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Recreation is always a difficult process. Sure, the (games) layout is already there but many don't realize that a creation is born from inspiration. The original developers put their heart and soul into a project to create something incredible for the viewer/player. It's not always perfect and some elements seem askew but the 'soul' is felt in the game.
The anime FLCL is renown for being whacky, weird, off the walls crazy with a heartfelt message buried somewhere in between all of that. Many people recognize that the meaning in every episode is representative of life.
When they tried to recreate FLCL with new versions, many styling were kept the same but there was something missing that the fans immediately noticed. The soul behind the newer iterations. FLCL was created by a team that had previously worked on a project that left many of them depressed and hollow (Evangelion) and they created FLCL to have fun and to reignite their spirit while sharing how they felt. That 'soul' of the anime, the interactions of characters, the music, and the situations that occurred across 6 episodes were impactful to the viewer.
The newer iterations are (re)created by an entirely new team that were creating from a blank slate. They were trying to recreate something without having the journey of emotion to carry their creation ability beyond just making something resembling the original.
That is why some players who compare the original version of a game to the 'remake' as 'Soul vs Soulless'. Yes, the bugs are fixed and there are probably some quality of life improvements but the polished look and the clean artstyle are missing what made the original 'feel' like a creation with intent and purpose.
-What spurred this post?-
I had the thought of writing this post while looking at remasters/remade games and listening to The Pillows on Pandora. It sucks when a continuation or a retelling of a story doesn't quite hit the mark but I think emotion behind creation is critical to making a something that lasts and will stick to the people that watch/read/play/listen to it.
These ideas might be obvious to some but others don't quite grasp that creativity with emotion behind it is an experience that goes further than a 'polished' product.
I wanted to sharing my thoughts on the topic.
Thank you for reading!