by JustNCredible » Sat Jun 06, 2015 3:57 am
I think you're smudging the line between inspiration and emulation a little bit.
noun: inspiration
1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
noun: emulation
1. obsolete : ambitious or envious rivalry
2. ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others (as in achievement)
Had they said they were trying to emulate SoTC, then yea, this could be a bit of a let down to players, and would be a bit insulting to the original. After all, this is intended to be played by kids as young as 7. Inspiration in their case just means drawing loose examples from their source material (the climbing of the beast), and has nothing to do with the quality or functionality in comparison to said original work.
For instance, as an artist, I can take inspiration from anything in nature, say a tree. I can paint that tree in any way I want, which could be so abstract as to be unrecognizable to you or it could be as literal as a photo-realistic masterpiece. Inspiration and emulation are two completely different things.