Some years ago, movie tie-in video games were a regular thing. From the infamous E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial adaptation to the sublime Spider-Man 2, for decades, big studios would often use video games as part of their merchandising strategy.
For better or worse, tie-in games would allow us to step into the world of the film, relive its best moments, spend more time with its characters, and even expand the story. If the end product was actually good, all of these features would make for an unforgettable gaming experience that, in some cases, could even surpass the enjoyment of the film itself. Heck, even if the videogame wasn’t perfect, it was pretty cool to step into the shoes of, say, Jason Bourne or Kung Fu Panda’s Po to mess around and kick some butt for a bit.
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Sadly (for some), the evolution of the gaming industry led to the demise of this phenomenon. So, in this list, I imagine a world where the development of these games is still possible. What move tie-in games would’ve worked? What recent film worlds would’ve been cool to explore through a controller? I’m not thinking of super polished state-of-the-art masterpieces, but something you would play on the PS2 or Xbox 360 for fun. So, join me on this nostalgic trip where I broadly conceptualize what an adaptation would look like for some great recent movies.
By the way, I’m not taking into account big commercial movies, but some independent ones too, so besides the gaming element of this text, I hope you might discover a gem or two to add to your watchlist.
Barbie
Yes, I’m well aware that there are dozens of Barbie videogames out there. Still, I haven’t played any of them, so I’m assuming none of them would be as cool as what I imagine a tie-in game to the hugely successful Barbie film could’ve been like (Warner Bros would totally push for a tie-in if this movie had come 10 years ago).
This would be an open-world game similar to The Simpsons: Hit & Run, where you can explore Barbieland, drive around, race, fulfill missions for the different Barbies and Kens, find collectibles, and unlock costumes, characters, and new stuff for your dream Barbie house. Of course, it would need some scriptwriting advice from Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach to have some smart one-liners here and there, as well as to keep the meta elements from the movie. Maybe you can even play in coop with a Ken!
Crime City Series
Driven by the charismatic Don Lee, the Crime City franchise (The Outlaws, The Roundup, The Roundup: No Way Out, and The Roundup: Punishment) has become a ticket-selling gold mine in South Korea. The concept of the four movies (so far) is simple: Don Lee plays a big badass detective who tries to bring down a dangerous criminal. There’s blood, there’s adrenaline-fueled chases, and the Beast Cop himself delivers big beatings.
How cool would it be to step into the shoes of Don Lee to kick some serious butt? No entry has come close to the perfection level of 2017’s The Outlaws (one of the best action movies in history, in my opinion), so its setting (2004 in Guro District, Seoul) would be ideal for an open-world game where you have to run around the city to stop the Black Dragon Gang. Throw in some mini-games in the casinos and bars, and you have a recipe for success.
Elemental
The first thing that popped into my head after I finished watching Pixar’s Elemental was: “I would love to spend more time in Element City.” The movie introduces us to a world where people of fire, water, air, and earth coexist. Here, a strong-willed young fire woman falls in love with a sensitive water boy, a romance that breaks all the rules in Element City. Of course, a tie-in doesn’t have to follow this story and just fool around with other stuff from its world (like Toy Story 3 and its awesome Toy Box mode)
With such a cool concept, a vibrant world, and even an imaginary sport, this had all the, no pun intended, elements to create a fun platformer where you could explore this awesome city and even get to know more about the air and earth elements that the movie barely explores.
Get the Hell Out!
We all know politicians barely have functioning brains, so the Taiwanese gorefest Get the Hell Out! outright turned them into zombies. In this hilarious 2020 movie, we follow a security guard and his crush, a legislator, as they try to survive a Parliament full of zombies.
Now, this might sound a bit cliche, but the movie is a tornado of insanity that mixes gore, laughs, martial arts, and even lucha libre moves. And that mix is exactly what would make for an irreverent action tie-in game where you have to use all types of weapons and hand-to-hand moves to take down these brain-dead menaces. Swap between characters, each with different skills, unlock new moves through some RPG elements, and make the kills as satisfyingly gory as possible. Crazy lucha libre moves are a must.
Love and Monsters
One of my favorite adventure films of the last couple of years is Love and Monsters, a postapocalyptic movie that follows a cowardly young man who, in order to reunite with his girlfriend, leaves his safe underground bunker to venture into the wild world above, one that is roamed by huge mutant creatures. Oh, and he gets help from a lovely dog called “Boy”!
I imagine this as an open-world action-adventure game where you have to explore the world to find food for you and Boy, as well as weapons to take out the huge monsters that now roam the Earth. Maybe add some gameplay dynamics with Boy, and we’re all set for a fun survival adventure.
Mars Express
Coming soon to theatres in the US (I watched it thanks to the the Animation First 2024 film festival) is Mars Express, an extraordinary French animated film that features some of the coolest character designs and world-building I’ve seen in a sci-fi project probably since Mass Effect. Its story follows a private detective and her android partner as they investigate the disappearance of a college student involved in a hacking incident that could change the future of humanity.
The world built by Jérémie Périn is what any sci-fi fan dreams of, and a videogame adaptation would be a wonderful way to learn more about it. I would love to meet more characters, explore the incredible futuristic cities, delve into the lore, and solve some sci-fi mysteries. I imagine something along the lines of KOTOR and, of course, Mass Effect.
Nimona
This wonderful award-winning animated film tells the story of a shapeshifter who aids a knight desperately trying to prove his innocence after being accused of a heinous crime that he did not commit.
Give me an action/adventure game where you play as Nimona. Her shapeshifting skills would be a great gameplay feature: maybe you have to turn into different animals to reach different places or defeat different types of enemies. Also, if it is something that allows me to freely explore the medieval-futuristic kingdom we see in the movie, we’re all set. This has big PS2 movie tie-in platformer vibes.
Ready or Not
One of 2019’s most memorable horror films, Ready or Not follows a newlywed (Samara Weaving’s Grace) as she tries to survive her husband’s family tradition: a twisted hide-and-seek game. In her review, our EIC Kate Sánchez said that Ready or Not “pulls audiences into a fantastic game that has us rooting for our final girl.” What if the audience could actually play that game and guide Grace into becoming the final girl?
I imagine this as a mix of stealth and horror, where you have to sneak around the manor, search for weapons, and kill some in-laws. Of course, the adaptation should be as gory as the film itself, so having some nasty weapons, like the crossbow, would be key. Some strong scriptwriting would be necessary to have the sense of humor that made the movie a blast to watch in theaters, too.
Saloum
Combining western, horror, action, and anti-colonial elements, Saloum is one of the most badass movies of this decade. It follows a trio of mercenaries (Chaka, Rafa, and Minuit) that, after extracting a Mexican narco, are forced to hide in an isolated Senegalese region where a sinister secret awaits them.
After watching the film, I’m sure many of you would love to spend more time with Chaka, Rafa, and Minuit, so a tie-in would be a blast to do so. I imagine this adaptation as a separate story where we play as our three heroes as they fulfill missions around the world. The lore introduced by director Jean Luc Herbulot, as well as the charismatic presence of its characters, could be exploited to create a fun shooter with some supernatural elements.
Vesper
Years after the ecosystem collapse of the Earth, a poor 13-year-old girl tries to survive and take care of her paralyzed father in a fungal jungle with the aid of her bio-hacking skills.
This gorgeous ecological sci-fi film left me hungry to learn more about its lore and characters. Vesper introduces us to a dystopic world where children’s blood is used as currency. There are humanoids, robots, an oligarchic society, and mind-blowing nature. All of these elements would make for a great survival game where you have to face the beautiful but often lethal threats of the fungal jungle, as well as the oppression of evil humans.
Bonus: An A24 fighting game
Yes, I’m completely jumping the shark here. I want a Marvel vs. Capcom spin-off with A24 characters, each with their own special moves. Make it as big, loud, and dumb as possible. What characters would be available? Let’s see.
Anya Taylor Joy in Witch mode (The Witch), Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse from Swiss Army Man, Waymond Wang and Jobu Tupaki from Everything Everywhere All At Once, Robert Pattinson and an army of seagulls from The Lighthouse, Alicia Vikander’s AI android from Ex Machina, any combination of gangsters from Free Fire, the Ghost from A Ghost Story (why the hell not?), Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the disturbing spaghetti-eating Barry Keoghan from The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Nicole Kidman’s Queen Boadicea
and her punk minions from How to Talk to Girls at Parties, coven members from Hereditary, dancing people on LSD from Climax, Jack Reynor inside a bear suit from Midsommar, the killer dress from In Fabric, Colman Domingo’s intense pimp from Zola, a fully-armed Ada from Lamb, Denzel Washington’s Macbeth, Mia Goth’s Pearl, Brendan Fraser’s Charlie from The Whale, Nicolas Cage’s many dream characters from Dream Scenario, Zac Efron’s Kevin Von Erich from The Iron Claw, and, of course, Kevin Garnett. Do it, A24.
Can you think of any other recent movie that could’ve been adapted into a video game? Let us know on our social media.
