It has been less than six months since the year started, and several of the most acclaimed titles have been faithful remakes of classic horror games. The most notable of these have been remakes forResident Evil 4andDead Spacesince they have been massive successes with critics and fans alike. The newest is Nightdive’sSystem Shockremake, which is winning over fans for being a faithful modernization of the original game.
The glowing reception these games received over a few months may mean 2023 is going to be seen as a landmark year for horror game remakes. A claim like this already has ground to stand on given how each remake has been a hit, but this would only besolidified further if theAlone in the Darkremakecomes out on its slated release for October 25 and earns the same level of praise. Horror games that emphasize resource management and exploration have come back strong over the last few years, and this year might be a culmination of this trend’s progress.
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Returning to the Pillars of Video Game Horror
Horror games have always been popular in some form or another, but with the release ofResident Evil 7in 2017 and a remake of the second game in 2019, the specific type of survival horror that places a focus on conserving resources got popularized once again. The AAA space was primarily dominated by newer releases in theResident Evilfranchise until this year, but years prior hadwell-received indie titles likeTormented Soulsthat adopted even more old-school elements like fixed-camera angles with an option to enable tank controls while keeping the need to manage resources paramount.
While a mixture of inspirations from theResident Evil 2remake bear fruit, several other remakes based on classic games have targeted 2023 for a release year. TheAlone in the Darkremake seems to take some influence fromResident Evil 2based on the new camera angle and how the trailers depicted combat. TheResident Evil 4remake even took cues from its predecessor such as bringing back breakable knives.
Before its reveal, theDead Spaceremake had reportedly taken inspiration fromResident Evil2’s gameplay, showing that Capcom’s hit impacted the industry. Now players are getting to experience the results of that impact. Since it has come out to great acclaim, discussions have already started whetherDead SpaceorResident Evil 4is the better remakeeven if both are excellent games in their own right.
An outlier among these titles is theSystem Shockremake, as its gameplay is more akin to immersive sims which built upon the original’s foundations, and the game overall has fewer horror elements. Another reason it stands out is that its development history implies that the game happened to be ready around when many other remakes were slated to come out. Since its initial Kickstarter in 2016,System Shockhad several delaysuntil finally being ready this year.
One unknown factor that can solidify 2023 as the year for horror game remakes is whether theSilent Hill 2remake will come out this year. No release date has been announced, meaning that while a 2023 launch is possible, that title will likely come out next year.
Even if it doesn’t, this has been a fantastic year for fans of survival horror classics as all the remakes released so far have been fantastic recreations of their source materials. Remasters for other titles like the Japan-exclusiveFatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar EclipseandSystem Shock 2: Enhanced Editionwill provide an even more authentic old-school experience for anyone seeking that. This will only be amplified further ifAlone in the Darkis successful, perhaps inspiring even more dead franchises to return.
Resident Evil 4is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
