Gaming has its fair share of outrageous games, studios and editors with a bad reputation and various issues. Thankfully, just as the balance in the Force, for every Sith Lord, there’s a gracious Jedi. Nightdive Studio has acquired this status by bringing back old-school classics, either with remasters or full-on remakes. Still, it wasn’t without a few missed opportunities.
They also pride themselves on crafting experiences that don’t indulge in modern trends. Something players resonate with at a time when microtransactions are everywhere. Here’s a look at the studio’s history and how it became one of the most respected dev teams ever.
The Programmed Success Of System Shock
System Shock is a PlayStation game few people actually played when it came out. It wasn’t a flop by any means, but it didn’t sell on the scale of a Tomb Raider or Metal Gear Solid. Time did its thing, and System Shock became a cult classic, being referenced from time to time by other games.
There are even online slots like ELK’s Kaiju or Cyberpunk Wars by Woohoo Games referencing the cyberpunk genre. To play them, players can visit Bonus.ca official website to find sites accepting PayPal.
However, the remake couldn’t have come at a better time. For years, CD Projekt Red had been teasing the now redeemed Cyberpunk 2077. It came out and turned into the scandal everyone knows. This meant many players had an itch for cyberpunk-style games, but the only game available had a terrible reputation. Releasing the System Shock remake just after that, gave the studio the exposure it needed to succeed, and the game was inevitably compared to 2077.
Apart from the genre it uses as a base, it couldn’t be any different. Its qualities earned the game praise from major gaming outlets like Pc Gamer, which gave it an 80% score. The game modernized the 1994 original graphically but also refreshed some rusty gameplay mechanics that aged like milk.
Looking For Lost Gems and Nostalgia
Nostalgia sells, and having a solid IP immediately guarantees some people will buy the remake or remaster, no matter what.
That’s why there recently was a Dead Space remake, for example. Nightdive Studio has become a specialist of it, bringing back forgotten games with remastered versions. Shadow Man, Doom 64, or Turok, the studio gave the chance to million of young players to discover these gems, and a “Proust madeleine” to those who played the originals.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out every time. For example, Nightdive’s remaster of the 1997 Blade Runner game was panned by critics, YouTubers, and players alike. The reason? Not only did it keep the original resolution of the original, making it a blurry, pixelated mess on modern displays, but it also introduced new bugs. So much so that most Steam reviews recommend playing the original instead of this “Enhanced” edition.
Understanding What Nightdive Studio Does
An inexperienced player who only played the System Shock remake may be surprised when seeing the other games’ graphics and gameplay. Nightdive occasionally works on remakes of some known IPs. When it happens, they’ll rework the entire game in a new engine, create new assets, and basically make it the same as it would be if released today.
However, this is a long and expensive process. Being a small studio, they usually only remaster a game. Remastering implies cranking up the resolution, adapting the game so it runs on modern hardware, and improving the visual aspect when possible with added reflections, for example.
They also improve on the gameplay so players can enjoy it with more current controls, while retaining what made the original a classic. That’s why their games please retro fans but may leave modern players puzzled.
Is There a Need For More Studios Like Nightdive?
Nightdive Studios is an anomaly in today’s gaming landscape. The studio works on games that are either cult classics or long-forgotten titles only a handful of dedicated players really know about. Commercially, there’s a market for nostalgia, games like System Shock, Robocop or Terminator by Teyon proved it recently. Nightdive also recently remastered Star Wars Dark Forces, which fans of the game and Star Wars appreciated.
Still, it doesn’t mean that there’s a trend for others to follow. Having a studio bring back old-school titles is nice, but the rest of the industry can’t follow the same path. However, their work can inspire future developers to dig into these older games and compare both versions to see what worked and what didn’t.
The knowledge gained can then be used to create new experiences. Having a bit of nostalgia from time to time is cool, but too much of it can cause nausea. So, let’s hope Nightdive Studios keeps releasing quality remakes and remasters while the rest of the industry creates new incredible games that’ll eventually get their remasters in a few decades.
