A remarkable demonstration of how a modern remake should be executed, this game sets an example by staying true to the original without resorting to "reimagining," "for modern audiences," or "reboot" alterations of any kind. Nearly everything, from the character and level design to the story and presentation, remains faithful to the original game, making it a remarkable experience.

While the change in music and the ending could be seen as slight drawbacks, they don't overshadow the game's overall excellence. The shift from lyrical to ambient music does enhance the game's atmosphere, but it occasionally results in the game feeling too quiet and lacking in vitality, leading to a slight loss in its unique identity.

Spoilers for the ending: Towards the end of the game, the Hacker engages in a final battle set in cyberspace, physically fighting waves of cyberspace enemies before confronting and defeating Shodan's Avatar, triggering the ending. This is a sudden departure from the Game's Cyberspace minigame, which it doesn't communicate very effectively in my opinion. One of the downsides of this segment is that players are unable to retain their inventory items and are limited to a single weapon, which essentially amounts to a reskinned Ion Rifle. This aspect of the game felt less immersive and more like a game of cat-and-mouse with the cyberspace enemies, as I found myself more focused on trying to tap them enough times to eliminate them. Furthermore, the ending provided less context compared to the original, and the music choice seemed out of place, especially when compared to the introductory sequence of the game.

In conclusion, Nightdive Studios has delivered a remake that was well worth the seven-year wait. While there are a few aspects that left me feeling underwhelmed, most of the issues could easily be addressed with a couple of quality-of-life patches and future updates. Considering the exceptional level of faithfulness and attention to detail in this remake, as well as it retaining it's general replayability from the original, I believe this is a must-have if your a fan of Immersive Sims.

A remarkable demonstration of how a modern remake should be executed, this game sets an example by staying true to the original without resorting to "reimagining," "for modern audiences," or "reboot" alterations of any kind. Nearly everything, from the character and level design to the story and presentation, remains faithful to the original game, making it a remarkable experience. While the change in music and the ending could be seen as slight drawbacks, they don't overshadow the game's overall excellence. The shift from lyrical to ambient music does enhance the game's atmosphere, but it occasionally results in the game feeling too quiet and lacking in vitality, leading to a slight loss in its unique identity. Spoilers for the ending: [spoiler] Towards the end of the game, the Hacker engages in a final battle set in cyberspace, physically fighting waves of cyberspace enemies before confronting and defeating Shodan's Avatar, triggering the ending. This is a sudden departure from the Game's Cyberspace minigame, which it doesn't communicate very effectively in my opinion. One of the downsides of this segment is that players are unable to retain their inventory items and are limited to a single weapon, which essentially amounts to a reskinned Ion Rifle. This aspect of the game felt less immersive and more like a game of cat-and-mouse with the cyberspace enemies, as I found myself more focused on trying to tap them enough times to eliminate them. Furthermore, the ending provided less context compared to the original, and the music choice seemed out of place, especially when compared to the introductory sequence of the game. [/spoiler] In conclusion, Nightdive Studios has delivered a remake that was well worth the seven-year wait. While there are a few aspects that left me feeling underwhelmed, most of the issues could easily be addressed with a couple of quality-of-life patches and future updates. Considering the exceptional level of faithfulness and attention to detail in this remake, as well as it retaining it's general replayability from the original, I believe this is a must-have if your a fan of Immersive Sims.