I honestly don’t fully understand why this game receives so much negativity. I loved the original XIII, and I genuinely enjoyed this remake. While it’s true that the NPCs could be smarter and some elements still need polishing, I personally didn’t encounter any game-breaking bugs, and overall my experience was very positive.

The remake cannot (and probably should not) be directly compared to the original in every aspect, but it does a solid job of recreating the memories and atmosphere. If you enjoyed the classic XIII, this version is absolutely worth trying.

I’ve been playing XIII on and off since 2009 and have finished the original game dozens of times. It remains one of my favorite games of all time, so I’m approaching this remake as a long-time fan.

What I Really Liked

Combat feels much more satisfying now. Enemies are no longer bullet sponges, and weapon choice actually matters. Guns have real impact, and killing enemies feels punchy and rewarding. The shotgun, in particular, feels amazing to use.

There are more enemies, which makes encounters more intense and dynamic. You often find yourself reacting to threats from multiple directions, sometimes being surprised by enemies behind doors or in unexpected locations. This forces you to pay attention to ammo management and precision, which adds tension and depth.

Gunplay overall is extremely fun. Enemies dodge, roll, and move unpredictably, making firefights chaotic in a good way. Combined with responsive weapons, this creates engaging action sequences.

The AI, while not perfect, is actually more engaging than people give it credit for. I’ve seen far worse AI systems in modern games. Here, enemies actively try to pressure you, reposition, and keep combat lively.

Visually, the game has improved significantly. The environments are beautifully recreated, the comic-book aesthetic is preserved, and character models look much sharper and more expressive than before. Animations and visual effects feel faithful to the original style, while still benefiting from modern technology.

Performance also deserves praise. The game runs smoothly even at high graphical settings, which is impressive given the visual upgrade.

There are also small but appreciated additions — extra animations, subtle scene improvements, and moments that add charm without betraying the original game’s tone.

Mixed Feelings

Some classic interactive elements are missing — things like breaking objects, interacting with computers, or messing around with the environment. These details weren’t critical to gameplay, but they added personality and fun in the original.

The nostalgia segments are now more straightforward, using a simple black-and-white filter. While clear, they lack the heavy blur and mystery that originally made those moments so atmospheric.

Certain features were removed, such as dossiers, documents, and the original comic-style mission intros and endings. These changes simplify the experience, but they also remove some of the unique flavor that long-time fans remember.

There are still technical oddities: missing sounds, occasional animation glitches, texture issues, and some awkward character animations. None of these are game-breaking, but they can break immersion.

Difficulty balance could also use refinement. Even on higher difficulties, the player can feel too powerful, with too much ammo and bosses going down too quickly.

What Needs the Most Work

The cutscenes are by far the weakest part. They feel like low-quality video files rather than in-engine sequences, and they lack the iconic cartoon presentation of the original. Fixing this alone would dramatically improve the overall presentation.

Stealth on harder difficulties feels too punishing. Enemies are extremely aware, making silent approaches frustrating and often pointless.

Multiplayer is very limited, with only a basic deathmatch mode. It’s not terrible, but it feels underdeveloped.

Some character models still look noticeably bad and clash with the otherwise strong visual upgrade.

Final Thoughts

Despite its flaws, this remake is absolutely worth playing. In my opinion, it’s worth the price, and the amount of effort the developers put into reviving this game is clear. They didn’t abandon it — they came back, worked on it, and made it playable and enjoyable again.

I have a lot of respect for the developers for not giving up. With a few final fixes and refinements, this game could truly shine and win back not only old fans, but also introduce XIII to a new audience.

Please don’t give up on this game yet. XIII is not a small or forgettable title — it has a unique concept, a strong identity, and a passionate community that wants to see it succeed.

Thank you to the developers for the continued effort. I truly hope this journey isn’t over yet.

I have just completed this again. I played this remake a few years back on Xbox when it was just a broken mess. Today, I feel now that the glitches have been fixed and the patches have been released it holds up. It is a playable and somewhat enjoyable remake now that runs pretty smoothly. It's current price in the sale is a complete bargain and you can't really lose out. Thumbs up from me!

Tried playing the original but the keyboard controls were so bad so i bought this instead cause it was 2 bucks.

It's terrible but 2 bucks is 2 bucks. I would not buy this anywhere near full price. The dialogue is so flat but there were times I laughed cause the delivery was just so stupid. The game's visuals are bad. You can clearly see that barely any work was put into this. The last level in particular. You're on a boat but the cityscape in the background looks like something from the PS2 era just like the original game was. Characters have no facial expressions and some just stare into space. The sound fx for some reason was always turned up to 11 even when turning it down both in the ingame settings and windows. Also, the audio for characters would sometimes just cut off. At the end, a character got stuck inside the boat we were on. Half his torso was above the floor, the other half gone. The gunplay isn't terrible but enemy AI just basically throws itself at you and your hail of bullets. Stealth is nonexistent for the most part except for like one or two areas where you have to not kill people or make sure an enemy doesn't get to an alarm.

I can't help but feel that the original was probably not so great either and that most people are just letting nostalgia cloud their judgment.

Basically, don't buy this ♥♥♥♥. Even at $2.