XIII, otherwise known as the Roman numeral for the number 13, is getting a remake. Well, the first-person shooter from a couple of console generations ago is, not the number itself. The XIII remaster announced for PS4 and Switch was revealed via the PlayStation Blog, and it’s coming on November 13.
According to the post, you play as an amnesiac soldier named Thirteen. Oh, and everyone thinks you’ve killed the U.S. President. You’ve also got XIII tattooed on your collarbone and a random key. So many strange questions to find the answer to.
XIII takes place across 34 levels full of “tight FPS gameplay inspired by the best in the genre,” and has some gorgeous cel-shaded graphics to boot. That last part is especially great as the plot is based on a comic book. François Coulon, head of production at Microids, the studio behind this remaster, spoke on the remaster and why now is the best time to release one:
“The idea for this remake idea came naturally, as we felt this unique kind of story-driven FPS experience was missing in today’s gaming landscape. Our goal is to bring XIII’s compelling story to a new generation of players with the best possible graphics and animation. The result will be nothing short of spectacular as we promise to celebrate the amazing work done on the original game. Stay tuned for more details.”
The original title was on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. Ubisoft did the publishing, with Southend Interactive and Ubisoft Paris developing. There was a multiplayer mode, but it doesn’t look like that’s coming back. Critics thought the presentation was great but didn’t care much for the gameplay. Hell, we said that the combat “is about as straightforward – and in some cases boring – as it gets for an FPS.”
Considering I was about seven when this game came out, I’ve never heard of it. But, it looks like something I would love. Plus, if the gameplay was its most significant issue, a remaster is the perfect time to fine-tune it to perfection. Maybe Microids will provide XIII a new cult following this November.
