"Fine, I'll Do It Myself"

Spiritual successors to games/series that have long since been abandoned (or radically changed genres), typically made by people who wanted to see those series return in some form. Notes contain the inspirations. Suggestions are welcome.

Pizza Tower
Pizza Tower
Wario Land (series)
Antonblast
Antonblast
Wario Land 4
Ratatan
Ratatan
Patapon
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Paper Mario
Scrap Story
Scrap Story
Paper Mario
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Jet Set Radio
Scratchin' Melodii
Scratchin' Melodii
Parappa the Rapper
Another Crusade
Another Crusade
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Aero GPX
Aero GPX
F-Zero
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
Link: The Faces of Evil
DoubleShake
DoubleShake
Mischief Makers, Tomba, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and more
Spark the Electric Jester 2
Spark the Electric Jester 2
Sonic Adventure (suggested by sleepytitan, DeltaWDunn)
Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee
Banjo-Kazooie (suggested by Drax)
Ex-Zodiac
Ex-Zodiac
Star Fox
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Donkey Kong Country (suggested by Drax)
Heeey! Park-Boy
Heeey! Park-Boy
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure! (suggested by Drax)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night/"Igavania" (suggested by ZapRowsdower)
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Castlevania (suggested by ZapRowsdower)
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Suikoden (suggested by ZapRowsdower)
Penny Blood
Penny Blood
Shadow Hearts (suggested by ZapRowsdower)
Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness
Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness
Wild Arms (suggested by ZapRowsdower)
24 Killers
24 Killers
Moon Remix RPG (suggested by Drax)
Chasing the Unseen
Chasing the Unseen
Shadow of the Colossus (suggested by Drax)
Oddity
Oddity
Earthbound/Mother (suggested by Reddish)
Fight'N Rage
Fight'N Rage
Streets of Rage (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
Dusk
Dusk
Doom, Quake (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars
Chrono Trigger (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge
NES Metroid (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
20XX
20XX
Mega Man X (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
Tormented Souls
Tormented Souls
Silent Hill, Classic Resident Evil (suggested by DeltaWDunn)
Wargroove
Wargroove
Advance Wars (suggested by Coleybuddy)
Freedom Planet
Freedom Planet
2D/Classic Sonic (suggested by Coleybuddy)
Fur Squadron
Fur Squadron
Star Fox (suggested by Funbil)
Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy
Final Fantasy Tactics (suggested by Coleybuddy)
Buck Up and Drive!
Buck Up and Drive!
OutRun (suggested by PunnyPeace)
Demonschool
Demonschool
Persona 1/2 (suggested by sleepytitan)
Restitched
Restitched
LitteBigPlanet
Clone Hero
Clone Hero
Guitar Hero/Rock Band (Suggested by bwoe on Discord)
Gravity Circuit
Gravity Circuit
Mega Man Zero (Suggested by bwoe on Discord)
Paperball
Paperball
Super Monkey Ball (Suggested by Dishy on Discord)
Rolled Out!
Rolled Out!
Super Monkey Ball (Suggested by Dishy on Discord)
Hover
Hover
Jet Set Radio (Suggested by PhantomJack on Discord)
Lunacid
Lunacid
King's Field (Suggested by bwoe on Discord)
One Step From Eden
One Step From Eden
Mega Man Battle Network
PsiloSybil
PsiloSybil
Crash Bandicoot (Suggested by 404NickNotFound)
Wanted: Dead
Wanted: Dead
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
Annalynn
Annalynn
Pac-Man and Donkey Kong

21 Comments


8 months ago

Bloodstained Ritual of the Night/Curse of the Moon (Castlevania, both classic and Metroidvania style)
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Suikoden)
Penny Blood (Shadow Hearts)
Armed Fantasia (Wild Arms)

8 months ago

Heeey! Park Boy: Chibi Robo
24 Killers: Moon Remix RPG/Early Love-de-lic
Yooka-Laylee: Banjo-Kazooie
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair: Donkey Kong Country
Kaze and the Wild Masks: Donkey Kong Country
Lunistice: Early 3D Sonic
Chasing the Unseen: Shadow of the Colossus

8 months ago

Also, I didn't list anything due to sheer volume, but there are a ton of Pokemon clones and Earthbound inspired indie RPGs on the market now, not sure if you'd want to include those. Same goes for all the Harvest Moon inspired indie titles (aside from the obvious one in Stardew Valley)

8 months ago

Oddity is a spiritual successor to Earthbound/Mother that originally was titled Mother 4, it's not our yet but I think it would still count

8 months ago

Fight'N Rage (Streets of Rage, this was before SOR4)
Spark the Electric Jester 2 (Sonic Adventure)
Dusk (Quake)
Sea of Stars (Chrono Trigger)
Axiom Verge (Metroid, before Metroid Dread)
20XX (Mega Man X)
Tormented Souls (Classic Resident Evil)

These are just the ones I know people generally like.

8 months ago

Not sure this fully applies since the Sonic series seems to be sorta back in the same vein with Sonic Frontiers specifically but the Spark the Electric Jester series feel like a successor to the Sonic Adventure games

8 months ago

Wargroove (Advance Wars, before the remakes)
Freedom Planet (Classic Sonic, before Sonic Mania)
Triangle Strategy (Final Fantasy Tactics)

8 months ago

Fur Squadron (Star Fox 64)

8 months ago

Just remembered the upcoming indie game Demonschool looks like a spiritual successor to persona 1/2 and other early tactics/strategy games

8 months ago

Tunic (Pre-Botw Zelda) maybe?

8 months ago

@Drax Yeah, unless the inspiration is pretty explicit, I'd rather not count Earthbound/Pokemon-likes. Especially Pokemon, that game series is going to keep going forever, I doubt its core mechanics are gonna change anytime soon. Same with Stardew Valley, games like Harvest Moon Story of Seasons still existed at the time, and continue to exist to this day. Not exactly what I'm looking for.

Also you reminded me that Heeey! Park Boy exists, and that brightened my day a little bit.

8 months ago

I was looking for a list like this!

8 months ago

@Monado_Lad

Tunic fundamentally is closer to a Souls game; it’s just wearing the skin of classic Zelda. Honestly Cross Code is closer to a take on classic Zelda since that game is full of dungeons with puzzles contrasted by an overworld; Tunic’s levels are mostly combat focused which I guess is closer to Zelda 1 than any other entry

8 months ago

Buck Up and Drive to Outrun?

8 months ago

idk if this fully applies but sea of stars looks like a spiritual successor to chrono trigger/mana games

8 months ago

@SunlitSonata good point, Tunic is just a Zelda game in my brain, the stylistic similarities stuck with me more than the actual gameplay I guess.

8 months ago

Updated with most suggestions.

2 months ago

LunarLux (Mega Man Battle Network/Mario & Luigi Series)
PsiloSybil (Crash Bandicoot PSX games)

2 months ago

I don't know much about the Rythm Heaven games, but Bits & Bops looks like an spiritual successor
please disregard every line after this one
Natural Selection 1/2, Unvanquished (Alien vs Predator 2000? it's the one with asymmetrical multiplayer)
Midair 1/2 (Tribes 2, Ascend, not sure if the first one was an inspiration)
Neverball, Rolled Out (Super Monkey Ball)
Gnomoria (graphical Dwarf Fortress, shoutout to when Minecraft and Towns also tried that to lesser results)
Starbound (ex Terraria dev :^) )
Wreckfest (Flatout)
Toxikk (Unreal Tournament 2004)
Hedgewars (Worms Armageddon)
Reflex/there's more but i cant remember their names exactly (Quake 3 CPMA mod)
BeamNG (Rigs of Rods)

12 days ago

Donut Dodo (Pac-Man and Donkey Kong)


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