Tons of gaming franchises have been milked dry by publishers and developers alike. But what do you do when you reach the natural conclusion of a storyline? You make a good (or notoriously bad) video game spin-off! A game that takes place as a side-story or in a non-canon realm of the universe. While spin-offs are unnecessary more often than not, a good one can do wonders to improve the scope of a series and introduce it to new fans. So, today, I’m interested in finding the absolute best spin-offs in all of gaming.
5. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic has one of the most infamous track records when it comes to spin-offs. It’s fair to say that games like Sonic’s Schoolhouse and Sonic R completely missed the point of Sonic and were pretty bad in various other ways. However, back in 2022, SEGA proved that they could still create new stories within the boundaries set by the blue blur.
They released a visual novel with point-and-click elements and great, popping artwork. While it could be seen as little more than an April Fool’s joke released by the Sonic Social Team, they put in more effort than they ever needed to and created a charming game with great vibes.
4. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
The third entry in the Far Cry series has this piece of standalone DLC that feels so alien, but in a cool sort of way. Much like Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, the game barely resembles the others in its series and feels more like a passion project from each respective development team. While Far Cry 3 was a grounded story taking place in a tropical paradise, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a neon retrorave of gaming content.
3. New Pokémon Snap
A sequel to the original Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 had been long requested by fans. A remake or port on the Wii U would’ve made a ton of sense, as it would enable players to use the GamePad to move the camera freely. However, it wasn’t until the Nintendo Switch generation that we were finally graced with another game in the subseries. And, while it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, you cannot deny how relaxing it can be.
2. Mario Paint
Released back in 1992, Mario Paint is a paint program for the SNES that makes great use of the SNES Mouse accessory. While some may disagree with the notion that this is even a video game to begin with, it has impacted the Mario franchise in a few notable ways since. For example, Super Mario Maker for the Wii U was originally going to be a new take on the same concept as Mario Paint, and it contains lots of nods to the game as well. While the history of Mario is vast, little tidbits from the past should remain relevant for the foreseeable future thanks in no small part to their quality.
1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
For its entire run, the Kirby series remained a collection of simple yet incredibly charming 2D platformers. That was until 2022, when the first fully 3D take on a Kirby game was released on Nintendo Switch. It looks beautiful, has tons of character, plays great, and, perhaps most importantly of all, it introduces new concepts that would’ve made it a great game, even if it was still a 2D one. Even things that feel negative on a surface level always seem to be initially placed quirks to give the game even more personality. Like how enemies move at a choppy framerate when they’re farther away than normal.
