History Main / VideogameDemake

Due to their nature of being based on copyrighted material, demakes are usually fan-made and {{freeware|Games}}. This hasn’t saved a few from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers getting Cease & Desist letters]]. There are also the Chinese bootleg [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] ports, often [[PortingDisaster very bad]]. The rise of RetroGaming, however, has made some official productions appear. Beside real and playable games, there are artists who have fun creating mock-up pictures of demade games, often taking the original resolution and palette limitations of old gaming machines into account.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' [[https://meatabex.deviantart.com/art/Dangan-Ronpa-8-Bit-Mockup-MUSIC-VIDEO-BELOW-464964582 as a classic RPG]] and ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'''s Scrum Debate [[http://jillyshears.tumblr.com/post/166263301651/danganronpa-v3-is-a-pretty-cool-game-wish-i-had in an NES game]].

* [[http://pieceoftoast.deviantart.com/gallery/ Pieceoftoast]] has produced pixelated 2D renditions of some scenes from ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', ''VideoGame/BioShock1'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''.
* [[http://gtk666.deviantart.com/art/Indie-Game-GameBoy-Demake-290184225 Game Boy renditions]] of two indie games: ''VideoGame/BlocksThatMatter'' and ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac''.

* ''Super Sanctum TD'', a top-down pixel art adaptation of ''VideoGame/{{Sanctum}}'' released a few weeks in advance of ''Sanctum 2.'' It doesn't replicate the FPS elements that make the actual ''Sanctum'' games stand out in the TowerDefense genre, it incorporates most of the enemies and towers from them into a perfectly playable conventional TD game.

* ''VideoGame/PacMan Championship Edition'' got an official demake in 2020's ''VideoGame/NamcoMuseum Archives Vol. 1'', as an 11th bonus along with the classic ones, including the original ''Pac-Man''.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog 2D'', a 2D version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDELNiml8Jk Currently, only Sonic's story is playable.]]

** Except there IS a ''[=BioShock=]'' demake in 2D, but was only released for [=J2ME=] phones (while Symbian OS got the 3D one), and only covers the first third of the game. The two other parts? Promised but never made true. The password it gives you in the end does NOTHING.

* ''VideoGame/PortalTheFlashVersion'', a bit more technically advanced than the previously listed two.

** There's also ''[[https://www.moddb.com/mods/d4d-doom4-for-doom Doom 4 Doom]]''. While ''Doom 4 Vanilla'' makes no changes to the gameplay, ''D4D'' brings in elements like weapon mods and glory kills.

* [[https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/108725-doom-4-vanilla-v257-new/ Doom 4 Vanilla]] brings the weapons and enemies from VideoGame/DOOM2016 into Classic Doom.

* ''The Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds'', a fan overhaul of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' for the SNES.

* '' Franchise/TheElderScrolls Travels: Oblivion'' (also known as ''Oblivion: Mobile'' is a Creator/{{Bethesda}} published demake adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' for mobile phones, developed by [=Vir2L=] Studios.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' [[http://bg87.deviantart.com/art/Kingdom-Hearts-Game-boy-demake-94078845 for Game Boy]] and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMzRcDfyRA0 for NES.]]

* ''[[http://www.hpfun.com/flash-games/shooting/doomparody.html Doom Parody]]'', a Flash ChooseYourOwnAdventure-esque take on ''Doom'' with static images and limited animation.

* [[http://the-regressor.tumblr.com/ The Regressor]] has made many low-poly UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 models of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' as [[http://the-regressor.tumblr.com/post/126950603392/download-splatoon-64-character-models-here here]] as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation 1 versions of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' characters (see videos of the Neutral Route FinalBoss [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4qEf-PwJs here]] and the Genocide Route one [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXery1Pnxjo here]]), and many more.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog 2D'', a 2D version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDELNiml8Jk Currently, only Sonic's story is playable.]]

* Similarly, there's ''[[https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1052 Zippy the Porcupine]]'' a ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' game on the Atari 2600.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' [[http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=1568.0 for Game Boy Color.]] Never went beyond the demo.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]] 2D'' has been done a lot by different people, there's even a full list [[http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=904.0 here]]. [[http://www.oot-2d.com/ This one]] had a demo last released in 2016, but seems to have been abandoned.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' 2D has been done a lot by different people, there's even a full list [[http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=904.0 here]]

*** Originally, ''Resident Evil'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor was going to be a demake of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version. They scrapped the idea when they thought they could use UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube for the remake and then made ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilGaiden'' for Game Boy Color. Only the Prototype 1 and 2 are left now.

* Another UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch demake: ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' becomes ''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/535548 Greek and Wicked]]''.

** There's also the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KGZna12gR4 official Game Boy Color port.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' had an official demake on the [[http://internetisinamerica.blogspot.com/2013/01/daikatana-one-of-best-game-boy-color.html Game Boy Color]]. Surprisingly, it wound up being [[PolishedPort superior to the original PC game in almost every conceivable way]]!

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Legends'' is an official one, downsizing the original Wii U game to work on the 3DS.
* ''Rockman Battle & Fighters'' is an official example: a version of ''VideoGame/MegaManThePowerBattle'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan2ThePowerFighters'' for the UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Color. Since the system couldn't obviously replicate the specs of the arcade boards, the visuals are completely redone in a simpler and smaller style, almost akin to the 8-bit days of the series, while not sacrificing the gameplay. Notably, they were the only way to play those games on a console until the release of proper ports of the arcades in 2004.
* The licensed Game Boy Advance version of VideoGame/MaxPayne is a 2D overhead isometric shooter that tries to follow the original game as closely as possible. Not only is it official but it came out practically alongside its counterpart.

* [[http://the-regressor.tumblr.com/ The Regressor]] has made many low-poly UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 models of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' as [[http://the-regressor.tumblr.com/post/126950603392/download-splatoon-64-character-models-here here]] as well as UsefulNotes/PlayStation 1 versions of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'''s {{Final Boss}}es (the Neutral Route one [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4qEf-PwJs here]] and the Genocide Route one [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXery1Pnxjo here]]), and many more.

The polar opposite of a VideoGameRemake. While a remake strives to offer an updated version of the game, both from a technical and a gameplay standpoint, a demake is purposedly built as an interpretation of how the game may have been, were it conceived and produced during a previous hardware or software generation. This means simpler graphics and sound, and simplified gameplay although the basics are mostly kept, often translated from 3D to 2D. It is often a SelfImposedChallenge for the creators, who try to work with as few resources as programmers had back in the old days - some even program the demakes on the original old hardware, to produce newer games with a NostalgiaFilter. It's also interesting to try seeing if newer mechanics can work in less technically advanced games.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'' [[https://meatabex.deviantart.com/art/Dangan-Ronpa-8-Bit-Mockup-MUSIC-VIDEO-BELOW-464964582 as a classic RPG]] and ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'''s Scrum Debate [[http://jillyshears.tumblr.com/post/166263301651/danganronpa-v3-is-a-pretty-cool-game-wish-i-had in an NES game]].

* ''[[http://flipskip.com/ThievingRaccoon.swf Thieving Raccoon]]'': ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' as a UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch.

* ''[[http://cymonsgames.com/asciiportal/ ASCIIpOrtal]]'' ([[http://www.dobermannsoftware.net/games/halozero/ source code site]]).

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Dragy/portal-the-flash-version?acomplete=porta in 2D and Flash]], a bit more technically advanced than the previously listed two.

* In 2008 [=TIGSource=] held the Bootleg Demakes Competition. Beside taking both major and indie games into consideration, many of the resulting games' titles are very hilarious. Due to a site restructuring some time later, the index page of the compo is long gone, but [[http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?board=22.0 the dedicated forum is still up]] and, beside torrents of the complete archive, it’s worth tracking some games that were eventually updated. There's also [[http://iceyboard.no-ip.org/projects/demakes_list/ a list of the games and their inspirators.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' had an official demake on the [[http://internetisinamerica.blogspot.com/2013/01/daikatana-one-of-best-game-boy-color.html Gameboy Color]]. Surprisingly, it wound up being [[PolishedPort superior to the original PC game in almost every conceivable way]]!

* ''[[http://cutstuff.net/blog/?page_id=26 ZPortal]]'', the gameplay of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' brought in the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' engine through the [=GZDoom=] source port. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGzjvifGb4c See a trailer.]] Interestingly, the project started before the actual release of the original ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' and was based on how the game appeared in the first videos released by Valve. The authors are the same as ''[[http://cutstuff.net/mm8bdm/ Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch]]''.

* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'''s first level has been ported to Pico-8. [[https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=28423 You can play it here]].
* {{VideoGame/Portal}} on the UsefulNotes/Commodore64. Playable on both emulators and original hardware, it maintains a modern control scheme (keyboard to move Chell, mouse or joystick to direct and shoot portals), it offers 20 chambers and a chiptune rendition of the ending song once you clear them. [[https://www.jamiefuller.com/portal/ Website.]]

* ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'' [[https://meatabex.deviantart.com/art/Dangan-Ronpa-8-Bit-Mockup-MUSIC-VIDEO-BELOW-464964582 as a classic RPG]] and ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'''s Scrum Debate [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYHGjzVfvj8 in an NES game]].