After quite a few rumors and leaks the unthinkable has finally happened - Blizzard has just announced their very first remaster! The RTS classic StarCraft: Brood War will be getting a complete overhaul in the form of 4k graphics and 1080p cinematics, proper keybinding support, an online matchmaking and ladder system, and a whole bunch of other changes. However, while StarCraft: Remastered will bring with it some much needed quality of life improvements, all of the gameplay quirks from the original will be left just as they are!
In other words, StarCraft: Remastered will be using all of the same gameplay code as Brood War. Dragoons and Goliaths will be derpy little bastards you need to babysit, Mutalisks will stack up in giant balls of flying doom, Reavers will occasionally miss their shots, Carriers will be able to fire well outside their intended range, and the list goes on. All of this might sound like a flaw, but it is exactly this type of complexity that made Brood War such an amazing game, so it is very comforting to see that Blizzard agrees.
If you're interested in seeing for yourself what all of this might look like in gameplay terms, here's the recently posted announcement trailer showcasing both the old and new visuals:
This isn't where the good news end, however, because Blizzard has also announced that StarCraft: Remastered and the original Brood War will be fully compatible! Its all the same client, so you can easily share and watch replays, play and observe games across both versions, and even swap between them at the single press of a button, though this last feature will only be available to StarCraft: Remastered.
In order to facilitate this Blizzard will be releasing Update 1.18a for Brood War on March 30. Not only will this update make StarCraft: Brood War completely free to play, but it will also add numerous modern features such as keybind options, windowed fullscreen support, autosaving replays, improved anticheat, better online connectivity, and the list goes on. The update won't change anything in terms of gameplay, but it will set the stage for Starcraft: Remastered's release this summer.
And finally, allow me to send you off with a couple of images showcasing StarCract: Remastered's visual improvements:
