Let’s see together, in this review, if the work done by Saber Interactive to bring to light the Crytek trilogy, creating the Crysis Remastered Trilogy, is valid for the purchase now 14 years after the release of the first chapter
When, back in 2007, a Crytek already known for the first and highly appreciated chapter of Far Cry, the franchise then passed into the hands of Ubisoft, put Crysis on the market, the world stopped. Literally, we would dare to say, given that although all the chapters of the series were released between 2007 and 2013, thus remaining anchored to the seventh generation of consoles, each of them was able to push the machines of the time to their limits, especially the world. of PCs, so much so as to create the ever-eternal meme “Can it run Crysis?”.
Today, 14 years after the release of the first chapter, by now that aura of power has turned into a legend, remaining anchored in the hearts of those who, at the time, saw so much spectacle in titles that today would instead be obsolete. Or maybe not? After the remastering of the first chapter, of which we have already talked to you in a more than exhaustive review at the time, Crytek has placed on the market, in October, those of Crysis 2 and Crysis 3, releasing them under a single package and under the development of a Saber Interactive that has already worked on the remastered of the first chapter. And, right here, we will talk about the trilogy in depth: welcome to the Crysis Remastered Trilogy review.
“Remastered”
We assume that, just as stated in the title, we are dealing with a work of “remastering”. This means that the content of the individual original games has remained intact, as has the work done on the first chapter already subject to technical and aesthetic improvements last year. It continues to be inexplicably the Warhead expansion is absent, a very inappropriate choice at this point. As for Crysis Remastered, in short, we refer you to the review that we already wrote last year. Let’s start with Crysis 2.
Step back…? | Crysis Remastered Trilogy Review
Crysis 2 was, at the time, a sort of “step back” in the philosophy of a company that, after the excellent experience with Far Cry, had decided to give Crysis an open world and a variety of approaches (also thanks to the powers of the Nanosuit) truly optimal. The second chapter of the franchise is oriented, however, towards a more classic FPS footprint, with long linear sections, corridors and little scope for inventiveness. We find ourselves, three years later than the events of the first chapter, to impersonate a young marine named Alcatraz, who in the very first stages of the campaign will receive as a “gift” the powerful Nanosuit from Prophet, now infected by a terrible virus and destined to die .
The lack of freedom offered by the environment is compensated by the addition of the upgrades of the Nanosuit, which is now customizable and upgradeable according to the player’s needs. The greater linearity, in short, is compensated by an expansion of the gameplay, which is decidedly more fun and enjoyable than the “woodiness” and excessive difficulty in some situations of Crysis. And despite a general lowering of the difficulty level (which you can easily increase from the options menu whenever you wish), it must still be admitted that Crysis 2 is not a simple FPS and that, net of everything, you will still have to know how to approach each area at its best. . Also because, often, the frontal assault will only be counterproductive.
Maturity | Crysis Remastered Trilogy Review
Crytek’s final technical and playful maturity came with Crysis 3 which is, undoubtedly, the title that least needed a graphic remaster (and, net, the one that actually surprised us the least). If, however, getting to grips with the third chapter must have been a far less difficult undertaking than the two previous chapters, on the other Crysis 3 is confirmed to be the most mature title from a gameplay point of view, albeit less than the narrative. We find ourselves 24 years after the events narrated in Crysis 2 and the battle of Alcatraz was not very successful. Prophet is finally awakened by Psycho, his old companion from the first chapter, in a New York devastated by the CEF virus and quarantined by the CELL. Good conditions, in short.
The painted New York of the remastered version it definitely manages to hide the signs of aging, with phenomenal views and a play of lights that, we will talk about in the next paragraphs, really manages to give many surprises. The play system has now matured to such an extent that it no longer presents frustrating or particularly demanding phases, if you do not look for them by raising the level of difficulty, and the mix between assaults with weapons drawn and stealth phases works very well. Also, to the delight of fans of the first chapter, in Crysis 3 Crytek decided to return to larger maps with more freedom of environmental approach.
Lights… | Crysis Remastered Trilogy Review
Let’s now spend a few more words on the technical side, the main focus of this review of Cryisis Remastered Trilogy. We assume that, in the next-gen console version we tested, unlike the first chapter, in Crysis 2 and 3 there is no toggle option for Ray-Tracing nor the possibility to choose between a Graphics or Performance mode. A choice that is hard to understand and that simply makes us think that the graphic retouching work carried out on the next two chapters was less painstaking and more hasty.
Net of everything, however, we must admit that all the chapters of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy have left us pleasantly amazed from a technical and graphic point of view. Although Ray Tracing is absent, the play of light and the reflections that play on the various surfaces are pleasant, especially, as we have already said in the previous paragraphs, in the New York of Crysis 3. A quality that does not disfigure the chapter compared to the first Crysis with active Ray Tracing, also considering that applying this option made the general performance of the Remastered drop vertically.
… And shadows | Crysis Remastered Trilogy Review
The textures have almost all been upscaled and improved, except for some that Crytek seems to have forgotten here and there and that in no way affect the overall glance of the trilogy. All with truly excellent performance, a Frame Rate rocceo (we didn’t notice any dips in the several tens of hours spent in the entire trilogy) and excellent stability. A note of demerit instead for the shadows, which all seemed too static and “fixed”, especially with the higher quality of the surrounding textures.
As already mentioned, the test of the Crysis Remastered Trilogy carried out for this review took place on a next-gen version of the title. If, therefore, the work of Saber Interactive is successful on consoles, there is no doubt that the best way to experience such “technical” titles is the PC world, where there is no limit to customization and you will not have to be told “the Ray Tracing option is missing”. If you can run Crysis Remastered on PC, well, do it!
NOW You can run it!
To whom can we recommend the Crysis Remastered Trilogy at the end of this review? Simply to all those who, now 14 years ago, were not part of that handful of legendaries with a state-of-the-art PC capable of “running Crysis”. However, we also recommend it to all those who lived the console versions of the time, because it is undeniable that the work done by Saber Interactive to bring back the fight of the Nanosuits against the Cefs is of more than fine workmanship. In the end, if you’ve never played Crysis… what are you waiting for?
The Crysis Remastered Trilogy is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and Nintendo Switch. Let us know what you think below, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on gaming and tech themes! And if you are interested in game keys at advantageous prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!
Points in favor
- The Crysis trilogy in great shape
- Successful technical updating
- Good use of lights and reflections
- Crysis 2 and 3 are always fun and rewarding
Points against
- Some technical details have escaped
- It maintains the playful strengths and weaknesses of the originals
- Unexplained lack of the Warhead expansion