Name your favourite video game franchise that hasn’t had a game in ages. Go on. Knack is an interesting choice. But what if I told you there’s another way to play the kind of games that the big guys just won’t make anymore? Turn your eye to these indie spiritual successors that do what Nintendon’t. Or Sonon’t. Or Microsont. You get the idea.
Aero GPX (F-Zero, Wipeout)
At this point, it feels like there’s more separate spiritual successors to the F-Zero and Wipeout legacy than there are actual F-Zero and Wipeout games. Clearly, indie developers care more about anti-gravity racing than Nintendo or Sony. That’s somewhat fine by us; we’d love new F-Zero or Wipeout games, but if the dearth of official releases means more banger indie games about 30-odd vehicles doing 1000 mph around a track, we’ll take it. You might have another in mind, but today, we’re highlighting Aero GPX as the anti-gravity racer spiritual successor of choice.
Developed and published by Aaron McDevitt, along with his small team of developers, Aero GPX is like a cel-shaded F-Zero GX, albeit with a few caveats and additions that make it one of the most addictive and enjoyable anti-gravity racers out there. You’ve got the usual cabal of boost pads, air brake drifting and combat moves to lay waste to your opponents, but there’s a whole host of air manoeuvres and wind tunnels to give the game more of a skill ceiling, meaning if you really want to master this gem, you’ll need to sink the hours in.
Currently available in Early Access, updates for this one are admittedly slow, but when the core is this solid, it’s worth the wait we reckon. You could say it’s a… blast.
Antonblast (Wario Land)
Ask people to name indie spiritual successors to the Wario Land games and the chances are that you’ll get someone screaming Pizza Tower in your face in an overly exaggerated Italian accent before playing that one song from the Spider-Man 2 game. They’re not wrong. Still, it feels like there’s another Wario Land love letter that doesn’t quite get the same amount of hype and fanfare as Pizza Tower, and that’s Antonblast. If you want to play as the angriest bearded man in gaming history, Antonblast is everything you’ve ever wanted and more.
A fast-paced platformer that’s about as close to a new Wario Land game as we’re getting not to be themed after pizza, Antonblast sees Dynamite Anton, or his co-worker Annie, feuding with Satan over some stolen spirits. Players race through a bunch of levels, using the Mighty F’n Hammer to destroy everything in their path, whether it’s obstacles, enemies or screen-filling bosses. There’s a lot of hardcore platforming to sink your teeth into with this one, and at the time of writing, the developers published their final content update with more modes and difficulty options.
If you want to jump into the manic world of Antonblast, there’s never been a better time to do so.
Azure Striker Gunvolt (Mega Man)
Let’s be honest here, a spiritual successor to the Mega Man legacy is about as common as me talking about C-12: Final Resistance. A Mega Man spiritual successor developed by former Capcom staffers who worked on the series, though? That’s a little bit more rare, but you know we’re not here to darken your door with foul memories of Mighty No. 9. Those wounds are still fresh for many. Instead, we’re talking about Azure Striker Gunvolt, a game created by Inti Creates, a team of former Capcom devs who ended up working with Capcom to make the Mega Man Zero series, Mega Man ZX and even Mega Man 9 and 10. They also worked with Comcept to make Mighty No. 9 but that’s another story, moving on!
A side scrolling action platformer with controls similar to Mega Man, players control Gunvolt, an adept trying to take down a peacekeeping organisation that’s actually been abusive to other adepts. What separates Gunvolt from Mega Man is the ability he has to tag enemies during a fight, which grants a homing effect to Gunvolt’s electrical abilities. More tags equals more damage, meaning you need to try and chain together tags to defeat enemies as quickly as possible. Throw in special Offensive SKills that can be unlocked throughout the game, and level ups for Gunvolt, and you’ve got a deep and engaging platformer worth your time right here. If you really like it too, there’s two sequels to dig into afterwards.
Beyond All Reason (Supreme Commander, Total Annihilation)
It’s no secret that the RTS genre has fallen off in terms of popularity over the years. There have been attempts over the recent years to revive the genre, like the Warcraft inspired Stormgate created by ex-Blizzard devs, or the Command and Conquer homage Tempest Rising. They’re both great games if you’re looking for your next strategy fix, but it’s hard to get more independent than a game that’s free and developed on an open source engine. Enter Beyond All Reason, which was created using the SpringRTS Engine, designed to emulate the feel and mechanics of the RTS behemoth Total Annihilation. If you’re going to have an inspiration, may as well make it one of the big ones.
Beyond All Reason was actually an attempt to replace the Total Annihilation property to create something new, with the first artwork dating back to 2010. The project would grind to a halt in 2013 for six years, but Beyond All Reason’s development kicked off again in earnest in 2019, with the game’s developers working hard to eventually have Beyond All Reason released on Steam. Fortunately for anyone who’s interested, BAR has more than just a 30 year old gameplay engine going for it, with their specific fork of the SpringRTS Engine, Recoil Engine, allowing for a lot more than what the original was capable of, including massive multiplayer skirmishes.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Jet Set Radio)
Probably the most famous spiritual successor we’ll mention in this video, developers Team Reptile haven’t been subtle about their appreciation for the majesty that is Jet Set Radio. While their previous work, Lethal League, has no gameplay similarities to everyone’s favourite Dreamcast roller skating “graffiti ‘em up”, Lethal League’s blend of fighting games, Squash and Dodgeball does bear the aesthetic hallmarks of one Jet Set Radio. With Lethal League’s graphics earning plenty of Jet Set comparisons anyway, Team Reptile decided that the next logical step would be to just steal SEGA’s lunch and make their own version instead. Little did they know that SEGA was working on their own Jet Set remake, but for a long time there, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was the closest we were getting to a third Jet Set.
Set in the fictional future city of New Amsterdam, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk follows the Bomb Rush Crew, a group of youths charging through the city, fighting with rival gangs and clashing with police in an attempt to control the city’s five boroughs. Like Jet Set, you perform tricks, leave tags and listen to a banging soundtrack, with Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma even offering several of his own tracks, but there’s a bevy of gameplay updates to make Bomb Rush Cyberfunk a definitive experience. Players are equipped with a boost backpack that lets them achieve incredible speed and reach new areas, and you can use skates, skateboards and even BMXs to get around the city.
Demon Turf (Super Mario Sunshine, most mascot platformers)
Nailing down a mascot platformer to one specific influence can be a bit tricky, but if they’re 3D, it’s fair to say they’re taking some cues from the Super Mario games, particularly 64. There are some exceptions, with Yooka-Laylee obviously being inspired by Banjo-Kazooie, but games like A Hat In Time and others wouldn’t exist without the likes of Super Mario 64. The same could easily be said of Demon Turf by Fabraz, the development team who’ve given themselves the unenviable task of trying to make a Bubsy game in 2026 that’s not a steaming pile of arsewater. Best of luck to you folks for that one, but let’s not forget: there’s a reason why Fabraz were trusted with such a recognisable property in the first place.
Demon Turf has players controlling a young demon girl named Beebz who’s decided to visit the four different “Turfs”, depose the various leaders and then challenge the Demon King for the right to rule all. Big ambitions for such a young demon. Well, relatively young at only 1000 years old. The levels themselves are huge and beg players to explore every nook and cranny, while Beebz’s skillset is heavily reminiscent of the FLUDD’s hover nozzle in Super Mario Sunshine, so for any fellow Sunshine apologists in the comments, this is the indie game for you.
Throw in a spin-off, Neon Splash, and the upcoming sequel, Demon Tides, and it feels like Fabraz are leaning even harder into Sunshine’s “platforming fun by the sea” vibes. We’re so fine with that.
Grapple Dog (Bionic Commando)
What’s the best tool in gaming? It’s a grappling hook. What’s the best pet in the world? For the sake of argument and moving this video along, it’s a dog. Now, what happens when you combine those two things? You get either the indie game Grapple Dog, or a bloody mess, and considering we don’t have a grapple hook or a dog to hand, let’s talk about Grapple Dog instead. A game that could best be described as Bionic Commando with canines, we’re admittedly struggling a little for a good pun here, especially considering GameSpot already called dibs on “Bionic Commandog” a few years ago. The best we’ve got is Bichon Commando, but that might be a bit too specific. Make sure to drop your best puns in the comments and maybe you’ll win a free Steam key?
A 2D platformer, players control Pablo, the titular Grapple Dog who finds the grappling hook inside an ancient ruin. Unfortunately, he also unleashes a robot hellbent on annihilating everything, so it’s time to put the grapple to good use across several worlds and dozens of levels. While you don’t unlock new skills during the game, the amount of gimmicks and level mechanic s thrown at you throughout make Grapple Dog always interesting and fun to play. It’s tricky, but what platformers aren’t at the end of the day? Like Azure Striker Gunvolt though, if you’re a big fan of what Grapple Dog has to offer, the sequel Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is like a Sonic Adventure 2 style sequel. More of the same, only with a new edgy character. 10/10, no notes.
Melatonin (Rhythm Heaven)
Video games have long had a love affair with the rhythm action genre, whether it’s pressing buttons to the rap stanzas in Parappa The Rapper, timing your attacks to the beat in Hi-Fi Rush or sinking hundreds of dollars/pounds on some plastic tat to play Guitar Hero, Rock Band or even Donkey Konga. Donkey Konga hive, arise. With the DS emerged a new rhythm action phenomenon though, the aptly titled Rhythm Heaven, which used catchy beats and gorgeous graphics to create excellent mini games based on recognisable tasks. Assembling a robot, kicking a ball, launching a rocket, cutting a wrestling promo or just throwing paper balls in baskets, Rhythm Heaven turned the mundane into magical music. It is also getting a new game, so it’s a little different to games we’ve covered so far.
Naturally, Rhythm Heaven has inspired quite a few successors, though perhaps none as unique as Melotonin. Described as a blend of reality and dreams merging together, Melatonin uses gorgeous hand-drawn art and infectious lo-fi beats to create a chill rhythm action game. Or, as chill as you want it to be anyway, considering there’s options for a hard mode and even a level editor if you want to create a real challenge for yourself. Admittedly, Melatonin is on the short side, especially compared to its inspiration, but if you’re looking for lo-fi beats to chill out and hit the corresponding button at the correct time to, Melatonin is a wonderful game to check out. Also a pretty good Silversun Pickups song.
Thunder Ray (Punch Out)
Another game that’s been the subject of plenty of homages over the years is Punch-Out or Super Punch-Out. Is that because there’s been a genuine boxing game drought over the years and indie devs just want to give us some version of the “sweet science”? We’re not sure, but making a Punch-Out clone is definitely more achievable than trying to make a Fight Night inspiration.
With Punch-Out clones, you’ve got Pato Box, which added a fully explorable open world in its story alongside the Punch-Out inspired gameplay, while the upcoming Big Boy Boxing will apply the Punch-Out formula to a very specific art style.
If you’re looking for the most honest-to-goodness Punch-Out tribute though, Purple Tree’s Thunder Ray is the game for you. Following the eponymous world champion boxer, the game sees Thunder Ray grow bored at the lack of competition on Earth, only to find himself embroiled in an intergalactic tournament to the death against aliens with weird powers. Finally: a challenge. The gameplay is basically the same as Punch-Out, with jabs, hooks and special uppercuts as players dodge and weave through attack strings to find their opening. As you’d expect from a Punch-Out clone, it’s a brutal game, particularly with the game’s final boss, but for old school vibes, it’s incredible. Purple Tree then took what they learned and applied it to Baki Hanma: Blood Arena. The price might be a bit steep on that though, sheesh.
Tricky Madness (SSX)
We’re known to crow about the lack of a new F-Zero game, but do you want to know what REALLY grinds our gears? The lack of a new SSX game. EA’s incredible snowboarding hit became the unofficial byword for extreme sports games, and it feels like we’ve been chasing the highs of SSX Tricky and SSX 3 for the 20+ years since their release. Well, SSX On Tour was also a banger too, let’s not forget that one. Anyway, it’s not that there haven’t been snowboard games in the years since, like Ubisoft’s Steep and Riders Republic, RageSquid’s Descenders Next or even Shredders from FoamPunch, but none have really tried to emulate that classic SSX feeling. None, that is, until Tricky Madness arrived.
An early access release currently available on Steam, Tricky Madness is a deliberate throwback to the likes of SSX and 1080 Snowboarding. Big air tracks, larger than life characters and plenty of tricks that defy all safety regulations, Tricky Madness is one of those nostalgia trips that’s actually worth taking. Again, the game’s currently in Early Access, but what’s been shown already is promising, with solid gameplay and enjoyable map design that feels like a return to SSX Tricky’s tracks. What’s more enticing is the proposed single player campaign, with a full open world mountain with three peaks to explore. SSX 3 fans, we’re going to be so back, we just need to be patient.
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