Platformer sequels have always been a bit hit or miss. Many try too hard to reinvent the wheel and spin off into a separate sub-series, and some completely fumble the original’s best aspects.
Occasionally, though, the sequel will take everything that worked about the original game and build upon it, often making an incredible game with far fewer flaws holding it down.
10 Best Indie Game Sequels Of All Time
Games like Freedom Planet 2 and Blasphemous 2 take already impressive indie games to new heights.
These sequels can often do so much that the series changes entirely going forward, and some of the best, most memorable game mechanics were made in the second game and then carried on for the entire series.
I’ll exclusively be looking at the best second games in a platformer series or subseries, and ranking these games based on how much they improved on the original, and how much their mechanics have held up.
10Mega Man 2
Engaging Systems
Mega Man 2
Mega Man2 is one of the most iconic video games ever, especially a little over a decade ago when every YouTuber under the sun seemed to think it was the best Mega Man game ever for some reason.
It brought in the now iconic 8-boss structure for the first time, had the Metal Blade, which is on another level of infamy, and has some of the best music in any NES title, bar none.
It’s not quite as good as most of the titles following it, in my opinion, but it certainly acted as an important stepping stone for the series, especially with great pixel art visuals for the hardware.
It’s probably the most well-known Mega Man experience, and itput the entire series in the spotlightfor a ton of people. We all know you need the Leaf Shield to beat Air Man, after all.
9Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
Redemption Arc
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
Sonic 4, as an entire subseries consisting of two poorly-received titles, isn’t the prime example of a great platformer, but the drastic difference in quality between Episode I and Episode II should be studied.
The original Sonic 4 was shallow, consisting of homing attack chains, slow platforming, and one of the worst-looking Sonic models ever made, but Episode II threw every bad part away and is rather solid.
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No matter which era of Sonic you adore, these are the best titles from all across the Hedgehog’s long life.
It’s still not the best Sonic game ever, but it’s fun, has some creative level themes, and the music isn’t ear-grating. By every metric, this game has made massive strides towards quality that the original never tried.
That said, it’s still not mechanically very interesting, with the best part about it being the ability to fly with Tails whenever you want, and even a solid 7/10 game didn’t stop this sub-series from getting canned.
8Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Retooled Reimagining
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country Returnswas a huge revival and re-imagining of the Donkey Kong Country franchise, so much so that I’d consider it its own separate thing, withTropical Freezebeing a direct sequel.
While I can’t say anything of its impact on future Donkey Kong titles, since they don’t exist yet, it’sone of the best 2D platformers evermade, never holding your hand and putting you in an incredible flow state.
Every move you have chains into the next, rolling and jumping from each platform feels incredibly tight and rewarding, and this game doesn’t pull its punches, being brutally difficult with the challenge only adding to it.
If nothing else, it’s a great improvement on the Wii version of Donkey Kong Country Returns, because it doesn’t force you to use motion controls for a random basic action in a 2D platformer, and that’s always nice.
A New Power
If you’re a big Mega Man fan, you might have heard of a little roguelike called20XX, which served as a neat proof of concept for a randomized platformer experience, with some unpolished visuals, unsatisfying levels, and a heap of jank.
Fast-forward years later, and we’ve gotten30XX, a direct sequel with far cleaner visuals, tighter gameplay, and a truckload of new content that makes the roguelike experience far more varied and interesting.
This game has essentially replaced 20XX, becoming a far superior and more engaging experience, with frequent content updates and a proper Mega Man X-like experience within every run,and it’s severely underrated.
This is the de facto example of a sequel that kept building on the original, adding more of what people loved about it. It’s still a very similar game to the original, but an undoubted improvement.
6Rayman Legends
Expanded Origins
Rayman Legends
Rayman Originswas sort of arevival of the Rayman franchise, but it was a bit short and somewhat unfairly difficult at times, both things thatRayman Legendssought to fix as a direct successor.
It has the same style of incredibly fast and action-packed 2D platforming, but with a smoother difficulty curve, double the level count, and a far better multiplayer experience on top of it all.
It’s overall a big upgrade and succeeds in the aspects that Origins feel short in, especially with its Murphy levels, and despite the weird Wii U exclusivity deal that fell through, it doesn’t feel like anything else than a great time.
Origins still has its fans, though, and I wouldn’t say Legends is as much of an improvement as it could be, especially in the art and sound departments, but it is still a notable step up in most ways.
5Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Stylish Side Project
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Specter of Tormentis a weird one, as you may buy it on its own, but it is usually released as part of the same game as Shovel of Hope and is sort of the third game in the series, but I’d consider it the sequel.
Plague of Shadows is technically the second of fourShovel Knightgames, but it’s also the same game as Shovel of Hope with a different character, and can’t be bought separately, so Specter of Torment is more of its own thing in my eyes.
That aside, Specter of Torment is awesome. It’s a full expansion on everything Shovel Knight did right, with new items and a character that’s so much more fun to play, with sick scythe attacks and wall running especially.
I think it’s got a far better flow state than the original, and where Shovel Knight feels like it’s trying to emulate 8-bit classics, Specter Knight feels like it’s trying to exceed what the best NES games could manage, and it’s an incredible experience.
4Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Barrel Rolling
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Crash Bandicootis a pretty iconic title,being made by a small teamthat created a rather contained, humble experience, butCrash Bandicoot 2one-ups just about everything it did, and is arguably the best game in the series.
It doesn’t have the odd power-ups and time trials the third game shoved in, and it has better controls and levels that have the same style of simplistic fun that the original strived for, wholeheartedly improving everything.
It also improved the rather unfair difficulty that’s still present in Crash 4 for some asinine reason, and it’s far better and more creative at hiding its secrets, making the entire experience still feel rewarding despite the easier difficulty.
It feels like the ideal of a direct follow-up. It simply does everything the original did, but better, and it’s far better off for that, sticking to what people love and making new fans from being more approachable.
3Super Mario 3D World
Conquered New Lands
Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D Landwas a neat little 3DS title, offering a compact and decent Mario experience on the go, butSuper Mario 3D Worldtakes everything that game did and blows it out of the water.
It provides properly massive and linear playgrounds to mess around in while getting to the goal, a cat bell power-up that’s become one of the most iconic additions to Mario, and very chaotic multiplayer.
The worlds feel far more expansive, with collectibles that are well hidden and some of the most punishing and fun bonus levels I’ve ever seen in a Mario game. Having a harder level than Grandmaster Galaxy is no easy feat.
It’s potentially one of the most consistently enjoyable Mario games, through and through. It’s no wonder why this one got the most love and care coming over to Switch, as it deserved every ounce of it.
2Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Spindashing Ahead
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
One of the most influential sequels I’ve ever seen,Sonic 2, took the best parts of the first game and expanded on them, making for a ton of very fast, fluid, and fun levels that trounce anything in Sonic 1.
On top of that, it introduced series staples that would go on to be in almost every Sonic game after, like the Spindash, Tails, and the unfortunately overused Chemical Plant, on top of just being great.
10 Hardest 2D Platformers With No Combat
These games are pure platforming greatness that will kick your ass.
Instead of constantly stopping you and forcing you to wait for boring, slow-moving platforms, there’s always a way to get around the slow stuff and go fast if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to get good.
This is the way that most Sonic games, especially the 2D ones, would be made going forward. It’s a milestone for the series, and its release on a Tuesday was so successful that most video games since have released on Tuesday.
1Kirby’s Adventure
Not a Copy
Kirby’s Adventure
If you knowKirbyfor anything, it’s probably for being a pink puffball that eats stuff to gain powers and occasionally fights terrifying extraterrestrial threats, but none of that was present in Kirby’s Dream Land.
Instead, in the second game in the series, Kirby’s Adventure, he established his pink coloring, invented Copy Abilities, and had an awesome fight against a strange spaceman named Nightmare at the end.
Almosteverything the Kirby series doesnowadays started with this game, and it’s one of the best NES games on top of that, still an incredibly solid experience even if you don’t account for it being 32 years old.
It’s up at the top for being the most influential sequel that I’m aware of, still building off the original but improving and adding to it so much that some people consider it where the series truly began.
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Metroidvania sequels are pretty rare, but sometimes, they are even better than their predecessors.
