13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
When a video game saga is considered cult, evolving bravely is not optional. Rebuilding through a sequel or a new installment while maintaining the original essence is a challenge, and doing it wrong can be very expensive. Above all, in sagas like The Legend of Zelda , God of War or Dragon Quest , capable of mobilizing millions of fans. There are separate cases, like Pokémon , but Pikachu has always been the exception that proves the rule.
We refer to the main deliveries, of course. Thanks to the spin-offs it is possible to see our heroes of the video game making a brutal change of register. Halo Wars offers a completely new approach to the Master Chief saga through the strategy genre, while Mario Kart or Mario RPG expand the legacy of the Nintendo superstar to new horizons. Not to mention the amazing playable fan that Kingdom Hearts has given us .
Sometimes, it is enough to introduce a new element to the classic formula that revolutionizes everything, such as Tetris 99 or Tetris Effect , while at other times we have seen a total change of register, such as Persona 4 Arena the fighting game based on the secondary saga by Shin Megami Tensei . But, of course, doing these experiments with the main sagas is much more delicate.
When The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was released, opinions were widely divided. Fundamentally, by the aspect and the tone of the game. Time proved Nintendo right, but the impact generated by the example continues to serve as an example: the biggest concern was that Link would stay like this forever.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and the challenge of reimagining a cult saga
There are experiments that go wrong, and others very, very well. So much so, as to bravely revalidate the value of a great video game saga. Sometimes, enough so that these changes are not only evident in subsequent installments, but also extend to other sagas and even be the germ of new ones.
In VidaExtra we have prepared a selection for you with more than a dozen cult sagas that dared to reinvent their original formula in direct sequels and succeeded in the attempt. From Metroid Prime to the new Tomb Raider trilogy , through what are possibly many of your favorite obsessions.
Metroid Prime: 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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Super Metroid caused such a huge impact that Nintendo itself did not know how to take the saga one step further. That caused the N64 to be left without an adventure of Samus Aran’s own, but his return was not only inevitable, but it was made before a double launch: Metroid Fusion continued the saga on Game Boy Advance following the classic wake and Metroid Prime , for Game Cube, took adventure to a new dimension. Literally.
Developed by Retro Studios and completely integrated into the canon of the saga, although opening its own story arc, Metroid Prime invited us to rediscover the saga through the eyes of its protagonist, betting on the first-person view but masterfully keeping the image intact. essence of previous games. A comprehensive reformulation of the gameplay and a turning point for the series.
Resident Evil 7: 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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When Capcom announced that the seventh numbered installment of its millionaire Survival Horrors saga made the leap to first person, the alarms sounded. When it was also confirmed that the topics about weapons and biological creatures would be parked in favor of a raid on a ramshackle residence in deep America, the normal thing was to make a face. Time, finally, proved that Resident Evil 7 was in the right direction.
Coincidence or not, Resident Evil 7 returned to the sensations of sheer horror and survival from the canceled Silent Hills, radically breaking with the saga’s natural evolution and, in the process, returning to its roots. To its marked influences from horror movies and to the feelings of uncertainty and anguish above the action. And, although the connections with the rest of the deliveries are established more and better in Resident Evil Village , it must be recognized that this new stage suits the saga itself wonderfully.
Final Fantasy XI: 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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Long before Final Fantasy VII , the highest ambassador of the JRPGs in the West, triumphed worldwide, the Squaresoft saga had found its own identity and, from it, built universes in which the charm of the already known collided with the fascination of what is to be discovered through fascinating protagonists and a very measured extra point of nostalgia. And then Final Fantasy XI arrived .
Launched in 2002, the eleventh installment of the saga – originally known as Final Fantasy XI Online – left closed stories behind and bet everything on the role in the open world, embracing without complex the formula of MMORPGs on PC and PS2. Logically, that implies that the protagonist of the adventure is created by us and everything that is far from what has been seen previously.
While there were later installments that re-channeled the saga back to the traditional formula with lessons learned, it’s also fair to say that Final Fantasy XI’s brave step and online and open-world role-playing model remains very much alive throughout Final Fantasy XIV and its constant expansions.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was not the first adventure of the classic video game hero to make – never better – the leap to three-dimensional environments: before the license passed into the hands of Ubisoft, Mindscape published Prince of Persia 3D . But, of course, the 2003 game was the biggest revolution in the series since its debut. Big words.
The Sands of Time serves both as a reboot of the great classic by Jordan Mechner, who was involved in the game, and a total evolution of the platform experience for contemporary systems incorporating novel mechanics. And not only that: it will become the start of its own series with four more installments. A bar that not even Prince of Persia , the new reboot of the entire 2008 saga, could eclipse.
God of War (2018): 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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It didn’t take long for the God of War saga to find its own identity amid all the hack’n slash : Kratos, the ghost of Sparta, instantly positioned himself as one of the great heroes of PlayStation based on brutal movements and levels full of action and epicity. Finding his great climax in God of War III . And after that?
The God of War will return on PS4 with God of War, a title that is also a declaration of intent: not only is it a total reboot of the saga at the setting level (from classic mythology we go to Norse) but also playable and emotional level.
Our hero has not only put his anger behind, but he matures during the game itself and the control scheme was brilliantly rethought. Of course, without sacrificing the barbarism, the apotheosis battles and the amazing revelations during the development of the plot.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask: 13 cult sagas in video games that dared to reinvent themselves
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It can be said that The Legend of Zelda reinvents itself with each new installment, which already has its merit, but Majora’s Mask is an exceptional case for a unique saga. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time elevated Nintendo’s adventure saga to global cult status and, in the process, marked a before and after for the history of the video game itself. Majora’s Mask, the intrepid Link’s next adventure on N64, one of the biggest off-tangents of the entire chronology.
As our colleague Gallego commented, Nintendo did not break with the great hallmarks of the saga, but it set out to turn them completely upside down . And boy did he succeed: Majora’s Mask is one of the most complex and intelligent design structures that a video game has been able to offer. A brilliant way to avoid the inevitable comparisons to Ocarina of Time.
From its first installment, The Legend of Zelda always offers the player a world of contrasts between light and dark. In Majora’s Mask it is darkness itself that constantly wins the game until, based on skill, wisdom and extra courage, we are able to solve the colossal puzzle that is the game itself. And while Ocarina of Time was the mold for everything that followed, the impact of Majora’s Mask is still present in each subsequent installment.
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Bonus Phase: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
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The case of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is very unique. Enough to have its own Bonus phase: the cryomancer from current Netherrealm Studios starred in his own action game combining elements of the fighting saga through a plot fully integrated into the series’ plot.
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero was not the last experiment to be done in this direction: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks continued to explore the lore of the game, the former being a complete calamity and the latter a pure adventure. action, entertaining and with its own personality, which showed that the license gave a lot of play beyond the fighting genre.
¿ Spin-offs or deliveries within the main series? Possibly all three games are both at the same time. However, we must recognize the brave step that was made when extending the saga and the best consequence of it: Mortal Kombat can proudly boast of offering the best and most impressive story modes of fighting games. Easily exceeding the most recent film productions.
Metal Gear Solid
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Metal Gear Solid was much more than a sequel: it is rightly considered one of the most influential titles and ahead of its time. The most inspired Hideo Kojima channeled his inordinate cinephile passion into a revolutionary tactical espionage experience that harnessed all the technical, visual and artistic possibilities of the original PlayStation.
At this point it is worth making a point: although the Solid Snake saga was not considered cult before Metal Gear Solid , its impact was already more than noticeable. Enough to be adapted to new systems and even have a sequel ( Snake’s Revenge ) produced by Konami without the Japanese genius and which Kojima practically ignores in its entirety.
Kojima not only completely reinvented the concepts and ideas of the two previous installments, but also cemented a gameplay and a very powerful narrative style that continues to be very present in today’s video games. Reaching an unusual maturity in its increasingly ambitious sequels.
Super Mario 64
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The Super Mario Bros. formula was fully defined and had evolved wonderfully for more than a decade (from Mario Bros. to Super Mario World ) when Miyamoto decided to completely reinvent it by bringing it to 3D on Nintendo 64. The result was one of the greatest revolutions in the history of video games.
Mario ran and jumped like Arale, Akira Toriyama’s funny robot, with a grace and naturalness never seen in video games and unimaginable in contemporary 3D video games. Shigeru Miyamoto’s talent, creativity and vision were on display in all their glory and the analog stick on the N64 controller was the secret ingredient.
Starting with Super Mario 64, the well-known Nintendo star will constantly switch between classic and three-dimensional platforms, both becoming his natural environment with great games like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe or Super Mario Odyssey . Positioning itself as the global icon that it is today.
Tomb Raider (2013)
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Lara Croft became a legend of the video game in record time: with just a couple of installments published, she had already become the official muse of U2 and the rising star Angelina Jolie would give her a way on the big screen. Two generations of consoles later, the genre of action and adventure, as well as the narrative in the video games themselves, had evolved considerably, so that not only was it necessary to do a reboot of the saga, but also the character had to be redrawn .
When it comes to her own story, the most iconic archaeologist in video games returned to the starting blocks in 2013 with Tomb Raider , but controller in hand was a cutting edge experience: the original action and adventure was given generous nuances of exploration and survival that suited a character less sexualized in design and much more human. Giving it extra value without giving up its characteristic recklessness.
A premise that would gain great nuances with each new installment since the restart of the saga, creating an emotional bond between Lara Croft and the player while she was exposed to new kinds of dangers, legends and challenges. And, although, as our colleague Rubén commented, much of the original essence remained in the first installments, the way in which the cult saga was reinvented was a step forward as necessary as it was successful.
Assassin’s creed origins
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Assassin’s Creed Origins is not the best installment of the saga, but it was the necessary step for two of the best installments of the saga to arrive: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla . A way to leave behind everything that did not work or had ceased to surprise and, at the same time, take new directions and inspirations . To recover the almost lost ambition that so dazzled us in the adventures of Altair and Ezio Auditore.
Instead of continuing to advance in the story that began in 2007, Ubisoft took the player to the origin of the Assassin’s creed at the hands of its founder. To do this, it was necessary to take an additional development impulse that meant giving up the annual launch model. The result was worth it : the mapping, set in Ancient Egypt, overflows with life and possibilities. And the foundations laid for what came next were solid.
Donkey Kong Country
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Beating the original Donkey Kong was a challenge: the cult classic and platform game pioneer was Nintendo’s first big hit, and its genius remains intact four decades later. But what Rare did in the Brain of the Beast was to remove his hat: Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were the games that SNES could measure with 32-bit systems like the first PlayStation or Saturn.
Crazy, hilarious, with tons of secrets and a gameplay of ten, Donkey Kong Country brings the Kong clan back to life and, as in Donkey Kong Jr. , allows us to solve all kinds of levels based on avoiding traps and enemies to a rhythm that was impressive at the time and still works wonders decades later.
Donkey Kong Country not only featured all kinds of very notable sequels and adaptations, but also grew as a saga through Donkey Kong 64 and new installments, such as the essential Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze , which evoke with great success the best of the classic SNES and without overshadowing the legacy of the original arcade.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
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The seventh installment of Yakuza , considered a cult saga in Japan, went from being an action game heavily inspired by Shenmue to a love letter to the Dragon Quest series , including turn-based combat and a class system, starring a group in their forties in the lowest moment of their lives. New protagonists, new problems and the same excellence of the seven previous installments.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon does not give up mini-games, arcade games and twisted plots around the interests of Japanese organized crime, but Ichiban, the new protagonist, has nothing to do with Kazuma Kiryu in character or style. – He’s impulsive, passionate, and damned optimistic, and he’s not shy about reaching for a lost coin from vending machines if he needs it.
The turnaround of the Yakuza series did him exceptionally well, and SEGA plans to continue in the same direction in future installments. In fact, we can’t wait to see what new trouble this ardent RPG fanatic gets into.
Extra Ball: World of Warcraft
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When Blizzard created the original Warcraft, it was inspired by the battles of Warhammer , the excellence of Westwood Studios’ DUNE 2 , and the fantasy of Dungeon’s & Dragons . To this day, it can be said that the brand is fundamentally associated with the latest: World of Warcraft , the MMORPG, is the centerpiece of the most valuable license of the Californian company.
The universe of magic and swords is constantly growing, and everything revolves around World of Warcraft and its expansions. What’s more, new projects like Hearthstone sprout from it, also the benchmark for digital card games. And, we won’t deny it, not only did the Warcraft III reforge deserve better treatment, it seems to have been left to its own devices for far too many months.
Warcraft: The 11 Works That Forged Blizzard’s Legendary Strategy Saga
Before World of Warcraft , Blizzard wanted to reinvent and expand its fantasy saga through new genres. Which includes the canceled adventure game Warcraft: Lord of the Clans which, paradoxically, was reborn as the MMORPG. The rest is living video game history.
Will we ever see a Warcraft IV? If one day the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance is decided again through real-time strategy, it is most likely that the new base of the saga itself will be born from World of Warcraft . And it cannot be denied that there are reasons for this.
