Crysis Remasteredis launching for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 18th but has already launched for the Nintendo Switch. The original plan was for all versions ofCrysis Remasteredto launch simultaneously, until backlash from fans over a disappointing trailer caused the non-Switch dates to be delayed.
AsCrysis Remasteredis a graphical remaster, rather than a remake, the vast majority of the story andCrysisgameplay remains unchanged. Players will once again step into the shoes of Jake Dunn, AKA Nomad, as he battles North Korean forces for control of an alien artifact. Playing as Jake revolves heavily around his Nanosuit, a high-tech body armor that can switch between a variety of modes and functions, and it’s these suits that give Jake and his team their edge versus both human and alien adversaries.
The Controversy
As a remaster of one of the most famously graphically-intensive games of all time,Crysis Remasteredhas some big boots to fill. When the first trailer for the new game was released back in July, it received a great deal of criticism from fans who saw little improvement over the original title. In response,Crytek decided to delaythe PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game.
This controversy was compounded shortly after, when a tech analysis revealed thatCrysis Remasteredwasn’t based on the PC original, but on the inferior PS3/Xbox 360 adaptation. However, this analysis was performed on the Switch version, and it may be thatCrytek’s delay in releasing the other versionswas planned to deal with this exact issue.
Last month, a new tech trailer was released, hoping to put the concerns of the community to rest. The trailer showcased many of the graphical features that weren’t included in the Switch version, including improved lighting, 8k textures, andray-tracing. It also announced the final release date for the non-Switch versions, September 18th.
What’s New
The full list of graphic improvements inCrysis Remasteredis pretty extreme and leaves almost no part of the game’s appearance untouched:
As well as these,Crysis Resmasteredalso features ray-tracing under certain conditions. For console owners, this means owning theXbox One X, or PlayStation 4 Pro. The ray-tracing for these devices is powered by Cryengine’s own software-based ray-tracing solution. For PC players, the ray-tracing is based on Nvidia’s VKRay Vulkan Extension. As an added bonus, PC players will also be able to tap into Nvidia’s DLSS technology to help smooth the FPS when running these settings.
Can You Run Crysis?
Crysishas remained a popular benchmark titlefor over a decade, and many new PCs and even consoles are judged by their ability to handle it. This is because the game was extremely demanding for its 2007 release, with a high cap on graphical settings. It’s surprising then, that the remastered version can apparently run on quite a modest system, as the PC requirements show:
Crysis RemasteredMinimum specs
Crysis RemasteredRecommended specs
Part of this success may be down to the experience of Saber Interactive, theco-developers behindCrysis Remastered. Saber Interactive has built itself a reputation as a studio that can competently handle a remaster or remake, with over a dozen such titles under its belt. These includeThe Witcher 3for Nintendo Switch, andHalo: The Master Chief Collection.
Crysis Remasteredis available now on Nintendo Switch, and PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions will launch on September 18th.
