GAMETECH: A great year in gaming for reworked classics

VIDEO games continue to evolve, but that doesn’t always mean taking a step forwards. This year, some of the best-received games were updated classics or older franchises that stuck to their roots, says Ronan Jennings.

Take Shovel Knight, for example. It looks like a game from the early ’90s, but that didn’t stop critics and players, well, really digging it. Shovel Knight took inspiration from console classics like Mega Man, Castlevania, and Mario, but updated that experience with modern design touches and a knowing wink. While the gameplay was a tribute to older titles, Shovel Knight was funded in a contemporary fashion: It was a Kickstarter project, raising almost €300,000 from the public for development.

Kickstarter also laid the foundations for Pillars of Eternity, the game that finally brought Dungeons & Dragons-style role-playing back to the PC. Roughly 20 years (not quite an eternity, admittedly) had passed since the genre’s heyday. Thankfully Pillars of Eternity delivered. It’s a fantastic game, one that places a refreshing emphasis on text and reading to build its sprawling world.