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Video games are usually original forms of storytelling. However, they can also be adapted or inspired by other works of fiction.
Popular culture tends to get a lot of representation in video games, as movies are TV shows that are constantly being given tie-in releases.
Novels also get this treatment. Sometimes, this can manifest itself as an important influence on a video game’s story or theme. At other times, a fictional world is directly lifted from the pages of a book and portrayed in detail in a video game medium.
Let’s now take a look at five video games that were inspired or adapted from novels.
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Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.
Spec Ops: The Line and 4 other video games that were derived from works of literary fiction
1) The Witcher
While this might not have been common knowledge before 2018, it is now widely known that The Witcher video games are based on a book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.
The franchise from CD Projekt Red illustrates the world seen in the book series, which follows the story of Geralt of Rivia, the white-haired Witcher. It takes place after the ending of the story in the books, which means it tells an original story that serves as a continuation of the plot.
Many iconic characters from the books return to the games. These include Yennefer, Geralt’s long-time love interest, Ciri, his adoptive daughter, and Dandelion, his oldest friend.
The latest game in the series, The Witcher 3, seems to have ended Geralt's story, with the next entry possibly focusing on another protagonist.
2) Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Both Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel Shadow of War take place within the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous works of fiction.
Tolkien is remembered for the Lord of the Rings novels, as well as other related works like The Hobbit and the posthumously released The Silmarillion. Together, these works tell the story of Arda and the lands of Middle Earth.
While the Lord of the Rings movies were a direct adaptation, the Shadow of Mordor game was an original tale by developer Monolith Productions. It followed the return of the orcs to Mordor and Sauron’s rise to power. However, its depictions of violence were not appreciated by fans of the novels.
Despite the criticism, the story was intriguing, and the gameplay was fun as players took on the role of Talion in the Land of Mordor.
3) Spec Ops: The Line
Joseph Conrad's 1899 novel Heart of Darkness highlights just how thin the line between being civilized people and savages is. The novel has seen many adaptations over the years, most notably the 1979 film Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola. Another modernized adaptation is the 2012 video game by 2K, Spec Ops: The Line.
While the main character from the novel heads to an unnamed region under colonial rule in Africa, the game’s protagonist, Martin Walker, is sent to war-torn Dubai.
Spec Ops: The Line’s primary antagonist is even named John Conrad, which is a direct reference to the author of the original novel.
The game has gained some praise for its story and its handling of sensitive topics. This third-person shooter received quite a cult following, despite failing commercially.
4) Metro 2033
The Metro series of video games were inspired by the 2002 novel Metro 2033. The first entry in the series was a direct adaptation of this literary work by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It also had the same title as the book. Glukhovsky has writing credits for the game and the book, both of which were released in the US in 2010.
Like the book, the game takes place on the subway lines of a post-apocalyptic Moscow. The game and the book have similar story elements, side characters, and plot, although that changes later.
Two more books follow Metro 2033, namely Metro 2034 and Metro 2025. Similarly, the original game’s story is continued for two more installments with Metro: Last Light and Metro: Exodus. However, these games are not direct adaptations. Instead, they exist as new stories of their own.
5) S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. is a video game series that is a loose adaptation of the novel Roadside Picnic and a movie called Stalker. The movie itself was a loose adaptation of the same book. The book was a science-fiction novel by Soviet-Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
The video game series takes place in the Zone, a restricted area that has been previously visited by aliens and then abandoned years prior. The lure of wealth and riches draws people into the Zone, despite it being deemed unsafe for habitation.
The first game of the series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, depicts a story that most closely resembles the one in the original book.
