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Oh, shit, how could I have forgotten about this one - Crimson Dragon and Panzer Dragoon

Supreme Commander and Total Annihilation?

Code of Princess is the successor to Guardian Heroes. Some of the same people. Similar gameplay. Not as good but still really enjoyable.
Project X Zone is the successor to Namco X Capcom
Tear Ring Saga was (sadly this series is dead) the successor to Fire Emblem
Exist Archive is supposed to be the successor to Valkyrie Profile but it didn't earn that honor. It's just not very good.

Segata wrote:Exist Archive is supposed to be the successor to Valkyrie Profile but it didn't earn that honor. It's just not very good.

Indivisible is trying to be at least a bit similar to it as well. Not that it'd likely count as a spiritual sequel, mind you.

Narbuncular Drop and Portal? Does that one count?

marurun wrote:I think spiritual sequels really do need to have some kind of connective tissue, like some of the same key team members effectively continuing their work under a new publisher. I agree with others that spiritual sequels have to be more than merely clones or knock-offs.

I absolutely agree on the connective tissue element. For something to be a spiritual sequel, there needs to be some piece of the behind the scenes people from one going to the next. Often this is because there is some barrier preventing them from using their originally worked under IP.

By that definition, however, I would say that things like Undertale, Freedom Planet, and Stardew Valley cannot fall under the heading of spiritual successor. Given that they were all developed with no connection to the original works other than inspiration, I would say that makes them all clones. Now, what you define a clone and what you define a rip-off is more or less totally subjective and semantic, but "clone" by no mean needs to be a dirty word. Clones can innovate on the idea, expand the audience, bring back a dead way of making games. Just look at how long FPS games were called "Doom-clones," for an example, or even more recently at all the cries calling Fortnite a "PUBG-clone." Heck, RIOT even made up the (laughably overly broad) acronym of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) to promote League of Legends because they were tired of it being called a Dota-clone (even though, given the guy who made it, I'd say it's actually more of a spiritual successor than anything ). "Clones" and everything associated with them are how genres are born; they're a requirement to the development of a form of media. I'd almost go as far to say it'd be cool to have a clones-focused thread on the forum talk about these most successful or notable ones

Segata wrote:Project X Zone is the successor to Namco X Capcom

I think Project X Zone isn't so much a spiritual successor to Namco X Capcom as it is a direct sequel. It even has the protagonists of NxC in it as playable characters. I think they only changed the name because of the addition of Sega properties. They couldn't call it Namco X Capcom anymore, of course, and Namco X Capcom X Sega is a bit too wordy, at least for me X3

Sload Soap wrote:Narbuncular Drop and Portal? Does that one count?

Kind of maybe, though Narbacular Drop was more of a proof of concept student project that became Portal.

isiolia wrote:While, far as I know, Demon's Souls started development as a KF game...they aren't similar to play. The relationship I'd say there is Dark Souls more or less being a sequel to Demon's Souls under a different IP and publisher. 'course, there could easily end up being a follow up to DeS too.

Sort of. It was never King's Field but Takeshi Kajii approached From Software because he wanted a King's Field successor for PS3 and since Japan Studio was involved it was always meant to be a brand new IP.

I think DaS is a more played straight example of spiritual sequel to DeS.

Gunstar Green wrote:

Sload Soap wrote:Narbuncular Drop and Portal? Does that one count?

Kind of maybe, though Narbacular Drop was more of a proof of concept student project that became Portal.

Yeah, it's a stretch. One that I think falls into the loss of license pile is Guilty Gear and Blazblue. Crazy anime fighters with a similar magical steampunk vibe.

Can I count Liberation Maiden as somewhat of s side story successor to ZOE? If not then Project Nimbus sure looks like it.

If not.

Reverie looks to be very Earthbound inspired.

Dragon Wars and Bard's Tale. Though that one's more of a gimme, since it's basically Bard's Tale IV with the serial numbers filed off. You could also make a case for Lands of Lore to Eye of the Beholder; LoL was done by Westwood in the same Dungeon Master style after they parted ways from SSI, so they also had to drop the AD&D license and come up with their own.