This year was a very strong year for fresh new games, whether they came in the form of all-new IPs or just excellent sequels to long-running franchises. But a strange thing happened this year and we saw more remasters and remakes than ever before. Looking into the crystal ball of 2026, this trend doesn't look to be dying down any time soon, and many of us on the team got swept up in the nostalgia of seeing our favorite games get fresh coats of paint or top-to-bottom rebuilds. As such, this is our newest entry into the GotY awards here at Chalgyr's Game Room, and like the remake/remaster trend, I think we'll be keeping it around for awhile.
Nick: Lunar Remastered Collection
This was in many ways the most challenging category for me to fill out. For starters, it’s a new category for us, but it really looks like Remakes and Remasters are only gaining in popularity, and as a result – we wanted to take a few moments to celebrate the ones that do it right. Lunar was an example of this. For starters, the games are timeless JRPG classics. I mentioned in my review of this release, that my first experience with these games was the original Lunar that released on the Sega Genesis CD. When you’re already working with great source material, it’s hard to go wrong. Thankfully though, the team put the two titles together, offered a handful of options including the original and modernized visuals and several key quality of life improvements to bring the whole package together.
PY: Many
There’s no denying that this is the year of remasters. Lunar, Suikoden, Tales of Series, SMT Raidou, Sacred 2, Final Fantasy Tactics, Dragon Quest, and Bravely Default alongside others.
Some of these were touched up just enough to bring them to the latest generation of consoles and players, while others went through full blown remastering with audio, visual and gameplay enhancements. So how do you pick one?
So while Nick said “No runner-ups to the honorable mentions that came close to a 3rd place finish just behind a participation trophy”, I’m doing it anyway and putting all of these down because I can’t simply pick one over the others.
But the Lunar Remastered Collection probably comes in just a bit above the rest because of the super soft spot that I have for that series.
Susan: The Talos Principle: Reawakened
We knew this was going to be on my list somewhere, right? RIGHT?
The Talos Principle: Reawakened impressed me. Not only is it a remaster of the first game, but Croteam added several things to it which makes the game worthwhile to pick up. Firstly, Reawakened updated the graphics of the original game making it much more stunning than the original game - even though it was beautiful to begin with. It also features both the original game and the first expansion Road to Gehenna as well. Instead of needing to go back and buy these games separately, you get them both in one package. But that's not all you get, Croteam surprised players with a whole new set of levels called In the Beginning which feature puzzles that appear deceptively simple but are actually tougher than some of the hard puzzles in Talos Principle 2. And finally, Reawakened has a level editor which allows players to create their own diabolical puzzles that people can try out.
There is no question why I would put The Talos Principle: Reawakened on my favorite remake/remaster list. The updated graphics, level editor, and brand new levels are enough to grab anyone's attention, but there are some quality of life features that were included like enhanced lighting and textures to add life to the world. Honestly, for the price tag of the game, it is well worth it to grab this game if you haven't experienced the magic of Talos before. I can't talk enough about how amazing the Talos series is, because it's rather impressive what they've achieved. All I can say is, I need more of them!
Richard: N/A
Surprisingly, I haven’t actually played any remasters or remakes this year. Rather unusual for me, but I have a lot on the backburner I just haven’t got around to yet. If I have to name one I’m excited to start though, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is what I’m looking forward to most.
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