Inspiration for a great game can come from practically anywhere, but books are some of the best sources when looking for compelling stories. While there are plenty of movies that are based on books and vice versa, there aren't actually that many games out there known for following the story of a book.
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Still, there are a few notable titles, like The Witcherfranchise, that are either inspired or fully bring to life the universe of a book. For those looking to expand their must-read book list for 2020, these ten games, originally based on or inspired by books, are a great place to start.
The Dark Souls franchise has risen to popularity thanks to its challenging gameplay and intricate story. No other game has quite the reputation as this one. Not to mention, Dark Souls truly brings our worst nightmares to life with its realer-than-reality monsters.
It's said that this franchise was greatly influenced and inspired by a Japanese manga known as Berserk. Looking at the art style itself, it's pretty obvious that Hidetaka Miyazaki was a fan of the Berserk series and wanted to bring its violent yet beautiful universe to life in some way, shape or form in his franchise.
At first glance, Spec Ops: The Line appears like any other war-themed FPS game. However, as the player dives deeper into the game's plot, they'll soon discover it's more of a commentary on the horrors of war than a game about killing the enemy.
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The tone for the game was greatly inspired bythe book Heart Of Darknessby Joseph Conrad, which is the tale of a man sent deep into Congo and also the inspiration for the classic film, Apocalypse Now. Much of the book is a commentary on imperialism, but it also highlights the monstrosities mankind is capable of, which are also illustrated in Spec Ops: The Line.
Among the ranks of post-apocalyptic shooters is the Metro franchise, which brings the player to Moscow's underground subway stations. In these claustrophobic quarters, the people whoremain after a nuclear war continue to struggle for survival.
The story of these games is completelybased on the original Metro 2033 science fiction novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Unlike many other games inspired by books, the Metro 2033 game itself follows the story somewhat closely. In fact, when the game was published, the translated version of the book was published alongside it as well.
When it comes to unique gameplay, The Darkness certainly makes the cut. The main character Jackie not only has firearms totake out his enemies, but also the insidious power of the Darkness, which is a demon-like creature that manifests itself with tentacles around the screen.
The Darkness' characters and story are inspired not by a book but rather a comic book series of the same name. The premise is pretty much the same as in the game as well, and it's a great series to get into for any comic book and video game lovers with an interest in modern dark fantasy.
A classic Japanese survival horror game, Parasite Eve centers around police officer Aya, who's on a mission to destroy Eve, a demonic parasite with a woman's appearance. As Eve is eager to conquer the world and destroy humankind by setting them on fire, Aya has to do everything in her power to stop her.
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This game is a sequel to the original Japanese novel of the same title by Hideaki Sena. The novel centers around a parasitic life form known as Eve, which has the power to control the human mind and similarly set people on fire.
The Legend Of Zelda franchise has been alive and well for decades now, telling the tale of brave knight Link who must save Princess Zelda and Hyrule from evil. While many different games introducing various parts of the franchise timeline have appeared, the core concept still carries on to this day.
The story of the game itself is as original as any medieval fantasy, however, Shigeru Miyamoto has admitted that he was greatly inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald and her novel,Save Me The Waltz, when creating the character of Princess Zelda.
EveryAssassin's Creedgame tells the story of a trained killer, a member of the Order of Assassin. The gameplay focuses around this main character navigating the environment and findingtheir target while usingtheir special abilities to their advantage.
The assassin from the games was inspired by the novel Alamut by Vladimir Bartol, the story of which is extremely close tothat of the first Assassin's Creed game. It was Alamut thatinspired the expression "Nothing is true; everything is permitted," found within the game.
BioShock plunges the player deep under the Atlantic ocean, into a dystopia known as Rapture. Jack, survivor of a plane crash, finds himself stranded in the city after entering it through a lighthouse, and must fight his way through Andrew Ryan and his army of crazed splicers.
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Much of BioShock's world is inspired by the themes and ideas developed by Ayn Rand. In her book Atlas Shrugged, she first introduces the philosophy of, which is what Rapture's dystopia is centered around. The character Atlas is also inspired by the book's title.
Call of Cthulhu, released in 2018, greatly improved from its predecessors, The Dark Corners Of The Earth. This game brings troubled detective Edward Pierce to Darkwater Island, a secluded location plagued by strange events and mysterious murder.
Much of the game' s content is taken from various pieces of H. P. Lovecraft's work. There are prominent themes from the novella,TheShadow over Innsmouth, as Darkwater Island seems inspired by it.
Baldur's Gatewas living in obscurity until recently, when its third installmentwas announced for early access in 2020. As fans wait impatiently for the promise of a brand new game, it's a great time to go back to the original experience of a strategic, turn-based medieval fantasy by playing the first and second games.
Much of the world of Baldur's Gate isn't an original title, but insteaddeeply inspiredby the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms role-playing campaign books, and their subsequent novels by authors like R. A. Salvatore.
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Tea lover and video game obsessed writing enthusiast with her very own Overwatch team, Anastasia writes about games that leave an impression on her and make her come back time and time again.
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10 Great Games You Didn't Know Were Based Off Of Books | TheGamer - TheGamer
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