10 best license-based fan video games

The passion for the world of video games knows no limits. And if you not only have to see the 10 fan projects that we have selected, where great licenses are recovered, reimagined or honored, and in many cases with the highest quality. Super Mario, Pokémon, Halo, Metroid, Sonic, The Elder Scrolls … Which ones do you want?

Video games raise enormous illusion, and more particularly certain brands such as Super Mario , Pokémon , Sonic or Halo . That is what leads many users to put themselves on the other side and develop their own titles. There is a lot of passion, but sometimes also a tremendous desire to recover classics and reinvent them with new ideas. In this report we have collected ten of these projects, carried out with great care and effort. In fact, some of the examples that we present to you took up to a decade to be finalized. Many are still getting better.

 

Of course, they are not all. Along the way we have left things like Pokénet , a curious MMORPG that came to gather thousands of players. Chrono Resurrection was a failed attempt to bring back, in the form of a 3D remake, the Squaresoft classic. We also have DoomRL out there , a roguelike in overhead perspective with a very interesting approach. There were even those who dared with the Smash Bros. saga through Project M , a mod that without pretending to be a clone, wanted to capture the essence of the famous license. And that’s not to mention Metal Gear Remake , which ultimately didn’t come through.

 

Anyway, it seems like a pretty huge issue, precisely because of the amount of enthusiasm that there is in this regard. To say that some of these projects were abandoned because the personnel involved caught the attention of the companies… and not always in a bad way. For example, the person in charge of Shenmue HD (a fan-remake) was hired to work on the development of Shenmue 3 . It is something quite common, and that is why it is important to take into account this more hidden aspect of video game development. So we look forward to your contributions in the comments. This list must be completed!

 

Pokémon Uranium

It is one of the fan projects that has taken the most work. It was in development for nine years and was released in 2016, receiving more than a million downloads in a very short time. Just over a month later, the creators declared that the game would no longer be available, as well as everything related to updates. The reason? They assured that they had not been contacted personally, but everything seems to indicate that the lawyers of NOA (Nintendo of America) persuaded them to cease their activity. Without going any further, the game was nominated for the Games Awards in the category of “Best Fan Creation”, but the nomination disappeared without a trace.

 

What makes it special?

  • A very classic Pokémon, with 8 gyms, 13 cities and more than 190 Pokémon
  • A high customization power of the game, to improve the difficulty
  • Incorporation of pokéradar, mega evolutions and multiple save files
  • Designed with RPG Maker XP, a very intuitive development program

 

THE FACT: The plot also puts us in the shoes of a coach who seeks to become a champion, but his mother disappeared in a nuclear catastrophe … and his father also left. What a drama!

 

AM2R: Return of Samus

We are facing a remake of the classic Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy, but in this case with the graphics and artistic style applied to another of the most beloved games of the license: Metroid: Zero Mission for GBA. As with Pokémon Uranium, the game was nominated for the Game Awards , but was subsequently removed from the list. The reason was obvious, and that is that Nintendo was preparing its own remake , in this case developed by Mercury Steam. Argentine developer Milton Guasti (aka DoctorM64) had to cease any attempt to continue the AM2R project, after 10 years of starting work on it.

 

What makes it special?

  • Based on the gameplay of Metroid: Zero Mission, one of the best in the series
  • Completely redesigned stages and enemies from the original game
  • Added new areas, a mapping system, mini bosses …
  • High-quality soundtrack, with Metroid-inspired themes ( listen )

 

THE FACT: The creator of the game joined the Ori and the Blind Forest team to handle the level design. The metroidvania style certainly fits with the experience you gained, right?

 

Streets of Rage Remake

Another great fan-made project that took no more and no less than eight years to execute . This is a remastered version of the classic Streets of Rage, made from scratch, without any trick, beyond being based on the fantastic beat ’em up of SEGA. The game recovers content from the original Megadrive trilogy , from scenarios to characters, including gameplay aspects (such as cooperative) and adding new elements that were not initially there. The result is a game highly applauded by users, although it was legally taken down by the Japanese company, probably in anticipation of the arrival of Streets of Rage 4 . Still, users are still working on it.

 

What makes it special?

  • Classic gameplay, fully supported by the classic Streets of Rage
  • High level of content: 103 phases, 19 playable characters and 64 enemies
  • Remastered but also unreleased elements, with a high pixel-art level
  • Remastered music from the entire saga, with new songs: a total of 76 songs

 

THE FACT: The game has the SorMaker feature, which allows you to create your own levels. This is something that has resulted in the creation of mods by the community.

 

Sonic mania

Surely you wonder what this video game does here, if it was marketed by SEGA. Well, there is an interesting story behind … It turns out that the game was actually born as a project of Australian Christian Whitehead (aka “Taxman”), a fan of the Sonic brand who had previously convinced the Japanese to bring classic blue hedgehog games to mobile devices. He had contacts with the Japanese company, so he presented them with a prototype of Sonic Mania (initially called Sonic Discovery), which was finally blessed by Takashi Iizuka, the current head of the license.

 

What makes it special?

  • Made by fans for fans, backed by SEGA itself
  • Classic gameplay, with all the essence of Sonic 2D
  • Combination of familiar retro levels and totally new ones
  • Good production values, both visually and soundly

 

THE FACT: Apart from “Taxman”, other notable Sonic fan developers participated in the game, such as “Stealth”, who was in charge of the Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix mod .

 

Black Mesa

We are facing a case similar to the previous one: a project that was born from the community to become a video game launched commercially with the support of Valve . Initially, Black Mesa was made available to users as a free mod that tried to address some of the shortcomings that Half-Life: Source presented. It took a long time: it started in 2005 and is currently ending with the end of Early Access . Was it worth it? We already told you , but the quick answer is: yes. Visual improvements, a more satisfying gunplay, and a worthy ending.

 

What makes it special?

  • A reimagining of Half-Life based entirely on its community
  • Powered AI, with a very satisfactory selection of weaponry at the controls
  • Much improved graphics and a new soundtrack for more immersion
  • Ability to create your own mods, models and maps with the Black Mesa Source SDK

 

THE FACT: The game was expected to be ready in 2009… more than a decade ago! The reason was that it was a fan project done in their spare time, so we had to wait.

 

Hyper Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball has a large following, so it was to be expected that sooner or later a video game developed by fans would appear. It is based on the popular MUGEN engine , specialized in 2D fighting games, and the best thing is that it is a project that is still very much alive today, incorporating new characters and characteristics. It is pixel-art in its purest form, with its own animations and a classic battle system, but very agile. The Team Z2 developers have placed special emphasis on the combo system, but also on the game modes, with arcade, cooperative team, survival, etc.

 

What makes it special?

  • A fan-game based on MUGEN, a powerful freeware 2D fighting engine
  • High fidelity with Dragon Ball designs, designed from scratch by Team Z2
  • Very powerful combo system, which can become very spectacular
  • Strongly supported by the community, with constant work

 

THE DATA: The main member of the development team is Balthazar, a graphic artist who has a Patreon where he places the various updates made.

 

The Elder Scrolls Renewal: Skywind

This case is very particular, a great idea that takes advantage of the possibilities of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim engine to bring back one of the RPGs most loved by users: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind . How does it work? Basically, both games are required to be installed, but you only take advantage of the Skyrim interface, combat system and graphics. Its creators still do not know when it will be available, but they have already advanced that they do not do this for money, but for passion . To take into account their progress – quite frequent – you can follow them on their YouTube channel .

 

What makes it special?

  • A total recreation of Morrowind, built with the power of Skyrim’s engine
  • Maintenance of the characters, locations and quests of the original
  • Current graphics, new layouts, and full dialogue dubbing
  • The project is open to anyone who wants to participate

 

THE FACT: There is another team other than Skywind working on Skyblivion , another mod that aims to bring the classic Oblivion to a new generation of players.

 

Installation 01

We are facing a video game made by fans of the Halo saga that tries to pay artistic tribute to the saga and recreate the multiplayer experience that Bungie offered us, mainly through Halo 2 and Halo 3 , although there are also elements of Combat Evolved and Reach . That is the definition of a project that is being developed with material created from scratch or obtained from the Unity engine libraries. Interesting is that Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries are aware of what this group of users (Soon Studios) is doing and support them.

 

What makes it special?

  • It’s a way to bring back the most classic multiplayer Halo
  • Combination between classic maps and completely new ones
  • All the material is created by the fans, you can take a look here
  • The project continues to advance strongly, although without an estimated launch date

 

THE FACT: Microsoft has not hindered the project at present because the creators have been transparent with the non-commercial terms of their fan project. In fact, they do not accept any kind of donation.

 

Mushroom Kingdom Fusion

The best definition we can give to this project is that it represents the definitive crossover of characters within the world of video games. It is fully supported by the gameplay of Super Mario games in 2D, with not only the ability to jump, but to perform a variety of actions, depending on the protagonist that we handle. To understand it, imagine controlling Link, Sonic, Simon Belmont or Megaman in a phase of the mythical plumber. But it is not all, because we have seen levels of classics like R-Type , Tetris or Resident Evil , and that just to name a few examples. In short, an absolute madness as you have never seen. Insured.

 

What makes it special?

  • Based on the gameplay of Super Mario 2D, but with many more possibilities
  • Control of infinity of characters, belonging to number of licenses
  • Made with the Game Maker engine, with four main developers
  • The worlds are not only from Super Mario, but from sagas like Metal Slug, Castlevania, etc.

 

THE FACT: The original creator, JudgeSpear, announced that he was canceling the project in 2013, due to various personal problems. However, the project went ahead when the code was released, which was taken up by other developers.

 

Psycho Waluigi

We finish this compilation with what could be considered one of the best fan projects created to date, a very high quality 2D platformer that puts us in the role of Waluigi. The premise? Very crazy: we have received a blow to the head and suddenly we have acquired psychic powers , which allows us to throw blocks, freeze enemies or manipulate a fire-breathing piranha plant. The proposal is accompanied by a retro-pixel design with a high variety of settings and a responsive control, at the height of the games designed by Nintendo itself (and that is to say).

 

What makes it special?

  • A 2D platformer based on Waluigi’s use of psychic powers
  • Not only consisting of jumping, but also throwing objects and many other actions
  • Variety of levels, with control of a tank or an airplane, among other situations
  • Has received numerous awards and good reviews from users

 

THE FACT: The creator of the game, Thunder Dragon, is also responsible for Toad Strikes Back , another fan project that has been very well received by players.