History Main / ReformulatedGame

* ''VideoGame/CrimzonClover for [=NESiCAxLive=]'' is of the Reformulated Port variety, being a revision of the doujin original. In order to better adapt the game for arcade platforms, the game's difficulty was adjusted by making enemy patterns more difficult, making Break Mode's duration shorter, and removing Simple Mode in exchange for Boost Mode. All subsequent releases of ''Crimzon Clover'' are based on this version.

* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}} Maximum'' used the same graphics engine, music, enemies, and weapons as ''Descent II'' for the PC and Macintosh in its [=PS1=] release, but featured entirely new levels, which were [[ItsShortSoItSucks criticized for being smaller]] ([[WhoForgotTheLights and darker]]) than the PC version's.

* Many early ports of ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' and ''Darius II'' run into the problem of trying to port games that use multiple screens in the arcade version. For the ''Darius'' ports on UsefulNotes/Turbografx16, the graphics are kept as-is and enemy attacks and formations adjusted accordingly, however the relatively large level geometries mean that [[ScreenCrunch the screen has to scroll up or down in accordance with the player's movement]]. ''Darius II'' on UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis use redrawn graphics so that no vertical scrolling is required, but deviates even more from the arcade original, to the point that many stages are completely different. It wasn't until the time of the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn that ''Darius II'' could be ported in its original aspect ratio, and for the first ''Darius'' fans had to wait until Hamster's Arcade Archives UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 port.

* While the PC and console verisons of ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' were collect-a-thon 3D platformers, the Game Boy Color version was a ''turn-based RPG''.

* ''T.N.K. III'' a 1985 tank-based arcade shoot-em-up and spiritual precursor to ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'', was completely overhauled for the NES as ''Iron Tank'' three years later. The basic gameplay and most of the graphics assets and power-ups were carried over, but the game layout is almost entirely different, with the addition of multiple branching paths and proper boss battles, as opposed to MooksButNoBosses.

* The [=PS2=] and Xbox releases of ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'' were drastically cut down due to memory limitations, though it can be partly blamed on how the levels were loaded as opposed to the engines used in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''. A number of props and details was removed to save on memory, cutscenes were presented as pre-rendered videos taken from the original PC release, and the Freeride Extreme mode was cut altogether; in lieu of the latter it was replaced with an exclusive circuit racing mode which was previously DummiedOut from the PC release. While the [=PS2=] port fared worse with muddier, [=N64=]-esque textures, the Xbox version was a tad superior due to Microsoft's console having twice the RAM compared to the PS2.

* The Famicom port of ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen'' was the most changed from the original PC-8801 version. The overworld and dungeon layouts are significantly different, a few new music pieces have been added, several bosses have been simplified or replaced, a convoluted FetchQuest is necessary to unlock the AbandonedMine, the outer gallery sections of Darm Tower are absent, and the first encounter with Dark Fact is a fake; to reach the real Fact, you have to use the Mirror of Fact to activate the large MagicMirror back in the first mirror maze.

* The Famicom port of ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen'' was the most changed from the original PC-8801 version. The overworld and dungeon layouts are significantly different, a few new music pieces have been added, several bosses have been simplified or replaced, a convoluted FetchQuest is necessary to unlock the AbandonedMine, and the first encounter with Dark Fact is a fake; to reach the real Fact, you have to use the Mirror of Fact to activate the large MagicMirror back in the first mirror maze.

* The first five ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' games had companion titles for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, which were compatible with the same [[RevenueEnhancingDevices toys-to-life figures]] as the console versions but had completely different gameplay and plots. For game five, ''[=SuperChargers=]'', the Wii version qualified as well, being the same as the 3DS version rather than the other console versions. Averted as of the sixth game, ''Imaginators'', where there is only the one version for consoles and no portable companion.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'': Care was taken to make sure both versions played the same and had the same character roster, though the restrictions of the less-powerful 3DS hardware meant certain characters had to be changed or cut for both versions, namely the Ice Climbers. Outside of this, each game had exclusive stages and secondary game modes (3DS has Smash Run, Wii U has Smash Tour), with the Wii U version also supporting up to eight players and having a LevelEditor. While fans consider both games to collectively be ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', director Masahiro Sakurai views ''for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''for Wii U'' as seperate installments (the fourth and fifth, repsectively).

* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' became a side-scrolling action game on both, the NES and the SNES, as it was pretty obvious that neither console was capable of video playback (at least not with the ROM cartridges available at the time in the case of the SNES, as a homebrew port of ''Road Blaster'' would later be made for the system) like the Sega CD and other disc-based consoles that featured more conventional ports of the original Laserdisc-based arcade game. There was also a Game Boy version titled ''Dragon's Lair: The Legend'' that was actually a port of a ZX Spectrum game titled ''Roller Coaster''.

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature'' started out as a UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} port of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64''. The devs ended up changing so much that it became its own game. The art-style is near identical to ''64'' and it shares almost all of the same characters, however everything else is different. Character's have different roles, different relationships, and different personalities. The town has a new name and there are different festivals as well. ''Back to Nature'' ended up becoming the de facto interpretation of the characters, with almosf every reappearance of them being based on the ''Back to Nature'' (or ''Friends of Mineral Town'') versions.

* ''Strider II'', the U.S. Gold-produced sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}'' (not to be confused with Capcom's own arcade sequel ''Strider 2''), was originally released in 1990 for various home computer platforms in Europe (specifically the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum). ''Strider II'' was later remade for the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive and UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem in 1992 with redesigned stages and gameplay mechanics much closer to the original ''Strider'' arcade game. The Genesis and Game Gear versions were released in America under the title of ''Strider Returns: Journey from Darkness''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} IV'' was developed at the same time for the UsefulNotes/PCEngine and UsefulNotes/SuperFamicom. Both versions were developed by separate companies based on a rough outline provided by Creator/{{Falcom}}, who developed the prior ''Ys'' games. There was also a third version planned for the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive that ended up being canceled.

** ''Impossamole'', originally released for Amiga, C64, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum computers, was completely overhauled for the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16. The {{Dungeon Shop}}s were replaced with in-level pickups, the weapon variety was reduced, Klondike Mine was replaced by the Alien Planet, which took the place of the BermudaTriangle as the FinalDungeon, Monty was given [[VideoGameLives multiple lives]], and a PasswordSave system was added, in contrast to the original's [[FinalDeath one life and no continues]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLionKing'' games for the SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and NES were all more or less ports of each other of varying quality. But the versions released for Game Gear and Master System, while nearly identical to each other, were essentially a completely different game with similar gameplay. Level designs are different, there is no roar meter, the notorious ostrich rides are almost completely gone, The Stampede uses the same platforming engine as the rest of the game instead of a unique one, and Return to Pride Rock is reduced to a BossOnlyLevel. Additionally, several things which were present in prototypes of the main version of the game but were changed during development were retained in the Master System/Game Gear version, so things such as the hyena AI, the names of certain stages, and the overall look of The Elephant Graveyard are different between versions as well.

* ''VideoGame/TheLionKing'' games for the SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and NES were all more or less ports of each other of varying quality. The versions released for Game Gear and Master System, though, were essentially completely different games with similar gameplay. Besides the different level design, there is no roar meter, the notorious ostrich rides in The Mane Event are almost completely gone, The Stampede uses the same platforming engine as the rest of the game instead of its own, and Return to Pride Rock is reduced to a BossOnlyLevel.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'' was originally released on the Genesis/Mega Drive, with a lesser-known Game Gear version coming out around the same time. Much like the ''Sonic'' examples below, hardware limitations resulted in radically different level layouts and the addition of a new world, Planet Terra (replacing Undertow and Scorch).

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' had 8-bit versions produced for the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and UsefulNotes/GameGear, both of which were radically different from the 16-bit originals on the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive (the 8-bit versions of ''Sonic 2'' actually preceded the 16-bit version in some regions). The more limited hardware didn't allow for the same speed, which resulted in different level layouts, premises and soundtracks. The [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' in particular is pretty much a ''completely different game'' from the Mega Drive one, with completely different levels, enemies and even a ''very'' different ExcusePlot[[note]]Tails is captured and needs to be rescued in the 8-bit version, thereby leaving him as an NPC, whereas he's a playable character in the 16-bit version and follows Sonic around by default[[/note]]; Sonic 1 shares some of its levels between versions, albeit in modified form. Both still hold up well, and the UsefulNotes/GameGear versions in particular are considered more challenging due to their lower screen resolution and general [[OneHitPointWonder lack of rings during boss fights]].
** As ''VideoGame/Sonic3DBlast'' was in production (with pretty similar 16-bit and Sega Saturn versions), another department was working on ''VideoGame/SonicBlast'' (not to be confused with the above-mentioned ''Sonic Blast Man''). The only things they have in common are that Sonic, Eggman, and Knuckles are in both of them. They are otherwise totally different, with different stages, soundtracks, story, and types of platformer (the former being a non-linear 3-D platformer, and the latter being a traditional linear 2-D platformer). In fact, even the original titles were different, being ''Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island'' and ''G Sonic'' respectively.

** Between 2010 and 2014, as Sonic Team worked on a main series Sonic game for home systems, Dimps would simultaneously develop a game sharing the title, soundtrack, and story on Nintendo handheld systems. This was the approach to ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', and ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. In all three cases, Dimps would receive basic information, music, and gameplay suggestions from Sonic Team, then Dimps would create their own interpretation. For Dimps's ''Sonic Colors'' and ''Sonic Generations'', the gameplay closely resembled that of the ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' games they previously worked on, though for ''Sonic Lost World'', it was in full 3-D with their own stage layouts and gimmicks.

* The handheld versions of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' series tended to be quite different from their console counterparts, and for reasons beyond their technically inferior hardware. The DS version of one game in the series included a whole minigame of {{Light And Mirrors Puzzle}}s not found anywhere in the console versions. The UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version of the second game also featured a more platforming and exploration-oriented game than the console versions, and, in fact, got higher reviews than every other version of the game despite being on the least-advanced system.

* While the PC and console verisons of ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotter Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' were collect-a-thon 3D platformers, the Game Boy Color version was a ''turn-based RPG''.
* ''[[VideoGame/HarryPotter Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' had two radically different versions produced at the same time, one for PC, one for several home consoles including the [=PS2=]. The console version was far flashier, while the PC version focused more on an open-world Hogwarts. The former therefore got quite a few more cinematic moments, while the latter focused so much on creating atmosphere that the bigger scenes were necessarily a bit smaller. One example: Upon landing at Hogwarts, Harry needs to get past the Whomping Willow. The PC version has him walking around it in a circle as it lazily lifts and lowers its roots. The console version has a full-on boss fight against the tree, where it viciously pounds the earth and even throws the car at you. Another example: the Hogwarts of the PC version is littered with secret passages, sidequests, collectibles, and {{Non Player Character}}s to talk to. Needless to say, both versions have their fans.

** The fourth entry in the series, ''Double Agent'', was a special case. The game was released across seven platforms, being made during a console generation transition. The version released for the PC, Xbox 360 and [=PS3=] was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and is generally known as Version 1, while the version for the original Xbox, [=PS2=], Wii and [=GameCube=] was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and is known as Version 2. The two versions follow the same general plot outline, but differ significantly in the missions they feature, their play mechanics and how the story ultimately plays out. Version 1 is considered to be the canonical version since that's where ''Conviction'' continues the story from. It goes even further in Version 2, in that the [=PS2=], [=GameCube=] and Wii versions had at least some of the levels truncated due to memory constraints, though they are otherwise identical to the Xbox version, barring graphical sacrifices.
** Mobile entries in the series were loose adaptations of the source material, often featuring similar premise but with a vastly different story. For instance, the Gameloft-developed mobile phone version of ''Double Agent'' focuses more on Jamie Washington as the main antagonist instead of Dufraisne, as well as the attempted nuclear bombing of the Cozumel cruise ship. Ditto with the smartphone adaptation of ''Conviction'', though the enhanced capabilities of smartphones allowed for a far better narrative than what was possible in earlier entries.

* ''Kid no Hore Hore Daisakusen'', an UsefulNotes/{{arcade game}} by Nichibutsu, was ported to the Famicom as ''Booby Kids'', replacing the temporary secondary weapons with collectible ''VideoGame/BomberMan''-like bombs, redid the levels to be less mazelike, and altered the treasure chests into items appropriate to each stage. ''Cratermaze'' for the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 is a more faithful port, although its PC Engine counterpart was [[DolledUpInstallment dolled-up]] as a ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' game.

** The fourth entry in the series, ''Double Agent'', was a special case. The game was released across seven platforms, being made during a console generation transition. The version released for the PC, Xbox 360 and [=PS3=] was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and is generally known as Version 1, while the version for the original Xbox, [=PS2=], Wii and [=GameCube=] was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and is known as Version 2. The two versions follow the same general plot outline, but differ significantly in the missions they feature, their play mechanics and how the story ultimately plays out. Version 1 is considered to be the canonical version since that's where ''Conviction'' continues the story from.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} IV'' was developed at the same time for the UsefulNotes/PCEngine and UsefulNotes/SuperFamicom. Both versions were developed by separate companies based on a rough outline provided by Creator/Falcom, who developed the prior ''Ys'' games. There was also a third version planned for the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive that ended up being canceled.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} IV'' was developed at the same time for the UsefulNotes/PCEngine and UsefulNotes/SuperFamicom. Both versions were developed by separate companies based on a rough outline provided by Creator/NihonFalcom, who developed the prior ''Ys'' games. There was also a third version planned for the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive that ended up being canceled.

* ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' on the arcades was a side-scrolling action platformer with a gameplay gimmick involving the use a wire to jump over obstacles instead of a jump button. The NES version, while retaining the wire-swinging gimmick, is a non-linear action game that alternates between classic side-scrolling action, ''Commando''-style overhead segments, and [[BreatherLevel neutral zones to take a breather]] and find useful items and information, while having a complex plot with an [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath incredibly graphic villain death]] that [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar wasn't censored]]. It's considered among the best action games for the NES and, unsurprisingly, it is the version that was remade as ''Bionic Commando: Rearmed'' in 2008. In Japan, where the original ''Bionic Commando'' was titled ''Top Secret'', the Famicom version was subtitled ''Hitler no Fukkatsu'' (Hitler's Revival) and was clearly marketed as a different game.