Reforged recreates Warcraft 3 in its heyday, even though a long time has passed

Warcraft 3: Reforged is not a perfect remake of the original game, but it is better than the original. Reforged is Blizzard’s attempt to revive the game people remember, and modernize it with improved gameplay and better graphics. At BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard gave everyone a demo of the popular quest: The Culling.

The Culling is chapter 6 of Warcraft 3, when Prince Arthas gradually falls into darkness. Players will control this young Paladin with a group of soldiers and must kill 100 innocent people infected with the pathogen before dreadlord Mal’Ganis turns them into zombies.

This is the race against the computer that the vast majority of players remember. But Reforged changed the map, turning Stratholme into the map that gamers are familiar with in World of Warcraft.

The original map for the player starts from the top right corner and invades the city cut by the river and dividing the districts. But Reforged will have players start at the bottom of the map and move into open areas. It feels more comfortable, and those who haven’t replayed the game in the past decade won’t notice.

But with Stratholme, Reforged feels familiar to Warcraft 3. The game works fine, even though it’s in the pre-development stage, but it still looks polished. Hotkeys allow you to move between groups and homes with ease.

Reforged 3 combines a 15-year-old game with beautiful modern graphics. The soldiers look great, but the sound is still as good as 2003. Each slash into the old Stratholme buildings reminds us of the charm Warcraft has always had.

Realistic cutscenes in the game create more powerful emotions. The old voiceover remains the same, the faces of Uther, Jaina and Arthas now show better emotions. Take a look at Arthas’ guilt-ridden face to get a feel for the horror that Blizzard planned to bring to the game years ago.

Warcraft 3: Reforged was able to do the impossible 16 years ago, combining the knowledge of that time with the love for the Warcraft world. When Warcraft 3 came out, we never saw Arthas standing at the top of the Icecrown Citadel – when World of Warcraft wasn’t even out then, not to mention the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. But looking back, people know how the plot played out. Now seeing the game in HD graphics really brings a very special feeling.

Reforged will be the best way to replay Warcraft 3, not only because it works well on modern computers, but the game is so much better than before. Looks like Blizzard is building Warcraft 3: Reforged with a whole new look.