Following up on the 2020 release of the remastered Warcraft III: Reforged, Blizzard is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of Warcraft with remasters of the first two games, packaging all three into the Warcraft Remastered Battle Chest. The remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2 are both available for purchase separately from the Battle Chest bundle, and both games have been updated with graphical changes, UI updates, and several quality-of-life additions to make for a smoother experience.

Blizzard announced the release of the Warcraft 1 and 2 remasters in the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, available on the official World of Warcraft YouTube channel. The games were released on PC immediately following the announcement. Unfortunately, however, some of the changes that were made to the classic games might be upsetting for long-time fans, most notably a shift in artstyle for the "updated" graphics of both of the remastered Warcraft games.

Similar to the botched launch of Warcraft III: Reforged, many fans simply prefer the classic, pixelated look of the original games to the newer artstyle, causing them to question the worth of a new, "remastered" version. Luckily, the remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2 both allow players to switch to classic visuals, but there are still other problems holding them back.

Warcraft 1 And 2 Remastered Face Backlash Over Artstyle Changes

Missing Features And Controversial Artstyle Changes Draw Complaints From Warcraft Fans

While not every fan hates the new artstyles of Warcraft 1 and 2 Remastered, the graphical updates might prove to be one of the most controversial aspects of the remastered versions, as they can come across as too bright, cartoony, and clean to be a good stylistic fit. Although the games fortunately allow players to swap back to the classic visuals, one of the main selling points of a remaster is updated visuals, so an updated artstyle that remained more faithful to the original games would likely have received a better response.

The artstyle isn't the only problem, however, as fans like Shin_Ken on Reddit have noted that both of the newly remastered Warcraft games require an online connection for players to gain access to them, creating an additional roadblock that wasn't present in the classic games. Additionally, Warcraft 1 Remastered has notably lost the multiplayer mode of the original game, making it technically downgraded from the original in one aspect. While the multiplayer of Warcraft 1 might have been rendered mostly obsolete, its removal is still upsetting for what's supposed to be a definitive version of the game.

Remastered Warcraft Games Need More Work To Meet Fan Expectations

All Three Remastered Warcraft Games Are In Need Of More Updates From Blizzard

Fortunately for Blizzard, it seems like the new features included in the remastered Warcraft games, along with a major new update for Warcraft 3: Reforged, have been enough to satisfy some fans of the series, especially regarding quality-of-life changes. For those who are strictly against the new remasters, though, the classic versions of Warcraft 1 and 2 are still available on the GOG storefront, making them readily accessible.

With the introduction of several new bugs and performance issues in the Warcraft 3: Reforged update and the controversial nature of Warcraft 1 and 2 Remastered, however, it seems like there's still a lot of work ahead for Blizzard to retain longtime fans of the series. Though some fans are rapidly losing faith in the quality of Blizzard's releases, future updates to the Warcraft games can hopefully make meaningful improvements — and maybe make them easier to access offline as well.

Sources: World of Warcraft/YouTube, Shin_Ken/Reddit