missing out on what might actually be that series’ best games.
Another example is the Final Fantasy games, specifically Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth. After what felt like an eternity of turn-based role-playing games, these are huge deviations from the previous instalments in the series. Now, the series is more focused on story and command-based combat. This does make it more appealing to a Western audience, yes, but it also loses some of its mystique. Then there is The Legend of Zelda, which initially focused on a rigid format and puzzles that could only be solved with a single solution. But now, it’s an open world and can feel more like a Ubisoft title rather than something that should be respected and remembered for years.
So, I’ve given you a ride of different examples because these reimaginings happen way too often these days, and if companies want us to play all of them, they should let us play the previous games. However, for some unknown reason, Wind Waker is still not on the Nintendo Switch despite the console being on the market for over seven years. This decision not only lessens the impact of any new entry that hits the system because people can’t see what came before it, but it also leaves players in a tricky spot. Do you want us to play your games or not? Pick a side.
While you’re at it, maybe don’t make such drastic changes to your fan-favourite franchises because Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and so many others are losing their identity and honestly becoming more generic by the minute. Not that any of these games are bad – far from it – there is just something to be said about staying in your lane. So developers should be cautious when reimaging a series because it feels like an excuse to do something arguably worse and still make more money from it.