You know you’ve made it when your game is so successful that it gets a spin-off — and many of the biggest games in the business have done just that, from Musou crossovers and sports alternate universes to rhythm and strategy games. And you know what? They usually are pretty good.
We’ve compiled a list of the best of the best — 8/10 and above in the spin-off space, which are good for series newbies and veterans alike.
If you’re wondering about our process for deciding what counts as a spin-off — say, why don’t we have Mario Kart 8 on this list? Or Persona 5? — we count games that are the first or second spin-off of a popular series, and also count the best only if there are two (like River City Girls over River City Girls 2).
If you think we missed a gem, or if you want to debate whether games like Super Mario Maker count as spin-offs or not, hit the comments!
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Brace Yourself games
From the start menu it uses not exciting Zelda overworld music but underrated theme from The Ocarina of Timeon the title screen, you know you’re about to go on a special journey. Cadence of Hyrule (we won’t bother with his ridiculously long official moniker) takes the music we all know and love and remixes it with the gameplay itself, sewing those tunes into the fabric of Hyrule in a way that feels completely natural, but also energetic and fresh.
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Publisher: PRANK / Programmer: P-Studio
If you were expecting this Atlus/Koei Tecmo crossover to be the real deal Musou spin-off style, a Dynasty warriors-esque effort with imagination Persona the skin hastily glued on top, a little surprise awaits you. What we actually have here is a slick and exciting action RPG that manages to keep a lot of the recognizable conversations, characters, and friendships from the Persona series intact, while successfully blending it with hack-and-slash combat that’s a little more strategic and varied than we expected it to be.
Publisher: CD Projekt Red / Programmer: CD Projekt Red
Thronebreaker is less of a spin-off and more of a cross-pollination of ideas between the main Witcher games, Gwent, and other turn-based RPGs. Instead of following the exploits of pop culture man of the moment Geralt of Rivia, the game focuses on Meve, Queen of Lyria and Rivia, who faces an imminent invasion from the warmongering region of Nilfgaard. With The Witcher sparking renewed interest in Andrzej Sapkowski’s vast fantasy world, the timely arrival of this Switch port offers the perfect opportunity to see another warrior monarch deal with the onslaught of war and political intrigue.
Publisher: Capcom / Programmer: Capcom
The Monster Hunter series has a long tradition of being impenetrable to casual first-timers, with systems layered upon systems and tricky combat. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin may be a sequel, but it’s worth saying right away that you don’t need to play the spin-off’s debut to jump into the new edition — it’s a welcome entry for newcomers.
Wings of Ruin is full of charm and boasts a depth that can immerse the devoted or challenge those looking for a simple story experience. As a blend of Monster Hunter with a traditional RPG approach, it’s an accomplished effort and offers the kind of meaty experience that will keep most players busy for weeks.
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Cow Tecmo
You know the Gerudo Valley theme from The Ocarina of Time? It is fucking tune – probably the top five Zelda songs – and one that’s sure to get your blood pumping. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitya Zelda-flavored Warriors game, it is all Gerudo Valley, an exciting track that will get you fired up for the journey ahead. Age of Calamity combines many elements very successfully The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and delivers a satisfying combat-focused spin-off with a whole bunch of content.
Publisher: Square Enix / Programmer: PlatinumGames
NieR: Automata is perhaps a story about the power of word of mouth. The sequel IP (itself a spin-off of Drakengard) with a dedicated but modest following by Square Enix’s standards, eventually became a significant sales success as initial fans convinced neutrals that something special had arrived.
And they were right — NieR: Automata is a beautiful slice of sci-fi story wrapped in a complete action-adventure RPG. Like its predecessors, NieR:Automata constantly exceeds your expectations while playing. A mostly 3D action title with a generous dose of RPG ideas, it still constantly surprises you and introduces new twists. Sometimes it’s in the storytelling, but also in the game; we won’t spoil anything other than the intro, but you have shoot ’em up elements, puzzle solving and more.
Publisher: Ubisoft / Programmer: Ubisoft
When Battle for the Kingdom Mario + Rabbids was revealed to the world through a leaked ‘Rabbid Peach’ selfie, it’s fair to say not everyone reacted with joy. It seemed like a terrible fan image, especially once the image that followed showed Mario and company aiming guns at enemies; but when the game was revealed, many eyebrows were raised and it became clear that Ubisoft had embarked on an ambitious quest to combine Mario, Rabbids and turn-based tactical battles – and better yet, they succeeded.
Publisher: Nintendo / Programmer: Atlas
Despite the game’s original working title Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is far more of a Shin Megami game than Fire Emblem. The inclusion of those Fire Emblem characters and the occasional appearance of the familiar Fire Emblem theme is as far as the game goes in terms of representing the Nintendo and Intelligent Systems series, while there are far more links to Atlus games here, not least of all the combat systems.
However, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is still one of the most colorful, accessible, and sweet RPGs you’ll find on the Switch. Its new story chapter, musical scores, and supporting characters improve upon the original to some degree, but not enough to greatly affect its overall quality. Luckily, what was there was already fantastic, meaning those who missed it the first time around really have no reason not to get stuck in now.
Publisher: Square Enix / Programmer: Square Enix
Although Minecraft formula has been repeated to hell and back, Square Enix has managed to offer an interesting take on the sandbox classic with Dragon Quest Builders. All of the blocky aesthetics and open-ended crafting were present and accounted for, but all of those things were placed within a larger narrative arc that included plenty of RPG additions from Square’s iconic franchise.
It takes a surprising amount of effort to beat Minecraft at its own game, but we’d argue that Dragon Quest Builders 2 surpasses its inspiration in many ways in terms of fun factor and replayability. The merging of JRPG conventions with the open and creatively driven sensibilities of sandbox gameplay has proven to go much more smoothly than you’d expect, especially now that Square Enix seems to know what it’s doing with this sub-series.
