Spiritual successor

A spiritual successor is like when you play a game with your friends and make up new rules, or use different toys, but the goal is still the same. It's a new thing that is similar to an old thing, but doesn't have the same name or characters. For example, a movie that has a similar feel to a classic film, but isn't directly related to it, could be called a spiritual successor. It's like a special offshoot of something that came before, but with its own unique twist. Think of it like a butterfly - it may not be the same caterpillar that it started as, but it still has similar features and qualities.