Some video game franchises like Final Fantasy Origin can celebrate serialization with wild abandon, however, more than a few games would rather hide their sequel status.
There are plenty of reasons to make a stealth sequel. Perhaps a game doesn't want to ride on the coattails of its predecessors, whether for pride or marketing reasons. Perhaps the shared universe nature of the game is actually a major twist. Whatever the case, there are plenty of classic games fans might not know belong to other franchises.
Control - Alan Wake
Alan Wake. This is definitely intentional, as both games take place in the same universe.
This is made obvious in the Alan Wake DLC in Control, AWE, but prior to that release there were more subtle references. Control is about a government organization that contains supernatural events. Models, artifacts, and references related to the “Bright Falls” location from Wake are found throughout the facility.
Days Gone - Syphon Filter
Days Gone and Syphon Filter could not seem more unrelated at first glance. Syphon Filter is a spy and espionage thriller from the late 90s; whereas Days Gone is a late 2010s post-apocalyptic survival game in the pacific northwest. Other than a shared developer, the games don’t share an obvious link.
In Syphon Filter, the main characters must prevent the release of the titular bioweapon. In Days Gone, a mysterious bioweapon has created a zombie apocalypse. This isn't a coincidence - in interviews, the developers have stated that the Syphon Filter caused the apocalypse in Days Gone. Players can even find the protagonists’ iconic guns in the game.
Bomberman (NES) - Lode Runner
A lot of people refer to the Bomberman game on NES as the first Bomberman game. There actually are two PC games that predate this game, but it is the first appearance of the Bomberman design. However, it isn’t the first appearance of the familiar Bomberman character either. This is because the ending of the game ties it into the obscure Lode Runner game universe.
Lode Runner is a story about the titular character fighting against a robotic empire. In Bomberman NES’ manual, Bomberman is a robot in service of an empire who seeks to escape and become human. In the game’s ending, he does and turns into Lode Runner so he cannot be the Bomberman in later games. This technically makes it a prequel, although the Game Boy Bomberman title Atomic Punk would act as a sequel to both these games.
Snatcher - Metal Gear (MSX)
Hideo Kojima has developed a large number of games and is known for placing obscure references to his work all over. And while Metal Gear Solid would become one of his most well-known works, there are many others Kojima has played a part in. His adventure game, Snatcher, for example, positions itself as a sequel to the original MGS games, with the events of the franchise mentioned as happening far in the past.
This is exemplified by the main character Gillian having a robot in the style of a Metal Gear. This game is also the first appearance of Maryl Silverburgh, who would become an important part of Metal Gear Solid. However, due to complications in the Metal Gear timeline, Snatcher seems to have slowly been removed from the canon but characters from it still appear in MGS4 and 5.
Nier - Drakengard
Yoko Taro’s Drakengard and Nier series are some of the most ambitious stories told in video games. One of the endings to Drakengard sees the final boss teleported to Earth where the protagonists defeat it. It’s a strange ending that feels like an out-of-context joke.
The final boss’ corpse has devastating consequences for Earth, however. It releases a disease called White Chlorination Syndrome that causes human beings to go insane and violent. The Nier games deal with the fallout of this disease on the world. This makes the series a sequel to a one-off joke ending.
Code Vein - God Eater
2019’s best anime-tinged 3D Soulslike games. It features tough combat and a variety of customization options. The game sold well but came and went without much fanfare. Perhaps it would have stuck in players minds more if the God Eater connection was more explicit.
God Eater is a post-apocalyptic story concerning a race of evil omnivores called the Aragami. These creatures can actually be seen in Code Vein when the red mist is lowered. In addition, several weapons from God Eater can be attained as well. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as the games share the same dev team.
Ace Combat 3 - Dig Dug
Ace Combat is a series with a relatively grounded premise of dogfighting. While the series never explicitly occurs on Earth, it usually features a grounded setting. Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere features a connection to games like Dig Dug and what's even more shocking is that this connection has been slowly building for years.
The United Galaxy Space Force is a military power created for Galaxian 3. It and related organizations like the United Galaxy would appear in multiple seemingly unrelated titles, linking them together. Ace Combat 3 features General Resource Limited and Neucom Incorporated, organizations which manipulate the United Galaxy. More than 300 years later Dig Dug happens, which stars a member of that United Galaxy force, planting them in the same universe.
Captain Commando - Final Fight
Beat-em-up style arcade games are fun, but they’re typically light on story, so fans may wonder what the contemporary Final Fight and the futuristic Captain Commando have in common. It turns out they actually take place in the same location. Metro City is the city that Mike Haggar mayors, and the city Commando patrols.
Other references can be found in Commando, like Ninjas trained in Guy’s school and busts of Haggar. Final Fight also shares a universe with Capcom’s Street Fighter series. This has led to theories about Captain Commando’s potential link. There’s a popular theory that Street Fighter VI’s Luke will connect to the game in some way.
Wolfenstein 3-D - Commander Keen - DOOM
Id software is known these days for creating the first person shooter. They did this with Commander Keen. This was a platforming shooter about a kid with a ray gun, and is a quaint but fun time.
It’s hard to imagine Keen next to the gritty heroes of id’s other titles, but he is connected. The protagonists of all three games are connected by being of the Blaskowitz family. This makes Wolfenstein a prequel and DOOM a sequel. This is slightly muddled by Keen cameos in both franchises.
Shadow Of The Colossus - ICO
Colossus leads into the events of ICO. It is heavily suggested that Wander ends up becoming the Horned Boy in the ending after regressing to baby form.
The two games also feature remarkably similar themes such as human sacrifice and nature. There’s also a theory that the third Team ICO game, The Last Guardian is also connected. Its connections are much looser, but the Bluepoint remake of Colossus adds locations from Guardian into the world. If this is true, it would make the games a trilogy. These connections are unconfirmed though, so fans will make due with a beautiful Playstation 2 duology, and that’s just fine.
