XIII Remake

XIII — widely called the XIII remake — is a 2020 first-person shooter developed by PlayMagic and published by Microids, a ground-up remake of Ubisoft’s cult 2003 cel-shaded shooter, released November 10, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It became one of the most notorious launches of its year: Metacritic scores of 29 on PC, 41 on PS4, and 38 on Xbox One, an OpenCritic recommendation rate of 10%, an Overwhelmingly Negative Steam rating, and a ranking as the second-worst-reviewed game of 2020. In its UK launch week the 2003 original outsold it. Microids and PlayMagic issued a joint apology, hired a new studio, Tower Five, and on September 13, 2022 released a reworked version — free for existing owners — that added PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, plus the online multiplayer the first release lacked. The 2022 PS5 build scores 55 on Metacritic.

That makes this the rare game that has been remade twice, and the question that ranks right under the store pages is the one every newcomer asks: I’ve never played XIII — should I play the remake? This card answers it. The original has its own page: XIII (2003).

Technical Specifications

What Was Remade, and What Wasn’t

The story, missions, enemy and item placements, and weapon roster are carried over almost beat for beat from 2003: an amnesiac with a XIII tattoo washes up on a Brooklyn beach, accused of assassinating President Sheridan, and works through the conspiracy of the XX across the same thirteen chapters to the same unresolved cliffhanger. The voice work is the original 2003 recordings — Duchovny’s deadpan lead and the late Adam West as General Carrington — which reviewers of both versions counted among the remake’s few unambiguous strengths. Everything else was rebuilt. Wikipedia reports that the plan began as a remaster on Unity using the old assets, but with the original source code reportedly lost, PlayMagic rebuilt the game from scratch, which meant new hires and an extended schedule; the release slipped from 2019 into late 2020.

The 2020 Launch Disaster

The November 2020 release drew criticism on every front at once. The original’s bold comic-book look was replaced by a softer, washed-out cel-shading that critics compared to Fortnite; Checkpoint Gaming (3/10) and GamingBolt (“AWFUL”, calling it “a broken, buggy mess that plays like a generic shooter and looks worse than the 2003 original”) reported constant screen tearing, framerates dropping into the low twenties on Xbox One X, flickering shadows, gunshots and reloads without sound, dialogue out of sync, floaty gunplay, and enemy AI “dumb as bricks.” A new weapon-carry limit drew complaints too, and multiplayer was local split-screen only, with no online play. PlayMagic and Microids issued a joint apology for the game’s state, citing the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on production; reports from former PlayMagic staff later described understaffing and poor project management, which the studio’s head denied while acknowledging late payments.

Tower Five and the Remake of the Remake

In June 2022, Microids CEO Stéphane Longeard said the company was “fully aware and terribly sorry that the initial launch of XIII Remake” had not met expectations, and announced that the French studio Tower Five — hired about a year earlier — had “reworked the entire game from the art direction to the AI.” The result shipped on September 13, 2022 as a free update for all existing owners, replacing the 2020 build on every platform and adding native versions for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. The headline change is visual: a brighter palette and harder outlines much closer to the 2003 comic look, which PC Gamer described as “just like the original game but in HD.” Gunplay was tightened, the technical problems were largely fixed, and an online multiplayer mode for two to thirteen players was added. PlayStation Country gave the PS5 build a 7, praising the improvements while noting stealth that still frustrates, poor signposting, an easy default difficulty, and an online mode that appeared “dead on arrival.” The reputation of the 2020 launch has stuck, however; the remake’s Steam reviews carry that history.

Never Played XIII — Remake or Original?

For a newcomer, the honest answer is the original. The 2003 XIII is on GOG and Steam for a few dollars, plays the same story with the same voice cast, and has the art direction that made the game famous — at the cost of 2003-era controls, 4:3 roots, and no official multiplayer in the digital re-release. The remake makes sense in two cases: if you want to play on a current console (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or Switch, where the original is not available), or if you want modern resolutions, framerates, and controls without community patches. If you do buy the remake, make sure you are on the post-September 2022 version — Microids updated the existing releases, but reviews and videos from 2020 describe a different game. Both versions keep the 2003 cliffhanger — neither remake added the ending fans have waited two decades for.

Where to Play It Today

The XIII remake is on Steam, GOG, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, with the 2022 Tower Five version replacing the 2020 build. It discounts heavily and often — GOG’s $19.99 list price drops to $1.99 in sales — which makes it, at that price, an easy way to see the story on modern hardware. Players who care most about the look and feel should still start with the 2003 original.