The gaming industry has made great technical advances, as today even the simplistic browser games and CasinoChan slots look fantastic. But the games we played in our childhood and adolescence evoke warm feelings, even despite their technical imperfection. Here are the old games, their re-releases, and retro-inspired novelties that will inevitably evoke feelings of nostalgia.
Warcraft I и II
Not everyone remembers that Warcraft was originally a strategy game, not an online role-playing game. The first part came out in 1994, and a year later there was a second part with improved controls and progressive graphics.
Cuphead
This game will cause nostalgia even though it came out in 2017. It’s reminiscent of a revived Disney cartoon from the 1930s – it can only be played for the sake of finding the artifacts and references to pop culture. Here you will meet characters resembling Woodpecker Woody, Betty Boop, Pacman, and Sinbad. And at a certain point in the game starts playing music, similar to the soundtrack to the legendary “Super Mario”.
Cuphead has interesting and qualitative gameplay: many gamers’ confessions that it is not easy to pass this game. The character has limited abilities, so you need to be very attentive and quick, and constantly analyze what is going on. And have patience: you will often die and return to the beginning of the level.
Blade Runner
This is a 1997 quest based on the movie Blade Runner. The game is drawn in a neo-noir aesthetic. The protagonist must search for clues, interrogate characters, and determine which of them is a real person and which is a replicant.
Thanks to the non-linear narrative, each playthrough turns out to be unique – there are at least 13 endings in the game. Replicant/human status for several characters is set randomly at the start of a new game. The main character’s choices, the number of clues found, interactions with other characters, and even inactivity affect the story.
Max Payne
The noir shooter was released in 2001. The game was so popular that it got several awards right away, and in 2008 it was also adapted, though not the most successful one.
Due to its complex gameplay it’s interesting to pass this game even now. The player has a large selection of weapons and bullet time slow-down mode: it allows you to aim more precisely and admire the flight of the bullet. The graphics are clumsy, but the exciting story and cinematic atmosphere more than compensate for this.
Xenonauts
This is an independent remake of the famous X-Com: UFO Defense from 1994. Xenonauts can be called a game created especially for the fans of the original: it is also a mix of strategy and tactics genres, the basic mechanics remained and was extended. The project was even approved by X-COM creator Julian Gollop.
The developers simplified the interface, tried to make the game more balanced, improved the design and slightly changed the micromanagement processes – the last innovation some fans of the original may seem controversial.
Xenonauts is unlikely to be played by those who are not familiar with UFO Defense, but the rest of the game will probably cause a fit of nostalgia.
Diablo II: Resurrected
In 2000 the legendary Diablo II kicked off an entire sub-genre of video games. In September, the game is being relaunched and it looks like the remaster will be a success.
The new version is an exact, but greatly improved copy of the project twenty years ago. To compare the differences in graphics, you can switch to the old version without leaving the game. The gameplay and the world of Diablo II itself hasn’t changed much.
There are some updates, but they are more functional. For example, the developers added automatic gold selection and moved the map to a more convenient location.
The only downside of the upcoming release is the hefty price tag. Moreover, we would suggest you to check this complete guide on diablo 2 runewords if you are wondering about what are they and how do we use them.
Heroes of Might & Magic 3 – HD Edition
A few years ago Ubisoft released a re-release of the famous “third Heroes”. The graphics were adapted for modern screens, so the game looks sharper and higher quality. It can be played not only from computers, but also from tablets. In addition, the new version is compatible with Steamworks.
Stardew Valley
2016 game for fans of the legendary Harvest Moon series. Stardew Valley creator Eric Baron began recreating the HM code as an exercise and ended up releasing his own original version four years later.
Stardew Valley inevitably evokes nostalgia for anyone who tended a farm and started a family in the world of Harvest Moon as a child. The world design here is similar, but with improved graphics and an advanced engine. Stardew Valley’s gameplay is more complex, and there is a multiplayer mode.