Wasteland Remastered
- February 25, 2020
- inXile Entertainment
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Wasteland Remastered" is a post-apocalyptic RPG originally released in 1988, now with updated graphics, sound, and expanded music. As a Desert Ranger, maintain order and protect the remaining population from dangers in the American southwest while investigating a new threat. The game includes the original's physical storybook within the experience. Your choices will impact the world as you recruit help and follow leads.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- The remaster features updated graphics and audio, making the game visually appealing while retaining the original's charm.
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original, with many familiar elements and mechanics that evoke fond memories.
- Quality of life improvements, such as an in-game journal and voiceovers, enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- The user interface is clunky and outdated, requiring excessive clicks to perform simple actions, which can be frustrating for players.
- Many mechanics and systems are poorly explained, leading to confusion and reliance on external guides to progress.
- Frequent random encounters and tedious combat can detract from the enjoyment, making the game feel grindy and repetitive.
- graphics68 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The remastered version of the game features significant graphical upgrades, transitioning from the original's pixelated visuals to more vibrant, high-resolution graphics that enhance immersion while retaining the retro art style. However, some players noted that despite these improvements, certain graphical issues and a clunky interface persist, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, opinions vary on whether they sufficiently elevate the game to modern standards.
“The game features high-resolution graphics that breathe new life into the game's world, making it more immersive than ever before.”
“The graphics look clean and crisp while still maintaining the vibrancy and style of the original graphics.”
“This remaster has great graphics without straying too far from the spirit of the original, especially shown with all of the glowing lights and machinery of later areas.”
“Graphics are ugly and the interface is clunky and hard to navigate.”
“The graphics are of course better but they also got in the way from time to time.”
“The graphics of that have aged even more than the mechanics.”
- gameplay62 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the remastered Wasteland has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing and outdated, particularly for newcomers. While the game retains the original's depth and complexity, its mechanics can feel clunky and unintuitive, often requiring patience to fully grasp. Despite some improvements in graphics and audio, the core gameplay experience remains largely faithful to the 1988 classic, which may not appeal to those expecting modern RPG standards.
“This is a remastered version of the classic 1988 game, Wasteland, that brought post-apocalyptic gameplay to RPGs.”
“Wasteland remastered's gameplay mechanics have been updated to feel modern without sacrificing the original's depth and complexity.”
“Developed by inXile Entertainment and Krome Studios, this remastered edition features enhanced graphics, improved audio, and updated gameplay mechanics while still retaining the original's immersive gameplay experience.”
“The gameplay is another mess because everything is confusing and unnecessarily unintuitive, which is also something they could fix in this remake but they didn't do anything for some reason.”
“After several hours of trying and failing to understand game mechanics, I almost dropped it and was close to deleting it from my library.”
“The game mechanics are tedious and boring.”
- story59 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and atmospheric, set in a post-nuclear wasteland where players navigate a series of quests and challenges. While the narrative has intriguing elements and improved quality of life features, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of clarity, often requiring players to rely on guides to progress. Overall, the remaster enhances the original's storytelling with updated graphics and audio, but some mechanics remain cumbersome, detracting from the overall experience.
“But the atmosphere and storyline is great!”
“The story and lore of the game is what kept me going.”
“The game's storyline is engaging and full of twists and turns, keeping players engaged throughout their playthrough.”
“The plot comes down to you going from place to place solving problems until an NPC tells you about halfway through the game that the main plot is off that way to the east.”
“In the end, the main plot is okay, I guess, but nothing too special.”
“The story is kind of inconsistent.”
- music12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its remastered orchestral score, which complements the original retro synth tunes, creating a rich auditory experience. Players appreciate the expanded soundtrack, high-quality sound effects, and the addition of ambient 80s-style music, all of which enhance the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, significantly contributing to the game's immersive quality.
“A fully-vocalized narrative, hand-drawn art assets & cutscenes, an amazing original-inspired soundtrack, and more, will greet you if you decide to explore the wasted remains of post-apocalyptic North America.”
“The updated audio also adds to the game's atmosphere, with an excellent soundtrack and high-quality sound effects.”
“The soundtrack has also been remastered with a new, modern orchestral score that is very nice, but the retro synth tunes are all still there, as well as the original pixel art if you'd like to revisit either.”
“There's a few custom tracks and remixes, but overall the music is of high quality.”
“The game has been given a tabletop feel and very atmospheric music.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring frequent adjustments to party order and equipment. While some appreciate the depth it offers for level grinding, many criticize the combat mechanics as overly complicated and poorly explained, leading to a frustrating experience. Additionally, persistent bugs and unfair achievements contribute to the grindy nature of the game.
“It's a very interesting game, especially when you notice how many things other games took from it, but even in this remastered form it is extremely tedious to actually play.”
“I have to say though, it was a struggle to get through, as I found the combat somewhat tedious and repetitive.”
“The game mechanics are tedious and boring.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its engaging storyline, pixel graphics, and immersive audio, including a strong soundtrack and sound effects. However, some users noted that map movement and preset characters detract from the overall immersion. Overall, it offers a rich, atmospheric experience, especially for those willing to engage their imagination.
“But the atmosphere and storyline are great!”
“The updated audio also adds to the game's atmosphere, with an excellent soundtrack and high-quality sound effects.”
“The game has a tabletop feel and very atmospheric music.”
“The pixel graphics and theme are good, but the preset characters and map movement really detract from the overall atmosphere and immersion.”
“The atmosphere feels lacking, with poor map movement and generic preset characters that break immersion.”
“While the theme has potential, the overall atmosphere suffers due to the bad execution of map movement and character design.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is marked by a few minor glitches and interface issues, particularly with graphics and UI, which are expected on launch day. While these problems can be frustrating, they are not game-breaking and do not significantly detract from the overall experience. However, some players feel that the convoluted controls lead to more troubleshooting than actual gameplay.
“It doesn't feel like a 'yeah we made this game really open for you to do stuff' but more 'we made the controls purposefully convoluted so you spend most of your time troubleshooting, rather than playing.'”
“I did run into a few graphics glitches (my icon piece decided to move off its base, which made it challenging) and some interface issues not reporting properly, but nothing game-breaking.”
“My only issues are a couple of glitches regarding the UI, which makes sense since this is day one, and the fact that the game forces you to spend all of your skill points whenever you make a character and doesn't allow you to save any for later.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that the game's humor can be inconsistent, often leading to moments that feel off or awkward, prompting some to restart when the comedic elements fall flat.
“The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, with witty dialogue that keeps you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game uses clever puns and funny situations to lighten the mood.”
“The quirky characters and their comedic interactions make every moment enjoyable.”
