Summary
Sequels are great because they can correct a lot of wrongs over the original. Sometimes these improvements are small like the difference between the first twoMass Effectgames. Sometimes the changes are bigger though like when a sequel changes genres completely.
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It goes beyond battle system changes between the first twoFinal Fantasygames although that is an interesting conversation too. These genre changes may have stuck around for one, or many games. Not all of these examples have drastic changes, but they are worth noting in the annals of history. Let’s stop beating around the bush and get to some genre-bending sequels.
8Blue Dragon Plus
Blue Dragonwas, and still is, an Xbox 360-exclusive RPG. It was turn-based and the character design was led by Akira Toriyama ofDragon BallandDragon Questfame. The game received two DS sequels that continued the story and gameplay genres.
The first,Blue Dragon Plus, was an RTS whileBlue Dragon: Awakened Shadowwas an action RPG. Of the two DS sequels,Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadowwas the better one. This short-lived series overall was despite competition from RPG giants likeFinal Fantasy.
7Dynasty Warriors 2
Dynasty Warriorshas become synonymous with the hack-and-slash genre. There are currently nine mainline games and tons of spinoffs too including licensed-based ones. For example,Hyrule Warriorsisbased onThe Legend of Zelda.
It didn’t become a hack-and-slash series untilDynasty Warriors 2.Dynasty Warriorsinstead was a PS1-exclusive fighting game that featured familiar characters like Zhang Fei and Cao Cao.
6Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonehad a plethora of games based on the movie. Most of them were platformers or puzzle action games. This was true for the sequel film as well,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, except for the Game Boy Color version.
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That game’s sequel turned it intoa turn-based RPG. This remained true forHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanas well before the series reverted once again to mirror the puzzle platformer nature of the console versions.
5Jak 2
Naughty Dog helped establish the fame of the PS1 with itsCrash Bandicootseries. They did the same thing withJak and Daxteron the PS2. The first game was a traditional platformer with a collectathon vibe. It was fun for the whole family.
The second game,Jak 2, remained a platformer at its core but it became so much more than that. Guns were added, and the setting was transported to a dystopian society. It was basicallyGrand Theft Autoin an open-world city location, complete with the ability to jack vehicles.
4Persona 5 Strikers
The latest mainline installment inthePersonaseries, which isPersona 5, was a turn-based RPG like its predecessors. Its direct sequel, handled by theDynasty Warriorsteam, funnily enough, Omega Force, was a hack-and-slash game instead.
There was no longer a class aspect to the gameplay and players could not go on dates. The game took place over the summer, so the lack of school made sense. The Phantom Thieves went on a road trip to send their teammate Joker away on a positive note, so there was at least a continuation of bonding with party members.
3Shining Force
Shining in the Darknesswas an old-school dungeon crawler RPG. In the grand legacy of this series, it has been forgotten asShining Forceintroduced a tactical gameplay setup instead. Players got characters with fixed classes and then marched on various battlefields to fight evil.
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Most games that followed were also turn-based strategy games although eventually action was introduced. The action switch has been happening a lot more recently with bigger RPG franchises likeFinal Fantasy 16. Imagine if that series took theShining Forceapproach and madeFinal Fantasy 17a strategy game.
2SteamWorld Dig
TheSteamWorldfranchise sort of prides itself on keeping things fresh from a gameplay perspective. It began with a tower defense game aptly titledSteamWorld Tower.SteamWorld Digwas the next game in the series which was a digging and exploration game witha hint of Metroidvania.
This Metroidvania vibe would be strengthened inSteamWorld Dig 2. There was alsoSteamWorld Heistwhich was a strategy RPG andSteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamechwas a more traditional turn-based RPG. The upcoming game,SteamWorld Build, is going to be a city builder simulator.
1Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link
The first game in this series had a top-down perspective and was an action game with puzzle elements. Players could explore an overworld and then dive into dungeons. InZelda 2: The Adventure of Link, there was an overworld but combat was not in real-time on it. Touching a monster would transport Link to a 2D plain where the action would play out. Link would level up like a traditional action RPG.
The inclusion of experience points, the 2D perspective, towns, and NPCs made it feel like a big step up. While true, this was seemingly not the direction Nintendo wanted their franchise to continue in as things reverted to the top-down perspective inThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
