10 Times Video Game Spiritual Successors Were Better Than Official Sequels
4. Freedom Planet (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Though Sonic the Hedgehog had great difficulty transitioning to 3D, there was no reason why the furry speedster couldn't continue as a 2D platformer.
So, when a direct continuation of the classic games was announced called Sonic the Hedgehog Episode 4, fans were overjoyed, especially since the project was being split into three parts. But due to the poor design, lame puzzles, and generic boss battles, not even the nostalgia goggles could save it.
The same year Episode 4 Part II was released, an indie developer called GalaxyTrail came out of nowhere with Freedom Planet, reminding everyone what an old-school sidescroller should feel like. Though the former Sonic fangame maintains the fast-paced action of its precursor, the gameplay is more diverse, finding a balance between zippy platforming, innovative puzzle-solving, and landscape-altering mechanics.
Just to make this upset for Sonic more humiliating, Galaxy Trail stole the blue hedgehog's thunder yet again, releasing the superior Freedom Planet 2 a year before the repetitive and lacking Sonic SuperStars. With the up-and-coming development team trouncing Sonic, not once, but twice, it's obvious they have surpassed Sega's formally unbeatable IP.