Video game adaptations have a troubled history of being adapted to the big and small screen. Most video game adaptations end up flopping due to multiple reasons, such as poor writing, acting, or low budgets. But the videogame industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and many studios have attempted to make adaptations of successful videogames.
Yet, there has been a wave of successful video game adaptations in recent years. Movies like Sonic the Hedgehog and television series like Arcane have shown how to successfully adapt this material. 2023 has been a significant year for video game adaptations from the rave reviews HBO's The Last of Us received and the box office juggernaut The Super Mario Bros. Movie has become. Video game stories might become the new dominant media, similar to superhero movies before them. With that in mind, look back at some overlooked video game adaptations worth checking out.
15 Silent Hill (2006)
Silent Hill is an adaptation of a successful survival horror series created by Kelichiro Toyama and published by Konami. The series has roughly ten games, with various spinoffs across multiple consoles. It has garnered the attention and love of fans worldwide. The movie adaptation, however, is a mixed bag. Some fans thoroughly enjoy the movie, seeing it as a solid horror film taking inspiration from its source material while changing and adapting the world in constructive ways.
Other fans find it relatively disappointing and a jumbled mess. Despite the differences in opinions, Silent Hill was a moderate box office hit and did spawn a sequel, Silent Hill: Revelations. Though a primary reason why this movie makes it onto the list is not due to the mediocre dialogue or plot but because it is a well-thought-out and visually interesting film. Both audiences and critics were impressed by the environmental designs. Strong, eerie coloring and lighting make this an interesting movie to look at.
14 Dragon's Dogma (2020)
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Dragon's Dogma is an animated adaptation based on the 2013 Capcom video game of the same name. Both the Netflix adaptation and the video game follow a protagonist known as the Arisen after a dragon has stolen their heart, and the hero must reclaim their heart from the dragon. The video game features iconic monsters and has gameplay elements similar to Shadow of the Colossus.
The animated series expands upon the game's basic premise and introduces the Arisen as Ethan. Ethan must travel through the world and defeat various monsters before finally deciding to fight the dragon that stole his heart. The animation received mixed reviews, with critics enjoying it but audiences finding it below average. It does feature interesting visuals and exciting fights with mythological monsters such as a hydra and griffon.
12 Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (2001)
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Kirby is a video game series by HAL Laboratory. It has been around since 1992. The main character of the series and the namesake of said series is Kirby. He is a pink puff capable of sucking monsters and food alike, then gaining abilities from them. He is a staple of Nintendo consoles and has had multiple games since his inception. Kirby rarely has adaptations of his video games, with the most common appearances being in Manga. That's why Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is a series fans have likely not heard of.
The series follows Kirby and his arrival to Planet Popstar, where he makes friends and battles against fellow videogame characters such as Meta Knight and King Dedede. This anime is filled with shenanigans and laughs from its one hundred episodes run time. Fans of Kirby will enjoy the series, and children will likely appreciate the humor and plots of the series. If you were a kid in the 2000s watching Fox Kids for series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you likely remember this fun adaptation of the Kirby universe.
10 Ace Attorney (2016)
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Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure video game series focusing on the protagonist, Phoenix Wright, as he and his team investigate various criminal cases. The player is tasked with finding inconsistencies in information to eventually solve each individual case. It is a popular series that features a relatively outrageous world filled with colorful characters. It is no surprise that this series, published by Capcom, would eventually receive its own anime.
Ace Attorney follows the events of the first three video games and provides a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the first three games, and adds wonderful details to the cast of characters. It sometimes, however, has trouble adapting to the weight of some of the decisions that players were able to make in the video game series. It undoubtedly scores points by adhering to and faithfully adapting a loved videogame series while still being transformative and certain of its identity.
8 Carmen Sandiego (2019)
Carmen Sandiego is a popular educational video game series that features a character of the same name. She is generally depicted as a master thief, and each game requires the player to find her and her henchmen before they steal famous landmarks and locations throughout the world. Numerous video games have been crafted since the 1980s. Her games generally feature strong humor derived from wordplay, and they have taught countless generations of kids how to form conclusions based on evidence and various worldly landmarks.
While Carmen Sandiego had been adapted before, it is the 2019 Netflix series titled Carmen Sandiegothat earns a spot on this list. The series serves as a prequel to the games. Despite being an educational video game series aimed at children, the animation has been praised for its witty wordplay, exciting plot, and unique style. Though aimed at younger audiences, Carmen Sandiego is a fantastic story for people of all ages looking for a funny story about a master thief.
7 Persona 4: The Animation (2011)
The Persona video games are a JRPG series that typically explore deep and philosophical concepts. It is known for its engaging plots and difficult battles. Persona 4 is now widely available across multiple consoles, including Xbox and the Nintendo Switch. Both Persona 4 and 5 became almost immediate hits, and their successes spawned two animated series based on the games, the first of which being Persona 4: The Animation.
Persona 4: The Animation follows Yu Narukami as he attempts to solve a murder. However, Yu discovers he can enter into televisions which causes him to stumble across a mysterious force: the Midnight Channel. Persona 4: The Animation positively characterizes an originally silent protagonist from the video game. This makes the anime more interesting to watch and helps draw fans of the game in, along with first-time viewers. Persona 4:The Animation is a heavily stylized anime that is certain of its identity. Accompanied by a spectacular soundtrack and an astonishing visual tone, Persona 4: The Animation is not only faithful to its source material but expands in areas that the video game failed to.
6 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
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Cyberpunk: 2077 was created by CD Projekt Red. It is set in the near future of 2077, where players assume the role of the customizable protagonist, V. It was released in 2020 and was universally panned for being a buggy mess. It left a sour taste in a gamer's mouth and turned a lot of people off from the franchise entirely. Because of their distaste for the game, fans may have completely missed the release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Edgerunners serves as a prequel to 2077 and was well-received by both audiences and critics. It is an animated television series that is certain of its identity, choosing to use strong visuals and style to craft a fun-to-watch Cyberpunk story. The story follows David, a criminal living in the dystopian Night City, as he becomes a cyberpunk. Audiences have enjoyed the fast-paced action and neon style that comes with watching this series.
4 Werewolves Within (2021)
Many audiences might not know that this horror comedy released by IFC Films of all places is a video game adaptation. Werewolves Within is based on the 2016 video game of the same name, which itself is a spin on the popular party game Werewolf (sometimes called Mafia). Ubisoft Films & Television production company produced the movie. The film features an impressive cast of comedic actors led by Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub.
While most people associate video game movies with big potential blockbusters or cheap genre offerings, Werewolves Within offers a nice alternative. It is a funny, quirky horror comedy similar to Shaun of the Dead and What We Do In The Shadows and got positive reviews from critics for its performances and script. The movie also holds the distinction of being the best-reviewed video game movie on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
3 The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2022)
The Witcher is a popular videogame series created by CD Projekt Red. It features Geralt the Witcher and is known for its amazing gameplay, intricate story crafting, and absorbing world-building. It was so loved that it eventually got its own Netflix series starring Henry Cavill and became a massive hit among audiences and critics. Fans of both the video game series and TV show may have completely missed the animated film following another iconic Witcher character, Vesemir, titled The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
Choosing to focus on Vesemir delighted various fans and helped to expand the Witcher universe without needing to rely on Geralt or Ciri. The animated film has an intricate story weaved between thrilling action sequences and serves as an intriguing prequel to how Vesemir became the teacher for the final group of Witchers, including Geralt of Rivia.
2 Dragon Age: Absolution (2022)
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Dragon Age is a videogame series crafted by BioWare. It is known for its riveting storytelling and nail-biting plots, thoroughly in-depth and interesting characters, and replayability. Dragon Age: Inquisition was the latest installment in the series and won several awards, including Game of the Year. Recently, the fourth installment in the videogame series was announced, and a slew of content has been produced to help excite fans on the long-awaited arrival of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Among the material was Dragon Age: Absolution. Despite being one of the newest adaptations on the list, those who've not played the game series might have overlooked this wonderful adaptation.
Dragon Age: Absolution is an animated series released on Netflix. Contrary to other adaptations, Absolution is a completely independent story set after the events of the game Dragon Age: Inquisition in the land of Tevinter. Absolution borrows characters from previous Dragon Age games, such as Cassandra and Fairbanks, to help develop characters unique to the series. Dragon Age has long been about unique characters making shocking actions, and Absolution is no different. It begins as a somewhat generic heist story but quickly launches itself into a character-driven action adventure in which no person is exactly who they appear to be.
One reason to watch Absolution is its different approach to the series antagonists. Taking notes from Inquisition and Dragon Age II, Absolution shows the slow turn of good people into antagonists due to the protagonists' actions in the series. It could be argued that the antagonists would never have made the decisions they did if not for the gentle prying of the protagonists. This series is a must-watch for fans of magic, quick combat, and difficult moral choices.
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