If there’s a single trend that’s dominated all of media in the last decade, it’s trying to harness nostalgia. Disney has endlessly pursued the idea with live-action remakes and trying to recapture Star Wars’ feeling, and TV shows like King of the Hill, Scrubs, and Malcolm in the Middle are all getting revivals. Of course, video games are also no strangers to capitalizing on nostalgia, as this year alone has seen well over two-dozen remakes or remasters.
Earlier this year, my review of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater questioned why we remake games in the first place, and what purpose they’re supposed to achieve. Inverse’s Remade series tries to answer that question by talking to some of the best and brightest in the industry — from Final Fantasy 7 Remake to System Shock. But a single thread I found running throughout all of these conversations was the idea of “comfort,” for both the players and those making games.
