10 Best Video Game Demakes

Games these days are looking better and better.

Graphics are getting more polished, rays are getting more traced, and glitches…. are par for the course, seemingly, but never mind.

Regardless, it’s safe to say that things in the visual department are changing for the more photo-realistic, especially in the AAA sphere.

Sometimes, though, it can be nice to go back to old favorites and revisit all the thrills fewer polygons provide.

However, this can be trickier than it sounds.

Older consoles are harder and harder to access
as time goes on, backwards compatibility varies

wildly across systems, and emulation can be
temperamental.

Thankfully, there are some folks willing to
hit you right in the nostalgia gland by taking

the most popular titles of recent years and
‘de-making’ them, turning them into something

that would look at home on the consoles of
years past.

Today, we’re looking at some of the best
demakes that are available right now.

All titles on this list can be found on itch.io
unless otherwise stated, so it’s time to

get out there and get nostalgic.

I’m Ashton from TripleJump, and here are
the 10 Best Video Game Demakes.

10.Pixel Force: Halo
Microsoft’s flagship game, Halo: Combat

Evolved, was first released in 2001 and very
soon established itself as both an impressive

FPS and the best reason to own an Xbox.

The game introduced players to Master Chief
and Cortana, and has them battle through the

alien forces of the Covenant to discover the
mystery of the eponymous Halo.

It has, of course, been remastered already,
in the form of the Master Chief Collection.

But what if you took the game and went the
opposite way through the time machine?

The result would likely be something like
Pixel Force: Halo.

Just one of many demakes that can be found
on creator, Eric Ruth’s, website, it takes

the story and world of the first game in the
Halo series and turns it into an NES platformer

reminiscent of Contra.

Master Chief jumps, platforms, and shoots
his way through grunts in 2D, and every once

in a while, the gameplay is broken up by top-down
Warthog sections to keep things interesting.

While it does only recreate the first three
missions of the game, there’s enough variety

so that whether you’re a Halo fan, a Contra
fan, or just an NES fan, there’s something

there for you to make you feel old.

You’re welcome.

9.

Low Mem Sky
Space exploration simulator, No Man’s Sky,

had a rough start at launch, to put it mildly.

A classic case of overpromising and under
delivering, the game released to a wave of

negativity and bad reviews, what with so many
promised features being absent.

Over the subsequent years, however, No Man’s
Sky has been improved significantly, and there

is a thriving community and a good level of
developer support that continues to this day.

The extremely demade version of the game,
known instead as Low Mem Sky, takes out a

lot of the, well, everything and gives players
a pure exploration experience.

Designed for Demake JAM 2018 by Liquidream,
this PICO-8 creation can generate a multitude

of unique star systems, much like the original
version.

Each of these then has eight procedurally-generated
planets, and allows for trading, upgrades,

several different alien species, and even
climate-based material collection.

Sure, it’s much harder to see exactly what
it is you are exploring in this version, but

at least this way you don’t have to worry
about looking at some of the truly nightmare-inducing

creatures of the actual game.

I assume that collection of four pixels isn’t
an animal, anyway; they really could be anything

at this resolution.

8.

Elden Ring GB
At this point, Elden Ring hardly needs an

introduction, but I’m going to do one anyway.

The massively ambitious FromSoftware open-world
RPG sees players take control of their chosen

Tarnished, guiding them through the Lands
Between where they can discover adventure,

treasures, and massive bosses that will smack
the absolute stuffing out of them – mostly

that last one, if we’re being honest.

If persistent and “gud” enough, though,
it is eventually possible to take on the final

boss and become the Elden Lord.

However, if that challenge sounds a bit too
intimidating for your tastes, there is also

a Game Boy demake available, thanks to creator,
shin.

The game recreates a small portion of the
first area, starting with the initial spawn

in a church and going all the way through
Stormveil Castle, right up to the fight with

Godrick the Grafted.

While the large bosses dotted through the
land and dungeons of Limgrave have mostly

been omitted, Patches and Sellen do both set
up shop, and everyone’s favorite jar, Alexander,

also makes an appearance.

There’s even a dodge roll, which looks more
like breakdancing in this version.

Come to think of it, maybe we could just challenge
Malenia to a dance-off instead?

I’d have about the same chance of success.

7.

Luigi’s Mansion 2D
It’s fair to say that Luigi doesn’t tend

to get much love in the Mario universe.

He’s constantly being overshadowed by his
brother, and the one time he does get to star

in his own series of games, he has to deal
with a whole bunch of ghosts!

Though to be fair, he does it to himself.

You really think you won a mansion from a
contest you didn’t even enter?

Come on Luigi, common sense man!

This hasn’t stopped the Luigi’s Mansion
series from becoming quite popular, having

gotten a total of three games thus far.

Now, Luigi can count another one, as Luigi’s
Mansion 2D is available and reimagines the

game in a more Metroid-y style.

Originally created by Mario Fan Games Galaxy
user, Shadow Kami, the project has been taken

up by TheHappyFaceKing.

Gameplay is very similar to the original version
of the game, seeing Luigi wander around a

dark, spooky mansion, hoovering up money and
ghosts alike.

The demake also seems to be receiving regular
updates, with some of the newest at time of

writing introducing a third area and local
co-op, as well as a few bug fixes.

If you find you just can’t get enough of
Luigi’s ghostbusting adventures, this may

just be the way to jump back in.

6.

Soundless Mountain 2
Resident Evil.

Dino Crisis.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.

Alone in the Dark if you really want to delve
into the archives.

These titles are all great examples of classics
of the survival horror genre.

Silent Hill is yet another, and the most popular
of the lot is undoubtedly Silent Hill 2.

It’s so beloved that a remake is in the
works.

I’m sure Bloober Team’s treatment of the
mental health themes won’t be problematic

in the slightest.

A large reason for this is because, at this
point, Silent Hill 2 can be difficult to play.

The combat feels stiff by today’s standards,
and tank controls were never good.

But what if you wanted to place the game even
farther in the past?

Enter Soundless Mountain 2, an NES-inspired
demake from Superflat Games, who are best

known for 2D horror title, Lone Survivor.

Players are once again able to join James
Sunderland as he wanders the town in search

of his late wife, Mary.

Unfortunately, the game is only recreated
up to the first major area, the apartments,

meaning we’re not able to get a glimpse
of Pyramid Head.

Probably for the best; Triangle Head doesn’t
sound nearly as scary.

If you fancy giving the game a go, Soundless
Mountain 2 can be found on the Superflat Games

website, and is perfect for getting into the
retro spooky spirit.

5.

Indivisible on NES
Inspired primarily by Southeast Asian mythology,

RPG, Indivisible, released in 2019 for most
platforms and was brought to the Switch the

following year.

The game follows Ajna as she sets out on a
quest to discover her true power.

Her village ends up getting attacked, and
when she embarks on her adventure, she meets

several others on her journey who end up helping
in combat.

In true Metroidvania fashion, players are
able to unlock more paths as Ajna discovers

new abilities.

While there were seemingly some small issues
with the combat, the game received a lot of

praise, especially for the art style and music.

It was even reported to have a show in development
as of 2020, though nothing has been heard

about it since then.

It gained such popularity that it spawned
its own demake, this time in the form of an

NES ROM.

Indivisible on NES was created by Kasumi,
and this time sees Ajna fight and platform

through two different temples and culminates
in a fight with a quite difficult boss.

While it is shorter than many other demakes
on this list, you are rewarded with Ajna’s

tapir friend, Roti, at the end.

How many other games feature a tapir?

Well, probably Zoo Tycoon, but not many, is
my point.

4.

Lucius Demake
The anti-Christ simulator that is Lucius sees

players take control of the titular little
terror as he goes around his opulent manor

house “taking care” of the other occupants
one by one, as instructed by daddy dearest,

Lucifer.

Over the course of the game, Lucius unlocks
new abilities ranging from mind control to

pyrokinesis, allowing him to solve the life-endangering
puzzles he’s presented with in more complicated

and crafty ways.

This premise proved so popular that the game
now has two sequels, and I now have a whole

new host of concerns about gamers.

As its name suggests, Lucius Demake takes
this horrific premise and makes it a little

more palatable by removing a dimension.

Created by the original developers, Shiver
Games, everything from the muted color palette

to the overall gameplay is meant to invoke
the feeling of games from the 80s.

Weirdly, it actually seems to have improved
upon the base game, removing many of the strange

control issues.

Like the main game before it, Lucius Demake
is available on Steam and has Very Positive

reviews overall, meaning that no matter how
you like your lethal accidents, there’s

something there for you.

Just remember to keep them virtual, yeah?

3.

Fuz
Indie darling, Fez, was originally released

in 2012and wowed both players and critics
with its multi-dimensional puzzling and retro

stylings.

The protagonist, Gomez, resides quite happily
in his entirely 2D world.

But before too long, he is presented with
a strange fez and is forced to accept the

existence of a third dimension.

Most of the gameplay from this point forward
consists of rotating the world to look at

it from a different angle, and trying to line
up different items such as ladders and platforms

in order to progress.

Because it was so popular, there was even
a sequel planned at one point.

Before it could be completed, however, creator,
Phil Fish, completely quit the gaming industry,

relegating Fez to one-hit-wonder status.

Despite this complicated hiccup, though, you
are able to play a new version of the game

with an even more minimalistic style, thanks
to Fuz.

Another PICO-8 creation, this time created
by Jusiv, the demake features eight different

areas and a completely remade soundtrack,
recapturing the feeling of the game with even

fewer pixels.

It is true that some may find this version
harder to parse, but all can be made clear

if you just fuz around with it a bit.

… Yeah, that definitely sounded better in
my head.

2.

Disco Elysium: Game Boy Edition
2019 game, Disco Elysium,is yet another title

that took the indie scene by storm when it
was released.

Heavily inspired by the likes of Planescape:
Torment, it follows the story of a detective

who is suffering from amnesia and must solve
a murder mystery.

Instead of relying on combat, like many RPGs,
the game exclusively uses skill checks and

dialogue choices to drive the plot forward,
and eventually allows players to unweave the

story both of the protagonist and the world
he resides in.

Disco Elysium has become such a hit that there
is now even a GameBoy version of it.

Made by Colin, also known as BloodyStapler,
this demake recreates the beginning section

of the game, and though it understandably
has to take away a few elements thanks to

the limitations that a Game Boy brings, it
still starts with the same mysterious atmosphere.

While the original allows players to choose
their own stats, this version sees players

gaining skills and skill points through dice
rolls, with successes earning points and failures

increasing the level cap for that skill.

It’s hugely impressive that the overall
atmosphere of the original game has been retained

so well despite having so much removed, making
this a great way for fans to revisit the title.

1.

Bloodborne PSX
It likely comes as no surprise to find this

title at the head of the list, as it is certainly
the most prominent demake in recent memory.

Bloodborne is, of course, FromSoftware’s
most neglected game, being the only one of

their genre-naming Soulsborne IPs to not get
much beyond the admittedly fantastic DLC.

Set in the plague-ridden town of Yharnam,
the Hunter must battle their way through the

nightmare, taking care of beasts and the cosmic
eldritch creatures known as the Great Ones

as they make their way to the Healing Church
and beyond.

Using this as a starting point, Bloodborne
PSX, created by Lilith Walther, recreates

the starting area of Central Yharnamwith an
aesthetic that takes inspiration from the

original PlayStation.While the layout varies
from the original in many ways, and goes so

far as to add a new boss at the end,the unknowable
cosmic horror vibe is still very much on display.

The inherently shorter draw distance means
that players can never quite be sure what’s

around the corner, and the audio being authentic
but slightly off makes it extra tense, leading

to a fantastically spooky experience overall.

Now fans of the game have something new to
tide them over until the sequel.

There will be a sequel, right?

Anyone?

Miyazaki?

Where’ve you gone?