When it hit shelves back in 2007, Crysis left many PC gamers dumbstruck. This is because this game made by German developer Crytek featured cutting edge graphics at the time, with many claiming Crysis was the first “photoreal” game ever released.
That is, if your PC could handle the game – Crysis was infamous for bringing even the most powerful PCs to their knees, and the question “can it run Crysis?” was often asked in order to judge the worthiness of any gaming computer.
The game did make it to consoles in 2011 though, even if the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game obviously did not boast the same level of graphical fidelity as the PC original.
And fans of the game, plus those who never got to play Crysis back in the day, will be happy to know that a remaster of the game is now in the works, as was recently announced by Crytek on its website (via Eurogamer).
This remaster will add several new graphics features to the game including software-based ray tracing and high-quality textures, providing the game “with a major visual upgrade” according to Crytek.
“We are excited to be working on the Crysis franchise again, and to bring all the Crysis fans a remaster worthy of their passion for the game”, said the company’s CEO Avni Yerli.
Aside from PC, the game will also be hitting the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch this summer.
It remains to be seen, though, how well the game will run on the Nintendo Switch, given that it’s the most underpowered system of the lot, and also whether the game will be able to meet its projected summer release date taking into account the current health crisis, as Forbes has pointed out.
Hopefully, though, Crysis Remastered won’t slip past September, meaning fans of the game and those yet to dive into Crytek’s legendary first-person shooter won’t have to wait that long to play the game.
For now, all we have is the most disappointing of teasers, and we can only imagine who good Crysis Remastered will look on the most powerful PCs available today, given all the graphical bells and whistles Crytek is adding to the game.
The original game can still turn heads when running at maximum settings though – it arguably can look as good as a current-gen game, which is no mean feat taking into account that Crysis was released almost thirteen years ago. Here’s hoping, though, that building interiors (which looked a bit drab in the original game) get a thorough makeover, as they were never close to the game’s stunning outdoor scenes, which were truly a sight to behold for those who had a PC which could handle Crysis’ hardware demands.
Crysis’ gameplay also holds up well – fighting the North Korean army on a fictional island chain in the Pacific Ocean is still exciting, mainly thanks to the nanosuit players are equipped with in the game. Playing as a US special forces operative, you can use the nanosuit powers to turn invisible and gain extra strength or speed, giving you numerous ways in which to deal with the invading North Korean forces. Certainly, Crysis’ superb sandbox gameplay still makes the game worth playing.
Also, it’s clear the Xbox One and PS4 surely are powerful enough to deliver a great looking, smooth playing experience which exceeds the 2007 original, but how well the game will look and play on the Nintendo Switch is another matter.
Thankfully, Crytek is teaming up with Saber Interactive to make Crysis Remastered, a US-based studio which has worked on video game ports and conversions in the past (and which was recently bought by Swedish giant Embracer Group).
And definitely Saber has a good track record, being responsible for the Nintendo Switch version of CD Projekt’s highly acclaimed role-playing game The Witcher 3, so hopes are up that Crysis on Nintendo Switch will be able to stand up to the original game at least.
There’s also the tantalizing possibility that we’ll not only get the single player campaign featured in the original 2007 Crysis game, but also the one seen in Crysis’ Warhead expansion, which came out a year later. This is because Crytek has referred to the game’s “single-player campaigns” on its website, suggesting the Warhead expansion’s missions could be part of the package as Eurogamer has pointed out.
The announcement of Crysis Remastered will definitely be good news for those who’ve been playing the original Crysis over the years (and still use it as a benchmark on PC) then, while also giving console players the possibility of diving into one of the best first-person shooter games ever created, so it would be great if this remaster really is as good as everyone is hoping for when it comes out this summer.
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