Gargoyles Remastered

Perhaps this title might inspire someone to work on a title which aligns more to the property… Otherwise buy it if you want to support the franchise, but if you’re looking for an enjoyable platformer there’s other options available out there. I guess it goes without saying, perhaps we shouldn’t have disturbed these relics of the past…

Gargoyles Remastered is a good addition to the growing library of classic remasters. It's faithful to a fault to its original release. Though I praise the developer for keeping the game as true to the original as possible, that doesn't mean it couldn't have used some extra updates. The visual upgrade is tremendous in recreating the animated series visuals, and the rewind function is excellent. Still, that doesn't keep the combat and platforming from being incredibly frustrating at times.

Linked to an already fluctuating production at the time of its debut, Gargoyles Remastered offers a pleasant graphic and sound restoration, not failing to add to the mix interesting possibilities such as real-time rewinding of the action. Unfortunately, however, it shows all the years of the original title and therefore, given its obvious limitations, it could struggle to attract the attention of anyone who was not a die-hard fan of the Mega Drive classic.

It might feel like a clunky mess at first but once you get in the groove, Gargoyles Remastered becomes a rather enjoyable adventure.

For better or worse, Gargoyles Remastered remains a product of its time. The remaster was handled in a way where all remasters of classic games should be handled which is add quality-of-life features like being able to save and modernizing the graphics and sound while giving the player the option to switch to the original version. The remastered graphics are beautiful and it’s like watching the animated series as game. The game mechanics are antiquated, however, and don’t hold up well. Players who enjoyed this title on Sega Genesis will find that it plays exactly how they remember it and can still have fun with this one. Newcomers who don’t have the benefit of nostalgia will likely be less forgiving of the gameplay in Gargoyles Remastered.

As much I can’t recommend Gargoyles Remastered to most players, I really appreciate Disney Games and Limited Run for creating quality remasters of retro games that aren’t in high demand. I have so much love and support for this project. I’d love to see this kind of treatment for more 16-bit Disney games like The Magical Quest trilogy, Mickey Mania, or Goof Troop.

Gargoyles Remastered is a disappointing time. Fans of the original will delight in getting to play it on a modern system and the quick rewind helps to alleviate some of the more egregious design choices, but it also highlights how barebones this remaster really is. The rough and ready feel isn’t helped by modern visuals that look aesthetically worse and seem to add extra lag and imprecision to the controls. This is one oldie that perhaps should have been left to sleep in stony isolation.