Voodoo Vince: Remastered brings the classic character platformer to the modern era. Vince’s adventure takes him from the streets of New Orleans to the depths of a Louisiana bayou to find the whereabouts of his keeper, Madam Charmaine. In true voodoo doll-style, Vince encounters and defeats quirky monsters and villains by destroying himself. For example, by racing under a falling safe, jumping into a high-speed blender, or leaping under falling rubble, Vince is able to transfer the damage done on his person to his foes. It’s definitely a novel concept and forces you to take risks which you would never attempt in other games.
Thrust into the depths of a twisted and dangerous world, Vince must trek through thirty detailed levels including crawfish-laden swamps, a graveyard filled with imps and lost zombies, a fantastic French Quarter, and a network of dank sewers. The environments are varied and they include many secrets. There are also a ton of vehicles to master. For example, as the game unfolds, Vince must pilot a boat, a submarine and an airplane. The title is also filled with numerous boss fights and mini-games which will push your thinking and movement skills to their limits.
What makes Voodoo Vince: Remastered so special has to be its colorful cast of characters. You meet so many unique entities. While some are helpful and want you to play jazz with them, others like the gas pumps are the most annoying foes ever. This dynamism enhances the title by creating an undeniable and unique charm.
Many of you may not know, but the original title released thirteen years ago and was hailed as one of the most charming and unique games at the time. The upgraded presentation gives us smooth 1080p 60 FPS visuals which not only tighten up the controls, but also make identifying certain objects in the distance possible. Despite its age, Voodoo Vince: Remastered holds up well due to its precise controls which remain a benchmark to this day. Unfortunately, the camera is still as finicky as ever and that detracts from the gameplay during challenging sections.
Voodoo Vince: Remastered hasn’t received as much attention as a game like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. You can tell that the textures are still the same except they’re rendered at a higher resolution. While everything looks crisp, it’s still a flat world. Those hoping for new assets will be disappointed. The developers could’ve truly elevated the game by revamping the visuals and fixing the decade-old camera problems but they chose not to. This gives Voodoo Vince: Remastered the appearance of being a quick cash-grab rather than a project which received a lot of attention.
Speaking of camera problems, movement can be quite difficult if you’re confined to a small space. The camera tends to clip through objects or get so close to you that it’s impossible to see where you have to go. It needs to be more advanced and this is definitely a missed opportunity. Gamers will have serious issues with this.
Summary
Overall, Voodoo Vince: Remastered is a great experience which still holds up well after all these years. If the game had better camera controls and visuals, it would’ve been a truly remarkable achievement. Not only that, it would’ve also appealed to more people. If the developers wanted a sequel, they should’ve put more attention into their project. As it stands, Voodoo Vince: Remastered will only appeal to fans of the original and new consumers will shy away due to its dated camera and graphics.
Antonio was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 112 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.