History GenreThrowback / VideoGames

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series is an homage to [[BMovie '50s B-movie sci-fi flicks]] with a good dash of horror tossed in.

* Julius Mode from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' strips out all the {{Metroidvania}} and most of the RPG elements from the game and turns it into more or less a traditional 16-bit-era classic ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'' game.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is done very much in the style of mid-to-late '90s [=RPGs=] based on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons,'' and was envisioned as a SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/BioWare's own ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', one of the most noteworthy of said games. It's also a throwback to [[TheEighties '80s]] epic HighFantasy like ''{{Film/Willow}}'', ''{{Film/Ladyhawke}}'', and the ''Film/{{Conan|TheBarbarian1982}}'' movies. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', meanwhile, is more in the vein of the high camp, LowFantasy syndicated television series of the [[TheNineties mid-late '90s]], like ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', and ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad''.

* ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' is a throwback to the 2D ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games specifically, and to the '90s era of 16/32-bit Genesis/SNES/[=PS1=]/Saturn mascot platformers more broadly, taking huge inspiration from Creator/{{Treasure}}'s games, ''Franchise/MegaMan'', and ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures''.

* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' -- Turn-based [=RPG=]s of the late '80s/early '90s. The main driving forces behind the game worked on the original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}'' games.

* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' is a throwback to classic NintendoHard {{metroidvania}}s, most notably ''Maze Of Galious'' and ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}}''.

* This trope is the key gimmick of games made by Creator/{{Terarin}} (''VideoGame/MissileDancer'', ''VideoGame/RagingBlasters'', ''VideoGame/StarGagnant'', and so forth), being games released from the late 2010s onwards that have the look and feel of the 1990s era of ShootEmUp games (mainly evocative of Platform/Turbografx16 shmups), rather than being more modern BulletHell shmups.

* This trope is the key gimmick of games made by Creator/{{Terarin}}, being games released from the late 2010s onwards that have the look and feel of the 1990s era of ShootEmUp games (mainly evocative of Platform/Turbografx16 shmups), rather than being more modern BulletHell shmups.

* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': The game's simple yet addictive gameplay, fun yet abrasive tone, art style, and cameos come together to make a love letter to classic [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash Flash]] content, particularly what one may find on Website/{{Newgrounds}}. The arrow display brings ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''. Fans have compared the concept where the player must repeat the stage character to ''VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper''. Even the main character Boyfriend was also compared to Parappa as well.

* ''VideoGame/ObsCure'' -- [[{{Postmodernism}} Post-modern]], GenreSavvy {{teen|Drama}} {{horror}} movies from TheNineties, of the type made by [[Film/Scream1996 Kevin]] [[Film/TheFaculty Williamson]]. The sequel ''[=ObsCure=] II'', meanwhile, is this to college-set horror films like ''Film/UrbanLegend'' and ''Film/TheHouseOnSororityRow''.

* The ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' series was a throwback to 8-and 16-bit-era 2D platformers, especially past installments in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' franchise, but modernized in a big way with a 2.5D setup.

* The [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] UsefulNotes/PlayStation game ''[[VideoGame/GeppyX '70s Robot Anime Geppy-X]]'' is a ShootEmUp done in the style of... well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a '70s robot anime]], complete with a '70s art style, MonsterOfTheWeek plot, [[LargeHam over-enthusiastic]] narrator, an OP and ED at the beginning and end of each level, and even mid-level commercial breaks for [[MerchandiseDriven fake Geppy-X merchandise]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' and [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 its sequel]] feel like throwbacks to late-'90s UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} era Sega.

* Daisuke Amaya, creator of ''VideoGame/CaveStory'', had intended to show his love of the 2D {{Metroidvania}}s of old, with retro-style graphics (hand-drawn by him) and music (in UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 style, composed by him).
* ''VideoGame/CodeOfPrincess'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes'', and a throwback to 90s UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn ActionRPG BeatEmUp games.
* ''VideoGame/CosmicStarHeroine'' pays homage to 16-bit [=JRPGs=], featuring a sci-fi setting similar to the original ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' series, battles that unfold on the field like in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', and UsefulNotes/SegaCD-style low-res animated cutscenes.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', intentionally or not, can be considered this. The game was designed from the ground-up as a love letter to fans of the series, and as such, plays very much like the previous [[SequelGap decade-old]] installments in the series, rather than taking cues (such as equippable gear, semi-open worlds, and RPGElements) from more modern melee action games like ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', or ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''. In his review of the game, Eurogamer's Martin Robinson likened it to "an outrageously pretty [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] game". [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This was not a bad thing]], as the game released to critical acclaim with most reviews enjoying the classic ''DMC'' feel.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Emogame}}'' series -- Old-school, 16-bit side-scrollers, with their final levels (especially in the second one) specifically homaging {{Metroidvania}}-style games. The average [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super NES]] game probably wasn't chock full of BlackComedy and [[RefugeInAudacity audacious]], [[CrossesTheLineTwice twice-line-crossing]] humor, though, and certainly didn't allow you to kill the final boss by [[spoiler:[[CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon skull-fucking him]]]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Prodigal}}'' throws back to top-down dungeon crawlers, taking inspiration from the classic ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games with a color palette similar to those found on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', with its colorful aesthetics and dialogue, unusual cross-genre soundtrack, and overall feel, is heavily evocative of 1990s Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} branding, with a hint of early UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast games. The [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 first game's]] North American commercials in particular used a cheesy soundtrack that would feel right at home with the classic kids commercials of that decade.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' is a throwback to the Cold War-era spy genre.

* Fittingly for a game based on [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld a movie]] (and [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim comic]]) that is itself based on old-school arcade and Nintendo games, the licensed game of ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' is a throwback to old-school {{Beat Em Up}}s.