Retro classic games that dominated the late 1990s and 2000s are making a triumphant return to global gaming platforms like Steam, capturing the hearts of players once again. 

According to the gaming industry, titles such as The War of Genesis: The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered and the early 2000s feature-phone mobile RPG series Zenonia have recently landed on Steam to critical acclaim. The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered, which builds upon the 1998 original masterpiece RPG, retains its classic emotional depth and storyline while introducing full event-scene voice acting, upgraded graphics, and enhanced convenience features. It has earned a "Very Positive" rating on Steam, with users praising how the title preserves core mechanics while modernizing user experiences. 

Similarly, Com2uS Holdings' Zenonia 1: Thread of Fate, launched in late August, continues to maintain high praise on the platform. Originally released on feature phones in 2008 and racking up 63 million cumulative downloads, the action RPG has successfully made its mark on Steam. Riding this wave of momentum, the publisher officially unveiled the Steam page for its sequel, Zenonia 2: The Lost Memories. Notably, the second installment holds historic significance as the first South Korean mobile game to top the US Apple App Store revenue charts. Furthermore, Sonnori's late-90s Korean PC classic Forgotten Saga is currently targeting a remake release by 2027, heightening industry anticipation. 

Industry experts analyze that the revival of these vintage titles stems from a convergence of generational shifts among gamers and structural fatigue within the modern gaming market. Consumers in their 20s and 30s who grew up playing games in the 1990s now possess stable purchasing power. These pre-vetted classic package games offer a refreshing alternative to endless live-service games. Additionally, for game companies, reviving established intellectual properties (IPs) minimizes the massive development costs and risks associated with original IPs while smoothly securing a loyal fanbase through minimal porting efforts.

Major domestic players are actively expanding their classic lineups. NCSOFT, renowned for Lineage, has been broadening its PC package distribution through its proprietary platform, PURPLE, offering titles such as Astonishia Story, Whitesword Plus, and the newly minted The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered.

An official representative from NCSOFT stated, "We are distributing PC package games via PURPLE in collaboration with various domestic and international partners. The recently introduced The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered has received tremendous attention from users, and we will continue striving to present diverse and compelling titles moving forward."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]