Wasteland Remastered

About

Wasteland Remastered is a single player role playing game. It was developed by inXile Entertainment and was released on February 25, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 195 reviews

graphics16 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Wasteland Remastered offers a nostalgic experience with updated graphics and sound, making it visually appealing while retaining the charm of the original game.
The game rewards patience and curiosity, providing a deep and engaging RPG experience that encourages exploration and problem-solving.
The remaster includes quality of life improvements such as an in-game journal for tracking quests and passwords, making it more accessible for modern players.

The interface remains clunky and unintuitive, requiring excessive clicks for basic actions, which can frustrate players accustomed to modern RPG mechanics.
Many mechanics and skills are poorly explained, leading to confusion and reliance on external guides, which detracts from the overall experience.
Combat can feel tedious and repetitive, with frequent random encounters that disrupt exploration and slow down gameplay.

graphics
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
73%
4%
The remastered version of the classic game features significantly upgraded graphics and sound, enhancing the overall presentation while maintaining the original gameplay mechanics. While many players appreciate the modernized visuals and improved interface, some critiques highlight that the graphical updates do not fully address the game's underlying issues, and certain elements, like reused assets, detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a solid improvement, making the game more accessible and visually appealing, though opinions vary on whether they meet modern standards.
- “The graphics look clean and crisp while still maintaining the vibrancy and style of the original graphics.”
- “The remastered version brings the original Wasteland with updated graphics and audio, plus some quality of life improvements for the current generation of players.”
- “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.”
- “A graphical upgrade for sure, but replicates the jank of the original, while adding issues not originally present.”
- “The graphics of that have aged even more than the mechanics.”
gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
78%
5%
The gameplay of the remastered Wasteland retains much of the original's charm but suffers from outdated mechanics that can be confusing and unintuitive, especially for newcomers. While the graphics and sound have been modernized, many players find the gameplay clunky and frustrating, with a lack of clear tutorials and opaque mechanics that detract from the experience. Overall, the game appeals to those nostalgic for classic RPGs, but may not satisfy players accustomed to contemporary gameplay standards.
- “This is a remastered version of the classic 1988 game, Wasteland, that brought post-apocalyptic gameplay to RPGs.”
- “Now with the remaster, inXile and Krome Studios have polished it up with enhanced visuals, better audio, and smoother gameplay, all while keeping the old-school charm.”
- “A charming remaster that keeps the gameplay of its original incarnation mostly intact, but adequately enhanced.”
- “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.”
- “Game is too old gameplay-wise and clunky, not enjoyable at all.”
- “The mechanics are opaque.”
story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The story of the game is described as atmospheric and rich, with intriguing lore and character development that keeps players engaged, despite some pacing issues and a linear structure. While the narrative has its inconsistencies and can be cumbersome due to outdated mechanics, improvements in quest tracking and visual storytelling enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the depth and twists in the plot, though some find it necessary to rely on guides to navigate the sometimes unclear objectives.
- “But the atmosphere and storyline is great!”
- “The story and lore of the game is what kept me going.”
- “The story's surprisingly deep, full of twists, strange encounters and actual consequences to your choices.”
- “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.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and punishing, even with quality-of-life improvements in the remastered version. While the writing and lore are praised, the repetitive combat and unclear mechanics contribute to a frustrating experience, making it a struggle for many to enjoy despite its interesting elements. Those who appreciate level grinding may still find value, but the grind is often described as a significant drawback.
- “The writing and world/lore are great, but even with the new quality of life additions in this version, it's way too punishing and grindy.”
- “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.”
- “Several bugs with unfair and grindy achievements are persistent.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
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, which includes new tracks, ambient 80s-style music, and fully vocalized narratives that enhance the storytelling. Overall, the quality and atmosphere of the music significantly contribute to the game's appeal.
- “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 original soundtrack, which was already great, has been expanded, and there are now narrated sections with accompanying artwork for key moments.”
- “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 was given a tabletop feel and very atmospheric music.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is marked by several minor glitches, particularly in the user interface and graphics, which are not game-breaking but can be frustrating. Players have noted convoluted controls that detract from the gameplay experience, and some issues are expected given the game's launch state.
- “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.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its strong storyline and immersive qualities, enhanced by atmospheric music and a tabletop feel. However, some users noted that the pixel graphics and preset characters detract from the overall experience, and map movement can hinder immersion. Overall, it offers a rich atmosphere for those willing to engage their imagination.
- “But the atmosphere and storyline are great!”
- “It is very atmospheric and story-rich if you have a good imagination and the manual, though.”
- “The game has a tabletop feel and features 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 the immersion.”
- “While the theme has potential, the overall atmosphere suffers due to the bad execution of map movement and character design.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that the game's humor can be inconsistent, often leading to moments that feel off or awkward, prompting them to restart for a better experience.

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65h Median play time

46h Average play time

6-85h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Wasteland Remastered is a role playing game.

Wasteland Remastered is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 46 hours playing Wasteland Remastered.

Wasteland Remastered was released on February 25, 2020.

Wasteland Remastered was developed by inXile Entertainment.

Wasteland Remastered has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its grinding.

Wasteland Remastered is a single player game.

Similar games include Wasteland, The Bard's Tale Trilogy, Fallout, Ys I & II Chronicles+, Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar and others.

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