The tools for making video games are more accessible than ever. We’re not only seeing the rise of amazing indie games, but even entire projects made by a single person. While a lot of these are new IPs that are clearly inspired by the likes of the best Mario and Pokemon games, others are so passionate about their favorite franchise that they create an entire fan game in that series. Because they can’t legally sell a game using a publisher’s IP, these fan games are pure works of passion from the developers. Whether it is a franchise that hasn’t seen the light of day for years or one that has fallen off in terms of delivering what the fans want, fan games are there to deliver a new experience that can even overshadow the real thing. At the same time, a lot of fan games can be a major disappointment due to a lack of experience and oversight. We have picked out only the most impressive fan games of all time that are worth playing alongside the original franchise.
AM2R: Return of Samus
85%
Platforms
Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation Vita
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
DoctorM64
Publisher
DoctorM64
Release
August 06, 2016
Before Nintendo announced an official remake of Metroid 2: Samus Returns, one fan developer known as DoctorM64 had been working on their own fan remake of the classic Game Boy game called AM2R. Short for Another Metroid 2 Remake, this is a much more faithful remake of the original game that updates the game’s visuals to more of a GBA title like Metroid: Zero Mission. Beside the graphical improvements, there is also new music, a more modern map, and even some new content in the form of some areas and bosses. It was such a high-profile fan game that many journalists were giving it glowing reviews, but this also drew the attention of Nintendo, who issued DMCA notices to any site hosting download links for the game.
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Black Mesa
88%
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter, Platform, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Crowbar Collective
Publisher
Crowbar Collective
Release
March 06, 2020
Most fan games exist in a gray area, legally speaking. Nintendo was fully within its rights to issue takedowns for AM2R, which is a fate many fan games suffer if they catch the attention of the IP holder. That isn’t the case with Black Mesa, however, since Valve officially endorsed the project and allowed it to be sold on Steam. This is a fan remake of the original Half-Life in the improved Source Engine. The game is almost completely faithful for the first 80% of the game, only with vastly improved visuals, new music, voice acting, and controls, but it took the liberty of completely changing the game’s final Xen section. This area is widely considered the only bad aspect of the original game, mechanically and visually. Black Mesa corrects this to the point where it is now the definitive way to play one of the best PC games of all time.
GoldenEye: Source
80%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Release
February 01, 2005
Alongside Half-Life, GoldenEye was an especially important FPS game that is easily one of the best N64 games. Also like Half-Life, fans decided to bring this game up to modern standards with a full remake in the Source Engine. This multiplayer remake is technically still in development but is essentially complete and just getting tweaks and improvements at this stage. The game combines faithful recreations of maps from the original’s multiplayer and reimaginings of existing maps and other James Bond franchises. Because it is a multiplayer-only game, you sadly can’t go through the iconic campaign here, but there are still hours of fun to be had reliving the classic deathmatch days.
Mushroom Kingdom Fusion
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter, Platform, Adventure
Developer
Fusion Team, Dooki51, JudgeSpear
Publisher
Fusion Fangaming
There’s arguably only one franchise with more fan games than Mario, and you can be sure we’ll get to that franchise later. You can find hundreds of 2D platformers in the style of the OG or Super Mario World, but Mushroom Kingdom Fusion is something unique. This is a 2D platformer crossover game that brings in Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Metal Slug, Sonic, and more into a single game. In total, there are 21 playable characters that all have their own moves, weapons, and power-ups to go through over 200 levels and face almost 100 bosses. And this is all as of the 0.9 version, so there’s still more to come. Each character plays as you would expect them to, meaning even the same stages or bosses will be very different based on who you picked.
DRL
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Indie
Developer
Derek Yu, Kornel Kisielewicz
Release
November 08, 2002
Formerly known as DoomRL before changing its name after a cease and desist notice, DRL reimagines what Doom would be as a top-down roguelike. If that sounds like a perfect combination, you’d be right. You will explore randomly generated levels as the Doom Guy managing a limited inventory and a player leveling system. The goal is to make it through all 25 levels, find as many secret levels as possible, and beat the Spider Mastermind. You can choose from three different classes, earn medals and badges to mark your progression, and seek out rare unique and exotic items that spice up every run.
Pokémon Uranium
80%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Uranium Team
Publisher
Uranium Team
Release
August 06, 2016
This is the other franchise you are drowning in rom hacks, randomized, and full-on fan games for. Fans have been begging for the main Pokémon games to get more experimental for years, and while the Legends games and Scarlet and Violet did take some steps in the right direction, fans took it upon themselves to get wild with the monster-catching series. Pokemon: Uranium is perhaps the biggest and most popular of all, having nine years of development time. It introduces over 150 new Pokemon, a new region, and an entire story mode. Sure, it follows the usual structure of becoming the champion, though has a much more adult and dark tone as you get deeper. The new breeds of monsters and moves make it feel like a lost entry in the franchise.
The Elder Scrolls Renewal: Skywind
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Skrim probably has more mods than any other game ever made. These range from simple texture packs and model swaps to new questlines and weapons. However, one of the most ambitious creations is too big to be called a mod. Skywind is a full remake of Morrowind using the Skyrim engine. Obviously this is a massive upgrade in terms of graphics, but the team went the extra mile to bring in a full cast of voice actors and revamp the combat system. The core game is made as faithfully as possible to the original, including the armor systems, weapons, and custom spell system. This project is still a work in progress, but it already looks like the perfect remake for an old but beloved RPG.
