History Main / VideogameDemake

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' for [[http://www.zeldadungeon.net/2011/12/skyward-sword-for-the-nintendo-game-boy Game Boy.]]

* ''[[http://www.pineight.com/lu/Luminesweeper,]]'' a GBA demake of ''VideoGame/{{Lumines}}'' made as a protest against the high price of the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable at launch.

A subtrope of {{Retraux}}, though some go the extra mile by being [[HomebrewVideoGames on original hardware]].

A subtrope of {{Retraux}}.

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, with [[SturgeonsLaw varying degrees of quality]]. 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.

* Also a project for a ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime [[http://z3.invisionfree.com/MP2D 2D.]]''

** ''[[http://www.tikipod.com/rockboshers/ Rock Boshers]]'' is a UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum-ized ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' (the original FPS, not the more recent episodes), so retro it has a Victorian {{Steampunk}} theme. In 2014, it was expanded into a full commercial release on PC, [=PS4=] and Vita, called ''Rock Boshers DX'' and with an alternate graphical mode that makes it more similar to games on 8 bit consoles.

** The winner, ''Warning Foregone'', is a simplified ''VideoGame/WarningForever'' that's still quite fun. The competition version was later updated with more features and can be played [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/560752 on Newgrounds]].

** Among the other games an honorable mention goes to ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies [[http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/strategy-sim/plants-vs-zombies-retro/2796/ Retro]]'', a nice rendition of how the game could have been if it was published in 1986, even if it's a limited EndlessGame.

* Ruth's most recent game is ''VideoGame/SeriousSam: [[http://www.desura.com/games/serious-sam-the-greek-encounter The Greek Encounter]]'', an overhead shooter in the signature 8-bit style. It's part of Croteam and Devolver Digital's initative that has produced several indie games based on the franchise.
* ''[[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_7_Famicom Rockman 7FC]]'' and ''[[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_8_Famicom Rockman 8FC]]'', which de-make the only two non-8Bit entries of the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series. Interestingly, 7FC predates Capcom's own ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'', while 8FC was released between ''9'' and ''10''.

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare [[http://www.yoyogames.com/games/118706-modern-warfare-2d 2D]]''.

* ''VideoGame/CounterStrike [[http://www.cs2d.com/index.php 2D]]''.

* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'''s first level has been ported to Pico-8. [[https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=28423 You can play it here]].

** There's also ''[[http://www.moddb.com/games/half-life-2d Half-Life 2D]]'', but it's quite a lousy game.
* ''[[http://cutstuff.net/blog/?page_id=26 ZPortal]]'', the gameplay of ''VideoGame/{{Portal|1}}'' 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]]''.
* ''[[https://www.jamiefuller.com/portal/ 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.
* ''[[http://cymonsgames.com/asciiportal/ ASCIIpOrtal]]'' ([[http://www.dobermannsoftware.net/games/halozero/ source code site]]).
* ''[[http://sites.google.com/site/pebbleoftime/ Pebble of Time]]'', a demake of ''VideoGame/RockOfAges'' made by ''VideoGame/ZenoClash'' developers Ace Team as an AprilFoolsDay joke. It was released with a fake press release from an angry indie developer claiming Ace Team stole their idea.
* ''[[http://www.hpfun.com/flash-games/shooting/doomparody.html Doom Parody]]'', a Flash {{Gamebook|s}}-esque take on ''Doom'' with static images and limited animation.

* There are at least a couple of ''Doom'' reinterpretations as a 2D platformer: the Russian-made ''[[http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/Doom_2D Doom 2D]]'' (now [[http://doom2d.org/index/news/ remade]]) and ''[[http://dukesoft.nl/doom2d/index.php Doom 2D - Knee deep in the dead]]''.

* [[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. You can even play it on ''real'' MS-DOS hardware.
** 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.

* ''[[http://www.pineight.com/lu/ Luminesweeper]]'', a GBA demake of ''VideoGame/{{Lumines}}'' made as a protest against the high price of the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable at launch.

* ''[[http://www.holmadegames.com/bitofwar.html Bit of War]]''. Originally this ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' demake was an ugly Flash game but it has been since redone completely, going for a SuperDeformed style, graphics close to NES specs, and a wacky story with Kratos clashing with gods of other civilizations. It is both playable online and downloadable.
* ''[[http://glest.org/en/index.php Glest]]'', a freeware game engine for RealTimeStrategy games, [[http://gamejolt.com/open-source/games/strategy-sim/glest-demake/2842/ remade in 2D]].

* In anticipation of the release of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', Gearbox released ''[[http://www.wubwub.eu/demake.php The Border Lands]]'', even presenting it as "the 1989 16-bit original".

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Tyrian}} Tyrian 2000]]'' was going to have a Game Boy port, fully compatible with Game Boy Color and Super Game Boy (as in: able to give distinct colors to everything), but got cancelled near completion as the developers got interested in the Game Boy Advance and started porting Tyrian to it, only to hit a dead end and give up. Years later, a developer of Tyrian published the ROM for download on his very site, along with the last release of the actual game. The GBA port is not even 20% complete, thus being very glitchy and having bad graphics, but the Game Boy Color/Classic one is pretty much complete, including randomly unlocking encyclopedia entries! Both ports and the original PC game can be found [[https://web.archive.org/web/20080625061600/http://www.freewebs.com/worldtreegames here]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBF9adagYcI The Molten Core]] was an April's Fool joke by Blizzard: a ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' game made like it ran on an Atari 2600. A few months later, however, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lPwQ0MUCuc someone made it real]].

* ''VideoGame/LAbbayeDesMorts'' is a game styled as a UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum program already, but to fit on ''actual'' Spectrum it had to undergo a few slight but still noticeable downgrades. The result [[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37049&page=30 can be downloaded here]].

** ''[[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0013106 UFO: Enemy Unknown]]'', 1995. Featured [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IcF7j9KskA real-time battles]] with a '''[[OneManParty single]]''' operative.
** ''[[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0013107 UFO 2: Devils of Abyss]]'', 1996. Had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwtkrwNEos turn-based squad combat]], like its inspiration.
** More recently, [=OpenXCOM=] hosted a mod ("[[http://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,2913.0.html?PHPSESSID=ejhtbvp1lhnmi7i47ml3g265t5 XenoOPs]]") for ''UFO Defense'' which made it look and play like [[VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown Fireaxis XCOM]].

* [[https://nothke.itch.io/normans-sky Norman's Sky]], manages to squeeze one of the aspects of ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'' - the ability to reach and land on any celestial body you can see with seamless transitions - in a 64x64 pixels window. It was made for a game jam, months before the actual game's release.

* ''[[https://gamejolt.com/games/mega-man-2-atari-de-make/224058 Mega Man 2 on Atari]]''.
* ''[[http://atariage.com/forums/topic/205442-release-castlevania/ Castlevania on Atari]]''.
* [[https://98demake.itch.io/pt98 P.T.98]], a recreation of the iconic looping hallway from the ''VideoGame/SilentHills'' playable teaser if it was on the original [=PlayStation=] in 1998, from the person behind [=98DEMAKE=] in the "Mock-ups" folder below.

* ''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20161108170134/http://cmioe.blogspot.com/ Curse of Monkey Island Classic Edition]]'', a project to recreate ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'' similar to the first two ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games. A small demo was made available but the project was abandoned in late 2011.

* Also a project for a ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime [[http://z3.invisionfree.com/MP2D/ 2D]]''.

* ''[[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 released, but seems to have been abandoned since 2016.
* ''[[http://www.roflgames.com/gamePageFableous.htm Fableous]]'', a ''VideoGame/{{Fable|I}}'' demake. May not progress further than the demo.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maKeNL4TndY Limbit]]'', a programming exercise that won't see any release beside this video.

** A couple more: ''[[http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/584/sonofromeons1.jpg Son of Romeo]]'', a ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' clone made in Klik & Play, the limited predecessor to Games Factory and Multimedia Fusion; and especially a CGA ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' made with programming tools of the era that never went beyond [[http://www.vimeo.com/1506696 this video]], sadly.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Stalker}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]: [[http://aroojiobrow.blogspot.com/ Shades of the Nuclear Plant Explosion]]''.
* [[http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_2_-_The_Hybridization_Project Sonic 2: The Hybridization Project]], a romhack of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' that ports the graphics and levels of the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version]] to the Genesis.

* ''[[http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=87696 Heartlight 64]]'', demake of a DOS ''VideoGame/BoulderDash'' clone from the early 1990s.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdA8bSsE9eo for TI-84 calculators]], although given the limits of the hardware, it hasn't really have much to do with the original.
* ''[[http://www.moddb.com/games/haloowaw Out With A Whimper]]'', yet another ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' with 2D graphics (which look excellent so far).

* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpDnRF2CDQ4 Kirby on Atari 2600]]''.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GimHl9vJ1rY The Legend of Zelda 2600]]''.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js0jyvvJAgc NES style 8-Bit Splatoon]]''.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhueQ8VGiQU Splatoon as an 8-bit side scroller]]''.
* ''[[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/3te61d/splatood_a_splatooninspired_demake_for_the_nes/ SplatooD, a splatoon-inspired demake for the NES]]''.

* From Website/DeviantArt user Badassbill: ''VideoGame/ChildrenOfMana'' [[http://badassbill.deviantart.com/art/C64-Children-of-Mana-72778066 on the C64]], ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' [[http://badassbill.deviantart.com/art/Mansionvania-Vacuum-of-Sorrow-181500907 on the GBA]] and crossed with ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' [[http://badassbill.deviantart.com/art/OOT-2D-Mock-up-31140085 in the style]] of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'', and ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' [[http://badassbill.deviantart.com/art/Bioshock-NES-184001861 looking too good for 1986.]]

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' [[https://meatabex.deviantart.com/art/Dangan-Ronpa-8-Bit-Mockup-MUSIC-VIDEO-BELOW-464964582 as a classic RPG]].

* What if ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIYOlEJ6lRo was made in 1991]]?

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' [[http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=33541279 as if it was made on the NES]].
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' [[http://cyangmou.deviantart.com/art/Super-Londo-Bros-390995427 as a 2D Diablo clone]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' for [[http://www.zeldadungeon.net/2011/12/skyward-sword-for-the-nintendo-game-boy/ Game Boy.]]

* ''VideoGame/MalditaCastilla'' [[http://locomalito.com/images/cool_stuff/maldita_castilla_spectrum.jpg as a ZX Spectrum game]]. Made as an April Fool.
* ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' [[http://metroid2remake.blogspot.com/2013/03/just-one-cart.html as an NES game]], created for AprilFoolsDay.
* [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ Starry Expanse]], a fan project to remake ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'' in the Unreal Engine, has released blog posts on [[AprilFoolsDay April Fools' Days]] announcing switches to the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' engine and the OS of an ancient mobile phone.

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 purposefully 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.

* [[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]]), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KTvjRe5vyA a teaser trailer]] for the sequel to "VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild 64", and many more.

* 2020 saw the release of not one, but two NES style demakes of the first two ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games, that being ''VideoGame/TouhouReiidenHighlyResponsiveToPrayers'' and ''VideoGame/TouhouFuumarokuTheStoryOfEasternWonderland'' respectively. They retain the same names in both English and Japanese, but with the added suffix of "NES Demake" in English and "Famicom Demake" in Japanese. They play almost exactly like their originals but mimic the Famicom Disk System hardware. Demakes of ''VideoGame/TouhouYumejikuuPhantasmagoriaOfDimDream'' and ''VideoGame/TouhouGensokyoLotusLandStory'' also exist.

* 2020 saw the release of not one, but two NES style demakes of the first two ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games, that being ''VideoGame/TouhouReiidenHighlyResponsiveToPrayers'' and ''VideoGame/TouhouFuumarokuTheStoryOfEasternWonderland'' respectively. They retain the same names in both English and Japanese, but with the added suffix of "NES Demake" in English and "Famicom Demake" in Japanese. They play almost exactly like their originals but mimic the Famicom Disk System hardware.

* ''[[http://cmioe.blogspot.com/ Curse of Monkey Island Classic Edition]]'', a project to recreate ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'' similar to the first two ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games. A small demo was made available but the project was abandoned in late 2011.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' [[https://meatabex.deviantart.com/art/Dangan-Ronpa-8-Bit-Mockup-MUSIC-VIDEO-BELOW-464964582 as a classic RPG]] and ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'''s Scrum Debate [[https://jillyshears.tumblr.com/post/166263301651/danganronpa-v3-is-a-pretty-cool-game-wish-i-had in an NES game]].

* A site Creator/{{SNK}} created to promote a game that shall not be named offered comparison screenshots of fictional ports of ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'' to fictional analogues of the Famicom, Sega Mark III, FM-7, MSX and PC Engine. The RealLife systems were all current when ''Psycho Soldier'' was new, but it was never ported to any of them.

* ''VideoGame/MalditaCastilla'' [[http://locomalito.com/images/cool_stuff/maldita_castilla_spectrum.jpg as a ZX Spectrum game]]. Made as an April's Fool.

* ''VideoGae/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'' AGI (using a TextParser interface and far simpler graphics/audio), gameplay videos are available [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXjW2OGUTzrzLp28aMHtDQ here]] but it seems stuck in DevelopmentHell.

* Among the best and most popular mock-ups are [[http://www.geekosystem.com/8-bit-game-demakes/ the works]] of Swedish artist Junkboy (alias Markus Toivonen, art director at [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Mojang]], also with useful comparisons with the originals. Among them: ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' running on the SCUMM engine, ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''[='s=] arcade shmup, ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' on the original UsefulNotes/GameBoy, and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' like the series never left the {{UsefulNotes/MSX}}.

* ''[[https://b0tster.itch.io/bbpsx BloodbornePSX]]'' recreates ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' in the style of [=PlayStation=] games, up to the end of Central Yharnam.

* ''[[https://b0tster.itch.io/bbpsx BloodbornePSX]]'' ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' in the style of [=PlayStation=] games, up to the end of Central Yharnam.

* ''[[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_7_Famicom Rockman 7FC]]'' and ''[[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/Rockman_8_Famicom Rockman 8FC]]'', which de-make the only two non-8Bit entries of the classic ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. Interestingly, 7FC predates Capcom's own ''VideoGame/MegaMan 9'', while 8FC was released between ''9'' and ''10''.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan [[http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/07/download_mega_man_2600_demo.php 2600]]'', made in 2007 to run on an authentic machine, although it's only a short demo.

* Many [=J2ME=] mobile games, Especially ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' and ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow Aria of Sorrow]]'', ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' and various games developed by Creator/{{Gameloft}}. But, if one were to list all mobile games that qualify for this trope, it would be too long to not have its own subtrope.

* [[http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z262/littlemaths/mgs4id6.jpg Hilarious rendition]] of how ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' may have been years ago, complete with {{Engrish}}.

* Not a full product but a GameMod: ''VideoGame/BioShock1'''s Arcadia map [[http://vectorpoem.com/news/?p=68 created]] in ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II: Hell on Earth'' by its original level designer.

* ''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/548516 Runman GB]]'' is a simplistic one-button game based on ''VideoGame/RunmanRaceAroundTheWorld''. However, beside the lack of color the graphics are oddly better than the original in some ways.

** ''Film/MammaMia! Kart Racer'' for NES.

** ''California Games'' for NES with a 2018 facelift — now with spinners, self-balancing scooters and Facebook likes. The only video not based on a film.

* [[http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_2_-_The_Hybridization_Project Sonic 2: The Hybridization Project]], a romhack of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' that ports the graphics and levels of the Master System version on the Genesis.

* What if ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' was one of the glut of {{eroge}} on the UsefulNotes/PC98? [[http://shimmie.katawa-shoujo.com/post/view/1907 Take a look here.]]

** ''Jurassic Quest: Film/JurassicWorld'' as a Creator/{{Sierra}} EGA SCI game (''VideoGame/SpaceQuest 3'', ''VideoGame/CodenameIceman'' and such) with EverythingTryingToKillYou.