Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster: Let’s talk, Gamers

So, Sony has a new habit and the gaming community has a lot of feelings about it: remastering and/or remaking some of their best-selling titles. But it’s not just any old titles – seriously, they’re not old. They’re “remaking” games like 2013’s The Last of Us and now (supposedly, according to multiple recent reports from outlets like VGC) 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn.

Now, while remasters and remakes have largely been well-received by gamers the world over, these particular titles have the community up in arms because at first look, these games are recent enough that they don’t really need major visual or technical updates to still provide quality experiences.

But what’s the harm in developers revisiting some of their most successful titles and giving them a bit of a facelift? Personally, I think the biggest sticking point is the price. The Last of Us Part I is arguably the most prominent example. TLOU originally released in 2013 and was quickly remastered in 2014 for the PS4. But in September of this year, Naughty Dog dropped The Last of Us Part I – a “remake” of TLOU that takes advantage of the technological advances made for 2020’s The Last of Us Part II.

You can argue that the PS4 remaster for TLOU is still a perfectly viable experience as-is. But side by side? Yeah, hands down the new graphics make a huge difference. But otherwise, the game itself is essentially the same under the hood – so does that justify a full $70 price point for TLOU Part I on PS5?

I’m of the mind that it probably doesn’t. Charging the same retail price as you would for a totally new game doesn’t seem fair. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem like it would require the same amount of time, money, and effort to update TLOU as it would to create a totally new title.

That said, I’m not a video game developer. I don’t know the work or the resources it took to overhaul TLOU to bring it up to par with TLOU2. Maybe it costs more and takes more man hours than you’d think – I really don’t know.

But enough of that example, let’s move on to the headline title we’re here to talk about: Horizon Zero Dawn.

HZD is an even more recent release than TLOU, originally hitting the PS4 in 2017. Following its critical success, it received a sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, earlier this year. Now, it’s looking more and more like HZD is going to get the same treatment as TLOU.

Originally reported by MP1ST and seemingly confirmed by multiple other outlets since, it sounds like developer Guerrilla Games intends to apply the advancements made to the Decima engine for HFW to HZD. This would mean better graphics and lighting, as well as updated character models and animations (something that even the most avid HZD fans – myself included – can admit the game would benefit from).  

It would also mean some tweaks to the gameplay and interface – especially where accessibility is concerned. Over the past couple years, Sony’s biggest first party blockbusters have made a point of implementing deep accessibility options – from TLOU2 to Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart to, of course, HFW.

Seeing these advancements applied to any games from Sony’s fantastic catalog is a welcome change in my mind because 1. Sony’s growing commitment to promoting and prioritizing accessibility is something the entire industry should mimic and 2. the more accessible these games are, the more players can enjoy these amazing experiences.

HFW in particular offers a deep array of accessibility features, ranging from the fairly standard text size and background options to the truly innovative with an alternative mode of play that lets a second player help you control and maneuver Aloy from another controller. From audio/visual options to customizable control schemes and motor control assists, any of HFW’s accessibility features would be welcome in HZD.

So for the most part, it seems like all good things. If a developer says, “Hey, we love this game. You guys love this game. We want to make it look and play that much better – even if it’s only a few years’ worth of technological advances,” then I say let them dedicate their time and resources to it. It’s their choice.

And it’s YOUR choice if you want to play these sorts of “remakes.”

Personally, I think the make or break for HZD 2.0 will be the price. TLOU Part I – while criticized as unnecessary at the time of its announcement – was critically acclaimed for its advances and still sold well, despite its hefty price tag.

However, I really do hope to see HZD forgo the full $70 billing and instead reflect the cost of production for a remaster/remake vs. a net-new game, being as consumer-friendly as possible with its price point. Will it go that route? No, probably not and I think that’s the main issue.

But – BUT – it’s an issue you can essentially vote on with your wallet. Don’t want to support recent games getting remastered/remade and sold for full retail price? Then don’t buy it. It’s as simple as that.

Buy it, don’t buy it, wait for a sale – the choice is entirely yours. Just as it’s the developer’s choice on how to spend their time and resources. If the production costs outweigh the sales of these $70 remakes of recent games, then they’ll be forced to change tact. But if sales meet and exceed expectations, then the savvy business decision for Sony and other publishers would be to continue this trend. So, can you blame them?

Whether your concern is how the devs spend their resources, or whether the visuals actually matter, or how these games are priced – let us know. Agree, disagree, agree to disagree? Where do you stand on the idea of an HZD remake and others like it?