general game question4

javikaston

Well-Known Member
Game Developer
Oct 25, 2019
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1,784
what is the difference between a reboot remake remaster etc ???

Do they get their own new forum?
 

Pretentious Goblin

Devoted Member
Nov 3, 2017
9,202
7,718
Reboot = Remake with different/more modern sensibilities. Usually edgier and more """mature""", also known as a "gritty reboot". Compared to a remake, there is a greater expectation of creative liberties being taken with the source material.

Remaster = Better-quality (video, audio) version of the original, otherwise unchanged.
 

Sphere42

Active Member
Sep 9, 2018
970
1,031
Depends on the context. "Remaster" is the most consistent one and usually means purely technical improvements with the design, story, theme and often even the beat-to-beat action unchanged. Could still lead to a subjectively inferior result especially if you considered a certain ambiguity or "roughness" to be part of the charm.

A "reboot" only really makes sense if there is some form of continuity spanning multiple works, and only means that said existing continuity will be considered non-canon. Beyond that it's anyone's guess, they could make a faithful remaster but fix one or two major issues in the original, or they could do a complete 180 and openly subvert or ridicule everything the original stood for.

A "remake" is a generic catch-all to indicate the work is not completely original. For corporate that usually means nostalgia-based marketing and a low effort production, for small or new creators it usually means recreating the original using all the experience and resources they have acquired since then. A reboot or remaster is always a remake but not vice versa.

Plus of course all these terms can and will be used and abused by marketing as usual so you can't rely on definitions in that context.
 
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Jofur

Member
May 22, 2018
251
272
Obviously none of these terms are set in stone. But in general this is what they seem to imply:

Reboot: Complete reimagining/reset of the game/series with an all new story, characters and gameplay, but often with a couple of returning elements that make the series unique. For example the newer Tomb Raider games.

Remake: Taking an older game and completely remaking it from scratch. All new gameplay, graphics and engine. Pacing of the story is often changed, and characters may be expanded. For example the Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Remaster: Taking an older game and giving it a facelift, improving the engine, improving graphics, adding some quality of life features and expanding and fixing gameplay issues. However 9/10 times it's just marketing term for lazy next-gen console ports where they added some shitty new lightning effects and outsourced 3D models so they have to excuse to charge 60 bucks for it. Most remasters also run on the same engine as the older game.