RPGamer 2024 Awards – Best Remake / Best Re-Release

« Best Strategy RPG

Best Remake /
Best Re-Release

Best Expansion »

Best Remake -- Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a stunning reimagining of the 1988 NES classic, offering a fresh perspective on this beloved JRPG. While the game has seen previous remakes for SNES and GBC, this HD-2D rendition stands out as the most substantial overhaul to date. While faithfully preserving the core gameplay, the HD-2D version introduces several captivating additions. The new Monster Master class, with its impressive array of skills tied to over a hundred recruitable monsters, is a standout feature. Discovering and collecting these creatures throughout the world adds a layer of depth and excitement to the gameplay. Visually, the game dazzles with Square Enix and Acquire’s signature HD-2D style, bringing the world to life with vibrant detail. The iconic soundtrack is presented in its full orchestral glory, delivering an immersive and unforgettable audio experience. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has quickly established itself as the definitive version of this timeless classic.

 

 

Persona 3 was a game many were hoping would get the remake treatment. Lo and behold, Atlus answered RPGamer’s prayers with Persona 3 Reload, which offered tons of wonderful and welcomed improvements. New additions include its slick UI, new activities that make evenings less dull, and a revamped soundtrack and voice acting, which all serve to freshen the experience while keeping the original game’s addictive qualities intact. While the female protagonist may not be in this edition, Persona 3 Reload shows why it is the definitive version of the game, and why it’s a must-play title.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is exactly the type of remake one would want of a classic SNES game. It completely moves the experiences to a gorgeous 3D engine while keeping the charm and style of the original character and enemy pixel art. This, in and of itself, might have been good enough, but various systems from the original have been updated as well. The battle system from recent SaGa games has been brought in to provide more depth and strategy to the combat. The class system has also been updated with new options and jobs to play with. Combined with many optional quality-of-life improvements, the result is quite possibly the best SaGa experience ever produced. Remakes need to be more like this.


Best Re-Release -- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Winner

Runner-Up

While Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance could be seen as one of the nicest surprises of 2024 from a JRPG fan’s perspective, it was at the same time a predictable release for those accustomed to how Atlus handles its most ambitious titles. The original Shin Megami Tensei V was already a great RPG. It offered well-designed turn-based gameplay, delightful monster collecting, rewarding exploration, epic adventure, and more. However, a few aspects of the title would have greatly benefited from some polish, primarily its narrative and a divisive approach regarding level scaling. For this reason, many wished Atlus would follow with its well-known tradition of releasing enhanced versions. Their wish was granted and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance turned out to be what many were hoping for.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance lets players experience the plot of the original release, now named Canon of Creation, and addresses the issues that were holding back the original game by rebalancing combat and adding a new storyline, the Canon of Vengeance. The Canon of Vengeance not only comes with new interesting characters and locations, but it also made the original release’s cast more endearing and fleshed out. Not content with refining the original game’s unpolished aspects, Vengeance bolsters its strong points with new demons to recruit, more skills to use, and soundtracks to enjoy. The result is hours of content for everyone, a wonder for newcomers, and a rediscovery for those who already played the 2021 release.

 

 

Mistwalker’s Fantasian was a well-made title from two of the RPG industry’s greatest minds in Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, but was sadly restricted to the Apple Arcade until last year. In addition to offering the wider RPG audience the chance to play the game, Fantasian Neo Dimension gives a hugely appreciated re-balanced look at the original’s brutal second-half difficulty spike. Its noteworthy yet punishing bosses are all beatable with a sound strategy, but the title still has players use the mechanics available to live and fight another day. Meanwhile, the full set of physical dioramas created for its locations never fails to impress. It’s clear from the outset that the game has been created with a lot of passion, and it feels like it was tailored to wider RPG audiences, making it a joy that the experience can now reach more people.

 

by Matt Masem, Sam Wachter, Michael Apps, Mohamed Lamine Coulibaly, and Ryan Costa