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Google says Gemini 3 It can do a lot of things, and while I don’t doubt it for a second, my interest in the latest AI model has been minimal at best. Honestly, my biggest curiosity in the latest Gemini release is what it has to do for it LM notebookI prefer it Artificial intelligence tools.
But when my editor told me he’d coded a remake of Minesweeper, my wheels started turning, and eventually it went off the rails. I’ve already had some experience with Encrypting the atmosphere with Gemini I walked away satisfied with the results, but the project itself was hands-on and more of a proof of concept than a real interest. Bringing games into the mix – especially old games from my childhood – changes things.
I decided to enjoy Gemini’s engaging programming abilities, and I couldn’t have had a better time. I never expected gold, and that’s not what I got. But it was enough to satisfy my retro gaming cravings. Best of all, everything released was playable within a web browser. From the remastered Chip’s Challenge to the 8-bit Tomba! And the basic 3D concept of the first Silent Hill game, this may be the most fun I’ve ever had with AI – and I’ve barely scratched the surface.
Below, I’ll go over what I did, including how easy it was to program and make adjustments just by chatting with Gemini.
Gemini 3 seems more capable and comprehensive
Having a conversation with Gemini 3 feels different. The chatbot seems to be more context aware and able to address some of the issues you may have as follow-up questions the first time. Previous versions of Gemini can do this as well, but Gemini 3 seems to be more comprehensive in its responses. And that’s just in terms of having a regular conversation about any given topic. For my experiences, Gemini went above and beyond in not only explaining the technical stuff (above my head), but also breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts when she was creating a game for me.
For example, midway through testing, I asked if he could compile one of these games into an Android Package Kit file format, so I could load it onto my phone. Gemini told me he couldn’t do it, but he asked me if I wanted some steps on how to do it, and I said yes. After I created the game I requested, I created a separate document containing steps on how to convert the HTML file you provided me into an APK using a variety of tools, broken down into effort levels. I did not go further than this point; I still feel like this is the Gemini I’ve never talked to before.
The cost of nostalgia
If you want to relive old video games from your past and visit one of the specialty vintage game stores, a disturbing fact will come to light. Old games can get incredibly expensive. In my visits to various stores in search of the original Silent Hill titles, I found that I would need to spend roughly $500 just to buy two of them – and that is if I was lucky enough to find them in stock. And if you don’t have the console to play it, expect to pay more, or accept titles becoming part of a collection and nothing more.
Trying to understand the past joy of the younger self comes at a cost, and will be out of reach for many people. Here, artificial intelligence may be able to help preserve these toys – or at least the memory of them – as they become more difficult and more expensive to find as they age. There’s a reason why Gemini and other MBAs are so good at remaking old games: they’re trained on massive amounts of text and code, including of course the source code for these games.
For the purposes of my testing, I had Gemini intentionally create “exact versions” of older games: stripped-down, simplified versions that are essentially playable proofs of concepts.
Gemini face my childhood with several “operations”
Once I saw exactly what Jiminy could do, it was game on. I immediately took advantage of the old school games that came pre-installed on Windows. For the most part, the end result with just one pass was short and playable, but the AI needed more instruction to make something worth anyone’s time. However, I was impressed by many of Jiminy’s first drafts and realized that they would only get better with improvement.
Chip challenge
Gemini captured the essence of Chip’s Challenge in an old-school format on its first attempt.
One game I haven’t seen getting any kind of new treatment in the App Store or Google Play is Chip’s Challenge. If you’re a Windows 3.1 user, you probably know this game – even if you don’t think you do.
We roll to get the keys to the next level, avoiding enemies, and the end. Gemini put together something reminiscent of this game on her first try, and I’m pretty confident they’ll be able to give it a complete remake with enough instructions.
Jespaul
Although there were some missing elements, my first attempt at Gemini 3 gave me an effective Jezzball, and that’s all I asked for.
Jezzball is the perfect time killer and is as fun today as it was decades ago. Try to occupy at least 75% of the space by building walls with lines without constantly hitting one of the bouncing balls inside the space.
8-bit Tomba!
Gemini’s first attempt with Tomba! It made me realize that the sky is almost the limit for my retro video game dreams.
One of my all-time favorite games on PlayStation 1 is Tomba! I played the first level for the first time on the first PlayStation demo collection disc and became hooked. You emulated Tomba! on my phone and tablet over the years, but in 2024, a new version was released – officially called Special Edition – and is now available on PC, PS5 and Switch. In Tomba!, you play as a pink-haired hero on a quest to save the world from evil pigs.
Gemini channeled the essence of the 8-bit version of Tomba! It will be on his first attempt. It was completely stripped down, but the level name, Tomba’s abilities, and small collectibles were all there.
silent hill
As a huge Silent Hill fan, I was impressed with how Gemini handled the creation of this game and the overall production.
Gemini has given me a lot of fun and simple moves, so I wanted to up the ante. I asked him to remake the first one silent hill – In essence. I wasn’t expecting a full game here, but I wanted it to be something better than my previous games, and in 3D this time.
Gemini understood the mission and said to me: “Do it silent hill Fairness, we cannot make the game just a game; We must create Atmosphere“.
Gemini created the game in triplicate and seemed to divide it into stages. First, the atmosphere. The design channels the original by intentionally adding a layer of fog to create a barrier from what you can see in front of you. What were technical limitations in the original Silent Hill still have a huge impact today. Add to that the falling snow, some building-like structures and trees, and we’re off to a good start for making a model of this type.
Next came the most important aspects of the Silent Hill series. Radio filled with static electricity, the ability to swing a steel pipe and the enemy to fight. Gemini already had this on his waiting list, but wanted to check with me to make sure this was what I wanted – and I couldn’t agree more. The only part of this that needed adjusting was the enemy. In the first round, it was just a cube-shaped bubble, which barely resembled anything scary enough to swing the tube at. Gemini modified it to look somewhat more like a creature, though it still resembles something far less terrifying than anything in the original games.
Then came the finishing touches. Silent Hill wouldn’t be the series it is without its music, and Jiminy knew it. I created two audio files – one with a low frequency that I called “drone” and one with a high frequency that I called “scrape.” The music is annoying enough to keep you on edge for a bit. Another core piece of the series is the puzzles, but Gemini wasn’t too complex here and just threw in a clue that can be found while walking.
Finally, the transition to the “other world.” Gemini made this a manual option that turned the fog red and rusted the walls – all with a siren in the background.
Here’s how to try it yourself (and why you should)
If you want to ask Gemini to recreate an old video game — or any type of game (I asked him to create a touchscreen version of Hungry Hungry Hippos) — you’ll need to make sure your settings are configured correctly.
Next to the text field in which you’re talking to Gemini, you’ll need to look at the form you’re using. You can choose between the “Quick” and “Thinking” models, but for game creation, you’ll probably want to choose the latter. The “Thinking” model (Gemini 3) will provide more in-depth information and will go deeper into creating what you want. The fast model, the Gemini 2.5 Flash, won’t spend much time on the mission.
When you ask Gemini to create a game that can be played on your phone or within a web browser, you probably want to ask the AI to give you an HTML file.
I’ve also tried ChatGPT
In an incredibly unfair test, I asked ChatGPT (Free version) to recreate Tomba! On the 8-bit system, it quickly provided a simple, intuitive but playable game. It lacked all of the game design that Gemini pulled off on the first try, along with the ability to use his weapon and more.
When I asked ChatGPT to improve the level and characters, instead of updating the code, it generated an image. After getting my intentions straight, I started working on updating the game’s style and colors. This version was better in style but lacked any of the polish that Gemini added when she asked the exact same question for the second iteration. I’d be curious to see how well the latest ChatGPT models perform in this test.