Blizzard has never had such an easy, assured and affordable success as Warcraft III Reforged. Not even with Diablo II: Resurrected. Classic Warcraft III is still considered one of the best strategy games of all time and, in fairness, what was shown in Reforged’s cover letter suited him wonderfully. All in all, the highly anticipated remake ended up being punished by fans receiving the worst grade from Metacritic. In an absolutely withering way.
Because if in recent years Activision Blizzard has managed to hit the mark when it comes to revitalizing its key games (there we have the Crash and Spyro trilogies, the return of Tony Hawk or CoD: Modern Warfare) it has also made decisions that are too questionable . But that the Warcraft III update was ruthlessly crowned the worst PC game and catapulted straight to the bottom of Metacritic just a day after it went on sale is something absolutely no one saw coming.
A case of review bombing? Definitely yes. An example manual. The sad reality is that the reforged reissue of Warcraft III not only disappointed a loyal, long-lived, and active fan community, but it also practically beat the original game. He rolled it over.
In terms of content, campaign, or simply as a strategy game, Warcraft III Reforged retains almost everything that made the original game great. But his way of dispensing with such basic elements as an online ranked game system is hard to defend. Especially when it’s been a year and a half since it was launched and Blizzard was fully aware of the wake-up call. Whatever you look at it, that’s not normal.
Warcraft III Reforged: a year and a half later … and we’re still the same
Unlike other games and remakes that never fully took off, Warcraft III Reforged’s problems have always been very well localized: the renewed visual aspect did not compensate for the absence of clans, a game log or the referred and very necessary system of ranked games. And Blizzard knows it perfectly.
Calm the waters since the game’s disastrous launch, Blizzard began announcing upcoming (and much-needed) content and changes in May 2020. By way of illustration, the previous entry regarding Warcraft III Reforged could be read from the Company Blog. Californian in January of that same year and on the occasion of the launch of the game. Definitely, he reacted very late. Too much.
After the spring, and throughout the summer months of 2020 , Blizzard announced and showed all the changes that will be incorporated into the game. Of course, without specifying when they would arrive. Most of these related to the notable weaknesses pointed out by fans. Including, among many:
The arrival of ranked games, which will be accessed from Versus mode and with the promise of the incorporation of ranked hierarchies.
In addition, to speed up the matchmaking system (another of the great mistakes of the game) a system of five positioning games would be established.
And not only that: Warcraft III Reforged would incorporate a season system that would update what was seen in the classic version and that would allow to obtain exclusive rewards , such as portraits for each division. It could be said that it would be the only real novelty of online gaming.
These were not the only announcements and promises. Blizzard promised to offer a player profile system as in the classic version, a history of games and even a section of personal data. The sad reality is that when one enters today, June 29, 2021, in Warcraft III Reforged they find this image that you can see just below (the same one from the launch and practically the same as the previous betas) and none of the promises fulfilled.
As if that were not enough, another of the most criticized sections was the fact that custom maps and modes now belong to Blizzard. The reason behind this is to avoid a case similar to that of DOTA , a mode born as a personalized version of the game and that became a millionaire source of income for Valve.
Precisely, the last entry from Blizzard referring to Warcraft III Reforged is a kind of entry with tips for creating custom maps. This was published in August 2020 and, since then, no more news has come to the game.
And that the most recent article from Battle.net, published on June 28, 2021, talk about what is brewing at Blizzard and there is no news on the front for Warcraft III Reforged in regards to the incorporation of what was announced ago practically a year is, to say the least, worrying. That since February 2020 nothing has been published on the game’s official Twitter account, too.
If Warcraft III Reforged had not overlapped the classic Warcraft III , as in the case of StarCraft Remastered, it is very likely that the matter would not have grown. The reality is that at this stage of the game, and having spent a year and a half since the launch of the game, that everything remains the same is something that does not leave the project or Blizzard in a very good place.
Above all, when there are studies that, after equally disastrous releases, have not stopped seeking redemption with their fans based on updates, improvements and the determination to fulfill what was promised.
A chance to find the lost redemption
If you start a game of No Man’s Sky today, what you find when you get off the ship has nothing to do with that journey into the unknown that began in 2016. The amount of changes and adjustments that Cyberpunk 2077 has received is overwhelming, and still it is far from reaching the expectations generated. Street Fighter V: Champions Edition can boast of being one of the roundest installments of the saga. The common denominator? The determination to constantly improve.
The worst: the Warcraft III community, previously founded on the clan system, no longer exists within the game: you have to look for it outside. And despite the fact that Blizzard’s intention was always to channel it towards Battle.net (something reasonable from many points of view) the reality is that, despite the improved graphics, the higher resolution and everything updated, today the game is feels worse and emptier than ever. And that it does not take too long to find a departure.
Warcraft III has always been one of my games between games . I would like to tell you that I keep the Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne boxes and manuals in perfect condition, but since launch day they have always been at hand and in a privileged place near my equipment. And that has consequences.
I may not have played classic Warcraft III every month, but I have never uninstalled them. I haven’t uninstalled Reforged either, and haven’t given up hope on it yet.
This past February Blizzard celebrated BlizzConline on the occasion of the company’s 30th anniversary and there was no news regarding Warcraft III Reforged. It was definitely time to do it. Above all, because the Warcraft trilogy, the strategy saga, is and will be one of the pillars of those in California. But of course, if we hardly know anything about Overwatch 2 at this point, what can we expect from Reforged? Not too much.
The priority of the most nostalgic Blizzard, on the other hand, is more than clear: the launch of Diablo II: Resurrected will help alleviate the wait for the fourth numbered installment of the saga and, in the process, will dress up an essential ARPG, that sat down as a chair and continues to be a benchmark. And, we are not going to fool ourselves, the shown inspires more confidence than Reforged .
However, and for many open fronts that Blizzard has, that a year and a half has passed since the launch of Warcraft III Reforged and everything remains more or less the same as when it came out is not only a lost opportunity to find redemption, it is an ugly to a cult game that deserved much more , and to players who, despite all the bad things, continue to find games easily.
Because, despite all the above, the fireproof classic from Blizzard conquers you in the playable: almost 20 years later, Warcraft III still has that facility to catch you and, win or lose, you are left with the desire to take the penultimate. Always the penultimate
