Reboots are the best way for a video game franchise to revive themselves and ease their titles into more modern game standards. That doesn't mean they're all sunshine and rainbows; some video games take the rebellious and angst-ridden path as they reinvent themselves. At the same time, these edgy teenagers of the video game industry also made the right call.
Despite having darker themes and tones, they turned out well and didn't set themselves too far ahead of their original predecessors. As a result, they tend to become classics because not only did they innovate, but they also set their own unapologetic tone and trend. Those who are looking for some darker and more mature reboots will do well to check out these titles.
8 Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time/Warrior Within
- Release year: 2003/2004
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Java, Xbox
The original Prince of Persia was a 2D Metroidvania game more similar to the Disney-fied version of Aladdin. Then, Ubisoft refurbished the whole franchise into something more epic with Sands of Time. They didn't stop there as they deemed the sequel as some kind of progressing reboot for the franchise.
Thus, Warrior Within was gloomy and drowning in rock music. It's as if Prince of Persia discovered eyeliners and the latest album of Seether, aptly following the trend. Storywise, Warrior Within is just as dire. The nameless prince is beset on all sides by the manifestation of fate itself, as the unstoppable monster chases him, promising the death he evaded too many times in the past.
7 Resident Evil 7
- Release year: 2017
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, Stadia, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Granted, the original Resident Evil games were already gory and violent. However, Resident Evil 7 or Biohazard took immersion to another level by assuming a first-person perspective. On top of that, they also included some horror tropes from certified macabre movies such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Evil Dead.
The result was a more intimate fright-fest that ended up feeling a lot more claustrophobic and maddening compared to the older games. After all, players can now see everything up close. More than that, the game also became more serious; the lack of slight nudity and fan service is notable enough. At times, the game can even feel more like a higher-budget version of Outlast.
6 Doom (2016)
- Release year: 2015
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Android, Google Stadia
In a similar case to Resident Evil, the Doom games have always maintained an oppressive and evil atmosphere filled with satanic iconography. This carried on to the first reboot in 2004, but that one wasn't as memorable or as hardcore as Doom 2016. The latest Doom reboot cranked brutality up to 11 and allowed more ways for players to brutalize the poor indigents of Hell.
Such a system was introduced in the form of the Glory Kills, where players could walk up to a weakened demon and rip their jawbone like a stuck LEGO piece or pull their spine out like a lawnmower rope. Music has also seen a modern twist and improvement thanks to composer Mick Gordon, and of course, the demon design has gotten more visceral and obscene.
5 Tomb Raider (2013)
- Release year: 2013
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, Shield TV, Stadia
Before the 2013 Tomb Raider came along, Lara Croft was content on just raiding archeological hotspots in her calendar girl getup. The reboot plunged her back down to the gritty realism of treasure hunting. Because in the 2013 Tomb Raider, Lara was subjected to all kinds of torture as early as the opening scene where she gets impaled through the belly, kidnapped, and battered by mother nature.
It was a survivalist's nightmare and not many Tomb Raider games dared explore that kind of gamble for Lara Croft. It did pay off well, and Lara eventually became a more respectable video game protagonist due to all the hardships she endured in the reboot.
4 Grand Theft Auto 3
- Release year: 2001
- Platforms: Android, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, iOS, macOS, Fire OS, Classic Mac OS
Before the dawn of 3D open-world gaming, Grand Theft Auto games were just top-down crime escapades that somewhat disconnected players from the transgressions they were performing. Grand Theft Auto 3 shook things up with its visuals and new structure. This paved the way for a more personal look at an exaggerated underground criminal life.
Grand Theft Auto 3 became bolder with the stories it wanted to tell and even sprinkled in some horrific scenarios such as accidental cannibalism and of course, the usual mafia dealings. Don't be fooled by the "3" in the name; Grand Theft Auto 3 is a revolution for the formula and is fundamentally a reboot for the whole franchise.
3 Need For Speed: Underground
- Release year: 2003
- Platforms: PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, GameCube, Xbox, Arcade game, Game Boy Advance, Arcade video game
Before Need for Speed: Underground came along, the older NFS games were content with showcasing their exotic European cars maxing out on highways and clean semi-rural roads. But thanks to the popularity of a family-oriented film franchise such as The Fast and the Furious, street racing has become the hot new thing.
NFS: Underground soon followed suit and breathed new life into the complacent franchise. It injected the dark underbelly of the racing scene into its formula: illegal street racing. More than that, tuners and muscle cars were also added to the spice rack.
2 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Release year: 2007
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii, macOS, Nintendo DS, Classic Mac OS
Prior to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the previous Call of Duty games were feel-good stories about WW2 heroism. With the advent of Modern Warfare, Call of Duty went out of its comfort zone and ventured into darker territory. It finally featured a story that's not too far off from the grittiness of contemporary warfare.
It was presented through the eyes of spec-ops units— mostly the British SAS, as they track down a terror organization and prevent an impending World War 3 all from behind the scenes. To that end, it's more similar to Tom Clancy's stories compared to the older Call of Duty games.
1 Spec Ops: The Line
- Release year: 2012
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, macOS
Speaking of games about spec-ops units, Spec Ops: The Line was quite the handful back in 2012. It's a reboot of a less-than-popular video game franchise that mostly glorified warfare similar to Michael Bay war movies. Spec Ops: The Line hushed its franchise's "bro" perspective on warfare.
It told a traumatizing story where the protagonist commits all kinds of war crimes both against enemy combatants and civilians. Spec Ops: The Line portrays the horrors of war. For some, it even seemed like it was taking an anti-war stance, which was quite uncommon for a lot of shooter games. So while the reboot flopped in reviving the franchise, it did its genre a favor.