XIII Remake, the review of a finally satisfying return

History teaches that i remakes of old video games both good and bad can come. That of XIII Remake had turned out badly, indeed very badly: perhaps you will remember a little bit all the controversy relating to its publication, which took place in 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. In summary, it was a real disaster, including graphic glitches, interpenetrations, original voice acting recovered without any synchronization with the characters, and much more. Microids apologized and also promised to fix it.

Time seems to have proved his good faith. At the time of writing, XIII Remake will try again, returning to the market in what we could define as “the remaster of the remake”. Basically almost every aspect has been revised, but not by the first development team, PlayMagic, replaced instead by the guys from the French studio Tower Five. It goes without saying that 2020 buyers will be able to simply download a magical update completely free, to benefit from the improvements of the case, as well as a completely new online multiplayer game mode.

The following is ours review of XIII Remakeupdated to the new makeover available from September 13, 2022. We took up arms on PlayStation 5, in a frantic campaign in search of our memory and a very dangerous criminal organization.

XIII Remake on PlayStation 5: practically a new game

Compared to the 2020 version, XIII Remake on PlayStation 5 is practically a new game. It is always the same title that had some success in the now distant 2003 on PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC, but updated – from a graphic and technical point of view – to 2022. This time, fortunately, in a more than satisfactory way. All the main and invasive glitches have been solved: think for example of the blonde lifeguard who rescues XIII in the first minutes of the game, whose eyes in 2020 rotated freely in a very grotesque way; or to insignificant objects that hindered the protagonist’s path; and again the disastrous recovery of the dubbing, badly synchronized with the non-player characters. Fortunately, all this is a distant memory.

For more the version PlayStation 5 of XIII Remake introduces the 60 FPS, instead precluded on all the remaining consoles. Finally, the edition does justice to the ancestor of the early 2000s, with high definition capable of enhancing an artistic direction that draws heavily on the world of comics (there are numerous balloons and onomatopoeias, and not only during the films ) seeking a completely personal style in the broader context of the cel-shading technique.

Of course, not everything is perfect: alternating a little i difficulty levels it seemed to us that the artificial intelligence was too aggressive in “easy” mode and a little too numb, instead, in “difficult”. Overall, however, the level of challenge still makes more sense than it was two years ago. It would still be possible to intervene on small secondary graphical glitches, especially indoors, but we are sure that Tower Five will return to the issue in the near future.

The introduction of the online multiplayer mode. On the one hand, everything that is introduced for free can only be pleasing to the players; on the other hand, XIII Remake was probably one of the few first person shooters that didn’t need it. The entire experience is in fact based on a plot rigorously designed to be enjoyed alone: ​​the multiplayer sector is nothing more than a mere filler, probably proposed to justify even the two years of work necessary to recover credibility on the entire operation. It does what it has to do in itself, but finding other players isn’t easy, nor does the mode try to achieve some original or captivating inspiration.

Gameplay still valid

XIII Remake sports, as of September 13, 2022 (and beyond), a still valid gameplay. From this point of view, the restoration operation made sense: in 2003 the title convinced thanks to a well-balanced mix of game system satisfying and perfectly cared for glance. Now that all the technical issues have been resolved, the same can be said of the remake. Using cel shading aside, which you may like or not like, the production goes to great lengths to enchant the newcomer, right from the start.

Part of the credit certainly goes to plot: Agent XIII wakes up without memory, in America devastated by the assassination of President Sheridan. Slowly the man discovers that he has been trained to survive all sorts of combat, and that he knows how to use the weapons and objects available in a very effective and “creative” way. It is up to you to discover all the secrets linked to a mysterious military organization and to the same role played by XIII in the assassination of Sheridan.

Returning to gameplay, the latter is based on overcoming a series of linear levels (XIII Remake is not an open world) to be faced and overcome using any strategy that proves effective. Normally everything translates into taking up the first firearms available by making a clean sweep of the enemies, but sometimes there is no lack of more particular missions, in which it is specified not to kill certain targets or to reach a certain location without being identified by those present. . These variations contribute to making XIII Remake as varied as possible, although it is always a first-person shooter heavily focused on the main narrative. We are quite sure that some of the weapons have been modified compared to the 2020 version, making their use (in terms of damage and recoil) more similar to that of 2003. And of course this is an improvement, in the perspective of the so-called gunplay.