From platformers to dungeon-crawlers, some highly regarded modern video games wear their classic Nintendo influence proudly on their sleeves.
Nintendo is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the gaming industry. The company that gave longtime players the likes of Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link has been a powerful influence over the medium for decades and continues to make new and exciting titles on a regular basis. So it should come as no surprise that they have influenced other developers in their work as well.
Other developers like Sega, Ubisoft, and Yacht Club have certainly learned from Nintendo, but it’s remarkable to see how many titles bear their distinct flavor. From platformers to dungeon-crawlers, these modern classics wear their Nintendo influence proudly on their sleeves.
Cuphead is a game that could easily be considered a modern classic for different reasons. Whether it’s the cartoony aesthetic or the run-and-gun action, the game meets several requirements that would make it fit in with more than a few of Nintendo’s arcade entries.
While its visuals and designs might come from classic cartoons, its gameplay takes more than a few things from «Nintendo-hard» titles like Contra and Gradius. Many gamers have even compared some of its platforming levels to Super Mario 3. Mario might not be making any devilish deals, but he could certainly run alongside Cuphead and Mugman.
Kaze might look like she should be hanging out with Sonic and his crew, but the gameplay and design of her game would feel right at home on the SNES. The system has no shortage of classic platformers, but this colorful title feels like it takes its direction more from Donkey Kong than anyone else.
Seasoned gamers can pick up Kaze and the Wild Masks and draw instant parallels between the long-eared rabbit’s adventure and mechanics and those of Donkey and Diddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country. What it lacks in bongo music and peanut guns, it more than makes up for in imaginative platforming.
Hyper Light Drifter has been compared to many games, but with its 16-bit designs, top-down perspective, and action-packed gameplay, it could easily pass for an action-adventure title on the SNES. It might not have the storytelling chops of something like Secret of Mana or A Link to the Past, but it definitely carries their design features.
The game’s narrative is essentially up for player interpretation, but it’s the mix of Zelda-like dungeons and top-down shooter combat that earns it its recognition. With only a few minor adjustments, this post-apocalyptic adventure could pass for an SNES original.
CrossCode could be considered a bigger, more complex Link to the Past. There is certainly no shortage of Zelda–inspired titles on the eShop, but this game and its futuristic anime-inspired designs and motifs help it stand out from the crowd in many ways. While the layout and gameplay are definitely familiar to seasoned players, the story is decidedly deeper than the average trip through Hyrule.
With nods to material like Sword Art Online, sci-fi fans will feel right at home in this 16-bit odyssey. Its compelling story and gorgeously designed sprite work will certainly garner more than a little recognition.
The Switch is loaded to the brim with Metroidvanias, but few capture the elements of the game that began the genre better than Axiom Verge. While it definitely takes its weapon system from something along the lines of Super Metroid, its design, environments, and visuals all pay tribute to the one that started it all.
There’s no denying that Samus would fit incredibly well in this 8-bit dimension. With a few upgrades, the bounty hunter could flawlessly explore with Trace and take down the game’s collection of bosses. A crossover between the two titles would undoubtedly make for an excellent spinoff.
A game based on a movie based on a comic book inspired by video games sounds like a hodgepodge of a mess, but there are few retro-inspired games that understand their inspiration better than Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. With its 16-bit visuals, familiar beat-em-up gameplay, and clear appreciation for the subject matter, it’s one of the most vocal love letters to classic gaming.
Gaming veterans will easily draw comparisons to games like Nintendo’s River City Ransom and Sega’s Streets of Rage, but anyone who has experience with the beat-em-up genre will pick up the various notes and nods to classic arcade titles of the ’80s and ’90s.
There are several games that pay tribute to games of the past, but then there are games that make players wonder if someone didn’t outright copy another title. A spinoff of Ritual of the Night, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon isn’t just a tribute to the original Castlevania games on the NES; it blatantly takes the framework and gameplay from Castlevania III.
From the party of characters to the branching paths, it’s enough to make a player wonder if someone didn’t get slapped with a suit from Konami. That all being said, the game clearly and blatantly knows what made its inspiration so memorable.
Nowadays, the Ninja Gaiden series is more associated with difficult hack-and-slash combat than classic platforming. Fortunately, Cyber Shadow is available to remedy that change and bring players back to the days of 8-bit platforming and acrobatic ninjas in this cyberpunk-inspired adventure.
Yacht Club is a developer that owes a lot of its success to how it pays tribute to classic games of yesteryear, and Cyber Shadow is no exception. It feels like a truly modern Ninja Gaiden, and everything from its mechanics to its themes goes to great lengths to establish that fact time and time again.
The Messenger does what Cyber Shadow does in its design and delivery but goes a little further in its tribute to classic Nintendo games. Where the previously-mentioned game goes to great lengths to acknowledge one platforming game, The Messenger pays tribute to two games and two eras in gaming.
The game’s biggest identifying feature is the shifting between 8-bit and 16-bit to represent the passing of time. Fans of any breed of retro title will instantly appreciate this blend of classic platform games with Metroidvania stylings. It’s certainly a title that will put their ninja skills to the test.
If there’s one game that could be the ultimate Nintendo tribute, it’s Shovel Knight. Yacht Club’s iconic indie title takes a whole host of classic platforming elements from a variety of games on the NES. Veteran players will be able to pick up the game and make connections to titles like Super Mario 3, Mega-Man, and even Capcom’s Ducktales game.
The game could be considered the ideal love letter to vintage gaming. There are simply so many features, visuals, characters, and even levels that can be seen in multiple ’80s video games that it’s practically unignorable. Simply put, the game knows to whom it owes its existence and pays more than accurate homage.
Zach Gass is a writer from East Tennessee with a love for all things Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel. When not writing for Screen Rant, Zach is an active member of his community theatre, enjoys a variety of authors including Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkein, and is a proud and active retro-gamer.
