Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It helps, too, that we love a good imitation, whether we call it a spiritual successor or a [insert title here]-like. There is a fine line between cheap imitation and divine inspiration, however; for every Stardew Valley, there’s a Flappy Plane. Paradoxically, we want something new and familiar at the same time. It sounds easy in theory, draw inspiration and ideas from a popular thing and your thing should be popular. In practice, it's much harder. Which is why the hottest new title on Game Pass should be celebrated for getting it exactly right.
