History GenreThrowback / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' takes the trope near its logical extreme, bringing back nearly everything from the classic ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games, plus elements from most of Creator/IdSoftware's other classic shooters like ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''.
* The success of the ''Doom'' reboot (see below) inspired a wave of indie "boomer shooters", which hearken back to '90s FirstPersonShooter games like the original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games, ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'', and ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', with a focus on fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay, large arsenals of exotic weapons, {{retraux}} graphics that evoke the sprites and low-polygon models of '90s games, old-school gameplay mechanics (especially key hunts for progression and a lack of RegeneratingHealth in favor of health pickups), a TotallyRadical "extreme" aesthetic, and [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 lots of blood, brutality, and gore]].

** ''VideoGame/TheMessenger'' is a {{Retraux}} throwback to {{Metroidvania}} {{Platform Game}}s.
** ''VideoGame/SeaOfStars'' is a throwback to SNES-era {{JRPG}}s, but it looks much more modern than the studio's previous .

* ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge'' is a throwback to early MetroidVania games.

* ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'' harkens back to the UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation-era {{Zany Cartoon}}s, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' and ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', as well as the games inspired by them, like ''VideoGame/{{Boogerman}}'' and ''VideoGame/ToejamAndEarl''.

* ''Evil West'' is noted by many critics and reviewers to be a single player Xbox 360/[=PS3=] AlwaysOverTheShoulder ThirdPersonShooter with a mix of BeatEmUp elements. This is considered a good thing as the game takes a formula that works while modernizing it. Unlike most shooters from the 7th generation, ''Evil West'' does not use any [[TakeCover cover mechanics]]. Emphasizing on dodging, twitch shooting, and melee in-between. There is more of an arcade nature as all of your weapons are on recharge or cooldown, and there is no reloading.

* The success of the ''Doom'' reboot (see below) inspired a wave of indie "boomer shooters", which hearken back to '90s FirstPersonShooter games like the original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games, ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'', and ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', with a focus on fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay, large arsenals of exotic weapons, {{retraux}} graphics that evoke the sprites and low-polygon models of '90s games, old-school gameplay mechanics (especially key hunts for progression and a lack of RegeneratingHealth in favor of health pickups), a TotallyRadical "extreme" aesthetic, and [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 lots of blood, brutality, and gore]].
** The 2018 indie FPS ''VideoGame/{{Dusk}}'' helped popularize the genre, to the point of the trailers features a lot of wordplay referencing their inspirations.
** ''VideoGame/IonFury'' specifically homages sci-fi shooters like ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'', right down to it being made in the Build game engine that powered those games and having Creator/JonStJohn voice the BigBad. The protagonist is a DistaffCounterpart to Duke, with a similar love of one-liners and pop culture references.
** ''VideoGame/AmidEvil'' is this to fantasy-themed '90s shooters like ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}''.
** ''VideoGame/WrathAeonOfRuin'', running on the ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' engine and made by several veterans of that game's modding scene.
** ''VideoGame/ProjectWarlock'', which combines influences from both '90s FPS games in its gameplay and older 8-bit and 16-bit games in its graphics and pixelated aesthetic.
** ''VideoGame/{{Strafe}}'' is a {{roguelike}} take on the genre.
** ''VideoGame/{{ULTRAKILL}}'' is described by the creator as "''Quake'' meets ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''", combining fast-paced first-person shooting with [[AwesomenessMeter stylish action]].
** ''VideoGame/{{HROT}}'' is heavily inspired by the original ''Quake''.

* The [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] ''[='=]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, and even commercials for [[MerchandiseDriven fake Geppy-X merchandise]] and an OP and ED at the beginning and end of each level.

* Julius Mode from ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]'' 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/ReadOnlyMemories'' is intentionally designed to a be throwback to late '80s and early '90s {{Cyberpunk}} works such as ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' and ''VideoGame/{{Snatcher}}''.

* ''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}}.

* ''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 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/{{Splatoon}}'', with its colorful aesthetics and dialogue, unusual soundtrack, and overall feel, is heavily evocative of '90s Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} kids' shows, with a hint of early UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast games. The game's American commercials in particular used a cheesy soundtrack that would feel right at home with the classic kids commercials of that decade.

* ''Hotshot Racing'': '90s arcade racing games like ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA'' and ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'', complete with hyper-saturated, low-polygon graphics designed to hearken back to the look of those games.* ''VideoGame/Interstate76'' and its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/Vigilante8'', throw back to a number of '70s ExploitationFilm genres and tropes, especially in their depiction of a dystopian NextSundayAD rooted in the decade's oil crisis.

* Puppet Combo, the one-man studio of Benedetto "Ben" Cocuzza, makes games that serve as throwbacks to both '90s SurvivalHorror (complete with deliberately low-poly graphics) and sleazy '70s/'80s {{exploitation film}}s and {{slasher|Movie}}s.

* ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' and ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'' are both this for early-to-mid 1990s [[FirstPersonShooter first-person shooters]].
* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' brings back elements of classic FPS games (such as a HyperspaceArsenal, health packs, and large maps), though it does still have some hints of modern FPS (health regenerates to at least 25%, and it has a cinematic flair about it).
* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' takes the trope near its logical extreme, bringing back nearly everything from the classic ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games, plus elements from most of Creator/IdSoftware's other classic shooters like ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''.
* The success of the ''Doom'' reboot inspired a wave of indie "boomer shooters", which hearken back to '90s FirstPersonShooter games like the original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' games, ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'', and ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', with a focus on fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay, large arsenals of exotic weapons, {{retraux}} graphics that evoke the sprites and low-polygon models of '90s games, old-school gameplay mechanics (especially key hunts for progression and a lack of RegeneratingHealth in favor of health pickups), a TotallyRadical "extreme" aesthetic, and [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 lots of blood, brutualities and gore]].

** ''VideoGame/{{HROT}}'' is heavily inspired by the original Quake.
* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' -- Turn-based [=RPG=]s of the late 80s/early 90s. (helps that the main driving forces behind the game worked on the original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}'' games)
* ''VideoGame/GodHand'' -- Classic Arcade beat-em-ups.
* For a while, any time a new AdventureGame came out and got any press, people treated it like the sole hope for the resurgence of the genre (while ignoring excellent titles like ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' and ''VideoGame/{{Syberia}}''). Creator/TelltaleGames were probably the most visible, putting out episodic adventures regularly until their demise. It helps that some of their titles are sequels to "classic" adventure games, such as ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' and ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad''.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'' is an intentional throwback to mid-80s console [=RPG=]s, iffy gameplay mechanics and all. (Not so) coincidentally, it is made by the same developers of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII DS'' and ''VideoGame/NostalgiaRedEntertainment''.
* From the same developer and publisher as ''The 4 Heroes of Light'' comes ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' for the 3DS, a throwback to Final Fantasy games from the SNES and [=PS1=] years. It uses the classic job system mechanic seen in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV V]]'', a visual style similar to that of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', towns rendered in a style resembling the pre-rendered graphics of the [=PS1=] games, and a world map similar to the ones seen in all Final Fantasies prior to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''.
* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' is a throwback to classic NintendoHard metroidvanias, most notably ''Maze Of Galious'' and ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}}''.
* ''[[VideoGame/DoubleDragon Double Dragon Neon]]'' is a throwback to old-school {{Beat Em Up}}s, especially older Double Dragon games, as well as TheEighties themselves.
* The Wii version of ''VideoGame/ABoyAndHisBlob'' - 80s cartoons.
* ''VideoGame/LegendOfGrimrock'' - To FauxFirstPerson3D dungeon crawler [=RPG=]s like ''VideoGame/EyeOfTheBeholder''.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Emogame}}'' series is a throwback to old-school, 16-bit side-scrollers, while their final levels (especially in the second one) are throwbacks to {{Metroidvania}}-style games. The average UsefulNotes/SuperNES 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]]]].
* 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.
* ''VideoGame/RallyTrophy'' is a heavily retro ('60s and '70s) take on the [[DrivingGame rally racing sims genre]], with lots of PlayedForLaughs [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] and StylisticSuck.
* ''VideoGame/ObsCure'': [[{{Postmodernism}} Post-modern]], GenreSavvy {{teen|Drama}} {{horror}} movies from TheNineties, of the type made by [[Film/{{Scream 1996}} Kevin]] [[Film/TheFaculty Williamson]]. The sequel ''[=ObsCure=] II'', meanwhile, is this to college-set horror films like ''Film/UrbanLegend'' and ''Film/TheHouseOnSororityRow''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' is a throwback to [[PulpMagazine pulp adventure stories]], and features (and updates) many of their tropes.
* [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive Rockstar Games]] loves this trope, with many of their titles homaging various films and film genres.
** The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games are this to classic Hollywood crime dramas, the inspirations being different in each game. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' and especially ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories Liberty City Stories]]'' are inspired by [[TheMafia mob]] movies like ''Film/TheGodfather'' and ''Film/GoodFellas'', ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'' is a throwback to '90s GangstaRap and {{Hood Film}}s like ''Film/BoyzNTheHood'' and ''Film/MenaceIISociety'', and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories Vice City Stories]]'' share so much DNA with ''Film/Scarface1983'', ''Series/MiamiVice'' and ''Film/CarlitosWay'' that they can be seen as {{Spiritual Adaptation}}s. ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV GTA IV]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV V]]'', for their part, while less overt in their inspirations, still contain a lot of influence from the stylish '90s/'00s crime thrillers of Creator/MichaelMann ''et al.'', most notably ''Film/{{Heat}}'' with the former's BankRobbery level and the latter being built around a series of heists.
** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' not only does this with TheWestern, but a case can be made for each part of the game being a throwback to a different type of Western. The first third of the game hearkens back to the old-school Creator/JohnFord[=/=]Creator/JohnWayne Westerns, where morality was more {{black and white|Morality}} and the focus was on [[UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny America's westward expansion]], complete with {{cattle drive}}s, {{cowboy}}s, and {{outlaw}}s. The middle part of the game, meanwhile, feels more like [[GenreDeconstruction revisionist]] "{{spaghetti Western}}s" like the Creator/SergioLeone’s Film/DollarsTrilogy and ''Film/{{Django}}'', where there were [[BlackAndGrayMorality no clear-cut heroes]] and the harsh reality of life in TheWildWest was emphasized. Finally, the last parts of the game are set in the comparatively "civilized" town of Blackwater and on the Great Plains, having very strong elements of Creator/SamPeckinpah’s NewOldWest of uncivilized men in civilized worlds to them.\\\
Then you have ''RDR''[='=]s expansion pack, ''[[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare Undead Nightmare]]''. While the middle section of the main game was a throwback to spaghetti Westerns, ''Undead Nightmare'' throws back to another Italian ExploitationFilm genre -- the '70s zombie movie of Creator/LucioFulci et al.
** ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' is a throwback to '80s teen comedies. The developers said that they wanted to keep the setting timeless, and so they gave everything a [[RetroUniverse distinctly '80s aesthetic]] with only a few bits to remind players that it's technically ThePresentDay, while also including '50s influences in the GreaserDelinquents you encounter.
** ''VideoGame/LANoire'', as the name suggests, is a throwback to FilmNoir from the '40s and '50s. As pictured above, its UpdatedRerelease goes all-out with this, its box art evoking the film posters of that era and even boasting of its ultra-high-definition visuals in a manner similar to how old movies with [=CinemaScope=] were advertised.
* The future in ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' reminds very much of 60s and 70s style future, if that makes sense.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is done very much in the style of mid-to-late-nineties [=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 Eighties]] Epic High Fantasy like ''{{Film/Willow}}'', ''{{Film/Ladyhawke}}'', and the ''Conan'' movies. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', though, is more in the vein of High Camp, Low Fantasy [[TheNineties Mid-Late Nineties]] syndicated television series, like ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', and ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad''.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' is in the style of '70s / '80s SpaceOpera, with ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' moving into a darker '90s-style area, and finally ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' brings in elements of modern sci-fi, complete with Creator/JJAbrams styled lens flare reminiscent of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' reboot films from said director. ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', the next installment in the franchise, seems to be going for the SpaceWestern setting of cult science fiction like ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' and ''Anime/CowboyBebop''.
* ''VideoGame/Interstate76'' and its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/Vigilante8'', throw back to a number of '70s genres and tropes.
* Daisuke Amaya, creator of ''VideoGame/CaveStory'', had intended to show his love of a certain genre of game - the 2D {{Metroidvania}} of old, with retro style graphics (drawn by hand by him) and music (in UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 style, composed by him).
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' is a throwback to the Cold War-era spy genre.
* ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' - UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation.

* ''VideoGame/ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'' -- Horror [[BMovie B-movies]], though with a pretty wide range in time period, ranging from the Franchise/UniversalHorror monsters of the '30s and '40s to the LittleGreenMen, FishPeople, and BigCreepyCrawlies of the '50s and early '60s to the [[NightOfTheLivingMooks eponymous zombies]] of the '60s and '70s, and even then-recent threats like murderous LivingToys, HockeyMaskAndChainsaw slashers, and what appear to be the SandWorms from ''Film/{{Tremors}}''.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series are an homage to [[BMovie '50s B-movie sci-fi flicks]] with a good dash of horror tossed in.
* While the games in the series beforehand had a very strong FilmNoir feel, ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'', with its cast of eccentric and oddly-dressed characters, had a distinct 1980s ExploitationFilm feel to it (but with a definite modern day setting).
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon'' is a reincarnation of '80s sci-fi action movies, stuffed to the brim with manliness, explosions, meta humor and one-liners. And neon, lots and lots of neon.
* Creator/ShinjiMikami, maker of the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games up to [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 the fourth one]], consciously designed ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin'' as a throwback to the tropes of those games and '90s SurvivalHorror in general.
* Creator/JonathanBlow made ''VideoGame/TheWitness'' in part to bring back the AdventureGame genre with more refined modern game design sensibilities.
-->'''[[http://kotaku.com/jonathan-blow-thinks-adventure-games-are-bad-so-hes-m-513273372 Blow:]]''' What I'm trying to do as a designer is take everything about adventure games I don't like -- 'cause I loved adventure games when I was a kid but, man, as a game designer now who has ideas about design I just look at them and I think they're all really bad and I just kind of solve them in a way that uses our modern understanding of game design as best as I can.
* ''VideoGame/{{Knack}}'' is this to the cartoony platformers of the [=PS1=] era, especially ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon''.

* ''[[http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_90s_arcade_racer/b/wii_u/archive/2015/05/13/90s-arcade-racer-wii-u-gameplay-new-footage-video.aspx '90s Arcade Racer]]'' is a throwback to, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin arcade racing games from the '90s]] like ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA'', ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'', and ''Sega Super GT''. The developers specifically tried to replicate and update the exaggerated, high-speed driving physics of the games, as well as their over-the-top, fantastical race tracks.
** ''VideoGame/{{Driveclub}}'' is a similar case, though it has a more modern graphic style, all while maintaining old-school arcade-like gameplay, and mixing it with a highly competitive multiplayer system, both offline and online.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfElLobodestroyoVsLaLigaDeLosVillanos'' is this to late nineties / early noughties [[PlatformGame platfrom games]] by Creator/{{Rare}}, in the style of ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''.

* ''[[VideoGame/TexMurphy Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure]]'' is a throwback to the era of FullMotionVideo games, with real actors against the in-game CGI backgrounds.
* ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' is not only a throwback to 2D ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games but a throwback to the 90s-era 16/32-bit Genesis/SNES/[=PS1=]/Saturn mascot platformers. Taking huge inspiration towards Creator/{{Treasure}}'s games and among others like ''Franchise/MegaMan'' and ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' and [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 its sequel]] feel like throwbacks to late-'90s UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} era Sega.
* The [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] '''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 and even commercials for [[MerchandiseDriven fake Geppy-X merchandise]] and an OP and ED at the beginning and end of each level.
* ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' is a throwback to late '90s Creator/BlackIsleStudios games like ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', even being developed by some of the same people who were at Black Isle. Ditto ''VideoGame/TormentTidesOfNumenera'', which even had some of the same people as ''Pillars'' working on it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hatred}}'' -- '90s shooters like ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' and the original ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'' that [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity attracted controversy]] for their [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 ultra-violent content]]. The game's [[http://www.dlh.net/public/data/cache/1280x563/93ae823a321a50b6f667c928cfe5f96bb1323109.png logo]] is even consciously modeled on that of ''[[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/Doom_cover_art.jpg Doom.]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' and its colorful aesthetics and dialogue, unusual soundtrack, and overall feel have a distinctive 90s aura to them; in particular 90s Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} with a hint of early UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast games. The game's American commercials in particular used a cheesy soundtrack that would feel right at home with the classic kids commercials of that decade.
* ''VideoGame/{{SATAZIUS}}'' is a HorizontalScrollingShooter developed as a love letter to 90s-era horizontal shooters, featuring elements such as {{checkpoint}}s, massive bosses, and labyrinthine stage designs, released in 2012 when BulletHell games had become the standard and far eclipsed non-danmaku games in popularity.
* ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'' is a throwback to NES games in general but it pays extra tribute to classic Creator/{{Capcom}} games such as ''Franchise/MegaMan'' and ''VideoGame/DuckTales''.
* ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge'' is a throwback to early MetroidVania games.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' features a bit of this with the ''Conquest'' route. The limited resources and lack of grinding (unless you shell out real money for DLC) make the game play like the older ''Fire Emblem'' games.
* UsefulNotes/RPGMaker is a GameMaker designed to create games styled after SNES-era [[EasternRPG JRPGs]].
* ''VideoGame/ReadOnlyMemories'' is intentionally designed to a be throwback to late-80s and early-90s {{Cyberpunk}} works such as: ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' and ''VideoGame/{{Snatcher}}''.
* In a way, ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' is this for the ''Dragon Quest'' games, especially to ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII''. Rather than a party of pre-made characters with their own jobs (even if they are customisable by the player) and personalities, the ''entire'' party is created by the player in everything from appearance to class, evoking a similar feel to older {{RPG}}s. At the same time, the game keeps many AntiFrustrationFeatures added to the series and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'''s talent system.
* ''[[http://griddgame.com/ Gridd: Retroenhanced]]'' echoes 1980s vector graphics shoot-em-ups.
* The 2017 video game ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' is one huge throwback to UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, especially with the works of Creator/WaltDisney and, most notably, Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer; and it's also a throwback to shoot-em-ups such as ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'', ''VideoGame/SilhouetteMirage'', and ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}''. According to the CreditsGag, it was even set in 1930, and most Fleischer cartoons were set in TheGreatDepression, where gambling in that era was viewed with more criticism; and asbestos curtains in one of the stages were only FairForItsDay, though asbestos is now seen as an environmental pollutant and a health hazard rather than a fire safety measure.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fe}}'''s collect-a-thon gameplay (trading pink crystals for new abilities) and low-polygon graphics are throwbacks to N64-era 3D platformers.
* ''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.
* Julius Mode from ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]'' 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/TheWolfAmongUs'': Neo-noir movies of the 70s and 80s such as ''Film/NightMoves'', complete with neon-drenched streets, retro-sounding synth music, and a gritty, cynical atmosphere where [[PyrrhicVictory nobody gets what they want]], but [[LaserGuidedKarma everyone gets what’s coming to them]].
* ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'' is one to two different genres, in two mediums.
** In terms of story, it's this to PlanetaryRomance stories like ComicStrip/BuckRogers. A space colonist spends many years in cryogenic stasis until they are woken up and they have thrilling adventures in an exciting future. Except the future they woke up in is less ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and more "''Series/{{Firefly}}'' meets ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''" -- the people of the future are hostile simpletons who revere their thoroughly incompetent and often immoral corporate overlords to CargoCult levels, peppering everyday conversation with company slogans and [[FantasticRacism insulting and fighting with fans of rival companies]].
** In terms of gameplay, meanwhile, it's this to the {{Western RPG}}s of the '90s and early '00s like ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', and ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' with its focus on player choice and non-linearity in an open environment. It was developed by Creator/ObsidianEntertainment, who promoted it as a SpiritualSuccessor to their game ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', which was itself a successor to the first two ''Fallout'' games (Obsidian having been founded by former devs at Creator/BlackIsleStudios, the makers of ''Fallout'').
* ''VideoGame/BlazingChrome'': ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}''-style RunAndGun games from the '80s and '90s, as well as sci-fi action films from the same era like ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}''.
* ''VideoGame/Daymare1998'' wears its throwbacks to '90s SurvivalHorror, particularly the early ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games, not just on its sleeve but in its very title (it's set in the year 1998 just like the original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', albeit here in full [[TheNineties '90s]] PeriodPiece mode rather than NextSundayAD). While the gameplay is that of a more modern ThirdPersonShooter like the more recent ''RE'' games, it otherwise hearkens back to the scarce supplies and complicated puzzles of its forebears. It was, in fact, originally supposed to be a FanRemake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but a [[ScrewedByTheLawyers cease-and-desist letter]] from Creator/{{Capcom}}, who were working on [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake their own official remake of such]], caused Invader Studios to [[DivorcedInstallment retool it into a standalone game]] that homaged its inspiration.
* ''VideoGame/DevilEngine'' is a throwback to 1990's {{Horizontal Scrolling Shooter}}s, being more focused on [[TrialAndErrorGameplay muscle-memory gameplay]] and flying through and fighting in [[AirstrikeImpossible tight quarters]] than the more modern BulletHell style (although some of the harder patterns can get fairly dense). In particular, the gameplay and visual style are very evocative of ''VideoGame/ThunderForce'' and ''VideoGame/RType''.
* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series is a love letter to the first-person dungeon crawler genre that consists of games like ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' and ''VideoGame/DungeonMaster'', using grid-based maps, characters that you give names, cosmetic customizations, and skill builds to, and relentless enemies that can get beginner players killed easily as early as the first floor of the main dungeon. The early games even intentionally use synthesized soundtracks and sound effects! While some of the cosmetic elements were modernized when the series moved from the DS to the 3DS, most notably the soundtrack, the core gameplay of exploring grid dungeons with player-created characters remains the same.
* ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'': classic {{jidaigeki}} films, especially the works of Creator/AkiraKurosawa, to the point of having a DeliberatelyMonochrome option that recreates the grainy film stock of ''Film/TheSevenSamurai''.

* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': The game's simple 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}}.
* ''VideoGame/CyberShadow'': NintendoHard 90s Platformers, particularly games like ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' and ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}''.
* ''VideoGame/NaritaBoy'' to [[GenreMashup both]] 80s ScienceFiction movies and classic HighFantasy novels. CassetteFuturism and cheesy synthesizer music fuse with fantastical environments and an [[TheQuest epic hero's journey]].
* ''VideoGame/TormentedSouls'', released in 2021, is made in the style of fixed-camera SurvivalHorror games like the early ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''Franchise/SilentHill'' titles, but with modern graphics.
* ''Hotshot Racing'': '90s arcade racing games like ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA'' and ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'', complete with hyper-saturated, low-polygon graphics designed to hearken back to the look of those games.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'' is an intentional throwback to mid-80s console [=RPG=]s, iffy gameplay mechanics and all. (Not so) coincidentally, it is made by the same developers of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII DS'' and ''VideoGame/{{Nostalgia}}''.

** The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games are this to classic Hollywood crime dramas, the inspirations being different in each game. ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' and especially ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories Liberty City Stories]]'' are inspired by [[TheMafia mob]] movies like ''Film/TheGodfather'' and ''Film/GoodFellas'', ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'' is a throwback to '90s GangstaRap and {{Hood Film}}s like ''Film/BoyzNTheHood'' and ''Film/MenaceIISociety'', and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCityStories Vice City Stories]]'' share so much DNA with ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'', ''Series/MiamiVice'' and ''Film/CarlitosWay'' that they can be seen as {{Spiritual Adaptation}}s. ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV GTA IV]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV V]]'', for their part, while less overt in their inspirations, still contain a lot of influence from the stylish '90s/'00s crime thrillers of Creator/MichaelMann ''et al.'', most notably ''Film/{{Heat}}'' with the former's BankRobbery level and the latter being built around a series of heists.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' is in the style of 70s / 80s SpaceOpera, with ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' moving into a darker 90s-style area, and finally ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' brings in elements of modern sci-fi, complete with Creator/JJAbrams styled lens flare reminiscent of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' reboot films from said director. ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', the next installment in the franchise, seems to be going for the SpaceWestern setting of cult science fiction like ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' and ''Anime/CowboyBebop''.

* ''VideoGame/ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'' -- [[BMovie B-movies]].

* ''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon'' is a reincarnation of 80s sci-fi action movies, stuffed to the brim with manliness, explosions, meta humor and one-liners. And neon, lots and lots of neon.