Players love the idea of old and respected video games receiving spiritual successors that carry forward their vision with a fresh coat of paint. While the optimal solution is for these classic titles to become long-running series, this is a decent compromise, especially once players realize that the new IP can be largely original while retaining the special bits that made the original franchise such a blast.
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Some of the best open-world games players can get their hands on now owe their success to the titles that inspired them. The new games feature quality storytelling and worldbuilding of their own while allowing players to witness a perfection or evolution of gameplay tropes from another notable video game that had such a major impact in the gaming industry that they’ve shaped wildly successful spiritual successors.
5
Assassin’s Creed
Born From The Ashes Of The Prince Of Persia Series
There’s no denying that Prince of Persia is one of the best platforming franchises of all time, with The Sands of Time trilogy having all the ingredients for an incredible video game experience. However, the series lost a ton of its momentum over time, to the point where Ubisoft wanted to do something different with this series. An idea thrown into the mix was that players wouldn’t control the Prince himself, but a bodyguard or someone else in a similar position who would protect their liege.
This idea morphed into something special, leading to the creation of the first Assassin’s Creed game. While the sandbox design in this series would need some improvement, the unique setting, compelling story, fun traversal, and a great mix of combat & stealth ensured that Altair’s adventures would mark the beginning of something special.
4
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Despite Being From The Same Series, This Title Is Structured As A Spiritual Successor
Despite what its name suggests, Xenoblade Chronicles X doesn’t have a major connection to other entries in the series. Instead, it’s styled as a spiritual successor of sorts to the Xenoblade Chronicles series, which is odd but not something fans will dwell upon.
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It helps that Xenoblade Chronicles X is bursting with excellence, allowing fans to drop into this title without a second thought, even if they aren’t familiar with other games in the series. It boasts a unique edge and what many fans consider to be the best open world in the series, which is hefty praise indeed.
3
Sleeping Dogs
A True Crime: Hong Kong Game That Turned Into This Stellar Open-World Adventure
With the popularity of GTA skyrocketing, other developers wanted a piece of that sandbox pie. This led to the rise of Grand Theft Auto clones, with True Crime being one of the more notable titles to experiment with this sandbox. True Crime: Streets of LA was a fun title that was worth checking out for fans of Rockstar’s crime series, but the same can’t be said for True Crime: New York City, which was rushed out and littered with bugs that took away from a game that already lacked innovation.
Another True Crime game was stated to be set in Hong Kong, but poor critical and commercial performance meant that the IP was shelved after just two releases. However, from the ashes of this Hong Kong crime game rose Sleeping Dogs, an incredible open-world adventure with fun combat and a surprisingly great story that is hailed by many as one of the best action-packed open-world games fans can get their hands on.
2
Shadow Of The Colossus
Both A Spiritual Successor And A Sequel To Ico
It’s a shame that not many people are aware of Ico, with players more familiar with titles like Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian instead. In the case of the former, the title serves as both a spiritual and actual successor to Ico, featuring a unique story where players control a hero who must take out sixteen colossi to revive the love of his life.
In doing so, he makes a deal with a vengeful entity named Dormin, who is released after the colossi are taken out. However, this malicious being is sealed in the nick of time, but Wander himself has regressed to become a child as he’s held in the arms of the woman he once loved at the end of the game.
1
Elden Ring
Technicalities Make This A Spiritual Successor To Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, And King’s Field
Elden Ring is in a rather odd position when it comes to spiritual successors. The bedrock of this game’s action RPG formula existed all the way back in King’s Field, one of FromSoftware’s most underrated series that only gained notoriety after Dark Souls became a major hit. Elements of King’s Field were adapted in Demon’s Souls, with Dark Souls serving as a spiritual successor of sorts to this PS3 exclusive.
Finally, Elden Ring carries over a ton of elements from the Dark Souls trilogy while having some original elements of its own. This chain of spiritual succession makes it clear that FromSoftware was well-versed with the formula when they made Elden Ring, which is just one of the many reasons why this title broke everyone’s minds and became one of the greatest open-world video games ever made.
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