Gods Remastered

GODS Remastered is an odd remaster. The brand new visuals help give this incarnation of Ancient Greece a far more agreeable presentation with a proper lighting system, some much-improved character models and a soundtrack that helps do justice to the unforgettable original. But peel away those cosmetic changes and you’re left with a once brilliant action-platformer that has not aged well.

GODS Remastered is expected to deliver something as close to the original GODS as possible and it certainly succeeds at that. Where GODS Remastered could have done a better job is when it comes to its gameplay mechanics, which are still mostly stuck in the original game's days, as the experience feels heavy and cumbersome compared to more recent games, despite the marvellous work done on its visual environment.

Your appreciation of Gods Remastered is going to come down to whether you're familiar with the original. By today's standards, the general movement and combat is clunky, and the enemy appearances can be considered cheap. However, changing any of this would run the risk of destroying the memories that old players have of the title. If you've played the game before, this will be a nice nostalgia kick. Otherwise, new players might be better served elsewhere unless they are really into retro titles, warts and all.

It looks like 2019, but it plays like 1991. Despite the fact that Gods Remastered is a good-looking re-skin of an older title, the most important factor in any title is the gameplay.

By only making skin deep improvements to the game and not touching any of the deep-seated flaws that lurk at the core of Gods original 1991 offering, Gods Remastered ends up being a largely disappointing and straight-laced remaster that will likely only appeal to the most die-hard of fans.

A great nostalgia ride but one which will only last you a short while.

Overall, I found Gods Remastered to be a skillfully challenging experience. For those who had the chance to play this when it first came out, this will be a nostalgic visit down memory lane, but with a HD twist.

Once you have overcome the first gagging in the face of the new graphics, GODS turns out to be a playable, early castleroid. Yes, the gameplay takes some getting used to and the "riddles" are in truth not puzzles and the 16-bit graphics are also not a real feast for the eyes. But if you let it go, Gods is just as demanding and motivating these days. The biggest letdown is likely to be the current price.

I won't disparage what GODS is and always was, which is quite simply one of the greatest of its time - but that denomination of era is crucially important here. Because judged up against its contemporaries, the original was a powerhouse - but there's simply no real place for it in 2018.

GODS Remastered shows just how nostalgia can be deceitful, by re-proposing a badly aged game acclaimed in its time thanks to a truly unparalleled artistic direction.