Video game adaptations of movies can be something of a mixed bag. Some are unexpectedly cool, while others are hasty cash grabs. The nature of the industry is such that only the beloved classics and the latest blockbusters are likely to see a video game version, but what if that wasn’t the case?
These black-and-white movies predate video games by several decades, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make great games with the right developers at the helm. Let’s take a look at how some classic movies could be brought to a larger audience in video game form.
7 Robin Hood (1922)
Douglas Fairbanks as Robin Hood
Douglas Fairbanks made several swashbuckling adventure films in the silent era, and arguably the most impactful was his adaptation of the classic Robin Hood tale. Created through Fairbanks-based studio United Artists, it was one of the first major films over which an actor had complete creative control and the first film to have a star-studded Hollywood debut.
Combo-driven action is always a good time, and using environmental items to even the odds is practically mandatory in games at this point. A video game based on the flashy fencing and daring stunts of Fairbanks would fit the bill perfectly, and the joy of it all would be a refreshing contrast to our seeming need for all medieval settings to be covered in grime and blood.
6 Out of the inkwell (1918-1929)
Betty Boop and Koko the Clown in Out of the Inkwell
Initially designed as a way to showcase his new invention, the rotoscope, Max Fleischer’s Out Of The Inkwell spawned a long series of animated shorts featuring recurring character Koko The Clown. Each short began with Koko breaking out of Fleischer’s drawing ink bottle and causing trouble in the real world until he finally returned home.
The possibilities for a puzzle platformer based on Out Of The Inkwell are practically endless, and the retired character might even be released into the modern world after nearly a hundred years in his bottle.
5 A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Still from Le Voyage dans la Lune.
This early French film is most famous for its special effects, which seem quaint by today’s standards but were absolutely mind-blowing a hundred and twenty years ago. Georges Méliès’s Strange Adventure was intended as a critique of colonialism as a group of bumbling explorers of Earth. travel to the moon by rocket and unapologetically wreak havoc on the civilization they find there.
A film remembered for its visual effects and richly imagined setting could serve as the inspiration for a great Metroidvania. Perhaps a lone moonguard could explore the moon’s cavernous palace, stopping invaders and sending them back to Earth.
4 Modern Times (1936)
frame of modern times
Few, if any, artists are as iconic and influential as Charlie Chaplin. His comedy Modern Times is one of his best works, lampooning the dehumanizing grind of the average worker in an industrialized society. With the appearance of games like Factory Y OvercookedLittle Tramp’s frenetic production floor would be the perfect setting for multiplayer mayhem.
Imagine each player going about their business in the factory, trying to earn enough money to have food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. If you make too many mistakes, your character will be fired, leaving the remaining players to pick up the slack. The longer you survive, the more chaotic the game becomes, as you do more work for the same pay.
3 Yojimbo (1961)
Yojimbo Frame
While any of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai movies would make a great action game, Yojimbo’s lone protagonist and cunning villains would be perfect for a samurai-style game. arkham Asylum, shadow Of Mordor, or course Ghost of Tsushima. One of the many stellar partnerships between Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo helped cement the samurai archetype in our cultural consciousness.
Sanjuro’s final battle against a dozen men was practically made for video games, as he uses every trick at his disposal to keep the upper hand against what should be impossible odds.
two The Universal Monster Movies (1930s-1950s)
Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein
Universal has already attempted to revive its classic movie monsters, releasing an ill-fated cinematic universe that was put on indefinite hold after 2017’s reboot of The Mummy bombed the box office. However, a different approach could help restore relevance to these horror icons.
games like dead by daylight Y Evil Dead they’ve embraced horror as a vehicle for asymmetrical gameplay, and Universal has a whole roster of recognizable creatures ready to claim new victims. Dracula, the werewolf, the bride of Frankenstein and the rest could haunt classic movie locations, and with relatively bloodless movies for inspiration, the game could be a great all-ages alternative to the much bloodier games that populate the genre. . Leaning into the countryside of the movies with generous lightning bolts, jarring string chords, and big screams would tie it all together perfectly.
1 The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
Still from The Adventures of Prince Achmed
German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger was a true pioneer. She used shadow puppets to create dazzling stop-motion animations and printing your film on tinted celluloid to give the illusion of colour. His masterpiece, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, was the first film to use a multi-plane camera to create a three-dimensional effect and was also the first animated feature film in history, both distinctions that Walt Disney would claim for himself without opposition. decade later.
Prince Achmed, a fascinating adventure story inspired by Arabian Nights, would make an awesome side-scrolling game. Its stylized look could easily transition to a new medium, and modern digital effects would transform the story into something truly magical. Only now, almost a hundred years later, is Lotte Reiniger starting to get the recognition she deserves, and with the film’s centenary just around the corner, it would be wonderful to see some enterprising developer carry on her legacy.
