There are times when video games, no matter how beloved, may not receive a sequel. While this is often the case, thankfully many games have had spiritual successors over the years. A spiritual successor retains the same core themes and stylistic features of an older title, while not being from the exact same series or franchise. The Quarry, due out next month, aims to be a spiritual successor to the PS4's spooky choose your own adventure game Until Dawn.
Gameplay footage and other promotional material hint at The Quarry incorporating many of the same elements that made Until Dawn such a fan favorite. While this is definitely an exciting treat for fans of Until Dawn, this is hardly the first instance of a video game spiritual successor. Many of the most iconic IP's in the industry were built upon the foundations of something which came before, and the following examples are some of the most notable.
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BioShock
First up is BioShock, releasing in 2007 to rave reviews and raking in numerous Game of the Year awards. The haunting atmosphere, thrilling combat and excellent writing were all immediately praised by gamers and critics alike. Much of the game's design, however, is owed to the System Shock series, which is functionally the same as BioShock, just in a strictly sci-fi setting instead. In fact, BioShock's direct Ken Levin even worked on System Shock, so he probably knew how to best rework these concepts into a new game.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is not shy about its Metroidvania inspirations. This 2D action adventure title bears a strong resemblance to the Castlevania franchise in nearly every aspect of its design, including the gameplay, visuals and music. The series producer of Castlevania, Koji Igarashi, actually worked on Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, so this project was intentionally made to be a spiritual successor from the beginning.
Undertale
A breakout indie RPG developed entirely by Toby Fox, Undertale serves as a successor to the Earthbound series. Retaining all the charm, humor, and emotional depth of the Earthbound games while still managing to provide a twist of his own, Toby Fox crafted a meticulously detailed world to explore. Undertale's well-developed characters and a truly inventive combat system made the game so special in 2015. With so many fans clamoring for more Earthbound, Undertale managed to fill a void left open for so long.
Dark Souls
In 2009, the gaming scene was turned on its head with the launch of Demon's Souls. A hard hitting, unforgiving, yet entirely captivating action RPG, the game redefined challenge in an industry that some felt games were becoming too easy. While some may not realize, Demon's Souls is actually a Sony property and is locked to PlayStation platforms. Dark Souls was published instead by Namco/Bandai, and built upon many of the ideas introduced in the prior game.
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Axiom Verge
With obvious inspirations from Nintendo's Metroid series, Axiom Verge is an expansive, thrilling, side-scrolling action game with a sci-fi twist. Axiom Verge throws players into a creepy environment, allowing them to discover the area at their own pace all while obtaining new and explosive weaponry to blast enemies with. The game was successful enough to warrant a sequel, Axiom Verge 2, which launched last year.
Shovel Knight
Shovel Knight is an interesting case because it is not just a spiritual successor to one legacy title, but two. Both the classic NES franchises of Ducktales and Mega Man can clearly be seen woven into the DNA of Shovel Knight's design. The way that the player can bounce on the shovel is similar to how Scrooge uses his cane in Ducktales. Meanwhile, the platforming as a whole and graphical style is reminiscent of Mega Man.
Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee holds its influence on its sleeve, without hiding its obvious Banjo-Kazooie roots. A large portion of the developers at Team17 are made up of past employees at Rare, who worked on the Banjo-Kazooie franchise back in the Nintendo 64 era. Upon being announced, many gamers who grew up with the N64 applauded Yooka-Laylee, as it appeared to be a strong return to that 3D platforming style of gameplay. From the gameplay, to the music composed by Grant Kirkhope,m and even the gibberish language of the characters, Yooka-Laylee is a blast from the past.
Allison Road
Allison Road is perhaps the most interesting entry here, because unlike the other games listed above, it has yet to actually be released. In the wake of P.T's cancellation, many gamers were longing for more of the terrifying first person horror genre. Numerous developers tried to imitate the eerie atmosphere of Hideo Kojima's Silent Hills project but arguably the closest was a title called Allison Road. Visually unnerving and thematically disturbing, it seemed to be a horror masterpiece waiting to be unleashed, but unfortunately, the team hasn't provided an update on the project in years.
The Quarry launches June 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.