2021’s Sword of the Necromancer gets 3D remake ahead of sequel

destructoid.com:

Action-RPG Sword of the Necromancer has a sequel on the way that takes it from top-down 2D to a fully 3D perspective. Ahead of that, the devs at Grimorio of Games plan to sample the new style with a 3D remake of the original sometime in 2024.

While there’s no concrete date in place yet, Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection is in the works for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Gematsu). This one uses the engine of the sequel — which is titled Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant — to reimagine the 2021 outing and introduce new mechanics and systems. 

Here’s a quick comparison between the original version (top) and the 3D remake (bottom):

Sword of the Necromancer is a dungeon-crawler with some procedurally-generated roguelite elements. As you progress and inch toward discovering the truth of the past, you’re able to make allies out of enemies by reviving fallen monsters. The weapon generation system is procedural, offering a bunch of different uses for weapons and objects with varying effects. The remake aims to up the control you have over your newfound friends, as you can now customize their AI. 

Beyond some updated mechanics, Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection has remastered illustrations, new story sequences, and support for both English and Japanese voiceovers. If you plan on playing the sequel when it launches, you’ll be able to use your clear data from Resurrection to unlock some bonuses in Revenant. There aren’t too many details at the moment, but one bonus mentioned is the ability to call upon the remake’s bosses as special summons. 

The original Sword of the Necromancer has a really nice pixel art style to it, but it’s also cool to see a team going to the trouble of updating visuals to match a sequel to this extent. Hopefully we’ll see more of it in action between now and the unspecified launch date.