Despite a generally negative response from critics, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie surpassed $1 billion at the box office. It was the second Super Mario movie to accomplish that feat in just a few short years, and it joins other franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog that have recently been keeping Hollywood producers very happy.
In television, there’s a similar scenario playing out, with multi-season shows like The Last of Us and Fallout enjoying remarkable success on streaming platforms. (Fallout’s third season recently began filming.) It’s clearly a great time to bring beloved gaming properties to other forms of media, especially with such a huge backlog to consider. Here are 12 games that deserve movie or TV adaptations sooner rather than later.
12
Diablo
Diablo has been around for a long time, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Diablo 4 rumored to be on its way. The series keeps going strong because its themes resonate as much today as they ever did. There’s a lot of powerful imagery that would translate perfectly to a Hollywood blockbuster, whether the setting remained historical or developed into something more modern, like End of Days. The games themselves already provide a glimpse of the cinematic appeal the franchise offers. Throw in an endearing few protagonists embarking on a quest against the ultimate evil and you have the basis for a rousing good time.
11
Lunar: Silver Star Story
During the PlayStation era, Working Designs expanded on the original Lunar: The Silver Star to make it more cinematic than ever. The publisher found a memorable voice cast and produced new animated sequences, before releasing that version of the game as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. The careful attention paid to the game’s English localization turned it into one of the greatest Japanese RPG franchises of all time, even with only two first-rate installments. A full-length feature film might expand the narrative core still further. A studio working today could tell a classic story in a beautiful setting, either with excellent hand-drawn animation, or in a special effects-laden live action format. The ingredients are already there: heroism, humor, sacrifice, and betrayal. What’s not to love?
10
Astral Chain
Astral Chain is one of those games that left the people who played it longing for a sequel. Whether that ever happens or not, the story it told could serve as the basis for an excellent movie. Set in the near future in an indeterminate city that might look a lot like Tokyo, it would naturally include plenty of the stylish imagery that sci-fi thrillers have thrived on for years. While staying loyal to the premise of the game, it would present a man and a woman fighting to survive as they ensure the future of humanity. We’re always up for more of that.
9
Deja Vu
Denzel Washington made a movie called Deja Vu, which roams bargain bins and digital storefronts as a sad reminder that the original game from ICOM Simulations has never been adapted. Deja Vu was a compelling early computer and NES point-and-click adventure game from the people who made the more popular Shadowgate (which was later remade by Zojoi in 2014). It tells the story of a private investigator who woke up in a restroom without any memory of who he was or what led him to that stall. He then had to prove his innocence, even as the police circled and the dangers of a noir-tinged city closed in like the jaws of a steel trap. A series might stretch the tale out too much, but a 90-minute movie would have just enough time to introduce a compelling, treacherous cast of characters and an environment that comes to life. It could become a modern classic, even without Bogart in the starring role.
8
Hotline Miami
This game’s unique sense of style should translate perfectly to the big screen. A faithful adaptation of Hotline Miami would be extremely violent, of course. But blood, neon, and synth blend perfectly to provide the sort of experience a large audience of moviegoers prefers. Someone like Edgar Wright might introduce a softer, more comedic tone that could capture the best of those elements without going overboard. Then again, Park Chan-wook or Gareth Evans might easily lean into the violence and take it to interesting places over the course of a couple of hours.
7
Bloodborne
If H.P. Lovecraft made his own video game, it would surely resemble Bloodborne. And if he made his own movie, it still might resemble Bloodborne, but in cinematic form. That’s just what we’d want from any possible adaptation, which would fare best in the hands of an expert like Guillermo del Toro. He knows how to do gothic, and he could plumb the depths of darkness to capture the unique vibe necessary to bring Yharnam and its denizens to life.
6
Mass Effect
The Halo television series came and went without ever making the impact it ought to have. We can argue about what should have been done differently, or we can imagine a happy future that includes a Mass Effect adaptation. There’s ample lore to support several seasons of episodes set in the vast reaches of space, with Commander Shepard and his allies facing off against one alien threat after another. An episodic approach would establish deeper connections with the characters, while giving the writers time to establish the lore and provide the kind of first-rate entertainment prestige television demands.
5
Perfect Dark
Joanna Dark never found the audience she deserved. She appeared first in 2000’s Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64 and then 2005’s Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360, before a long absence that was supposed to conclude with the release of a new entry on Xbox Series X and PC. With the Perfect Dark reboot canceled by Microsoft back in July, she’s left hanging once more. A big-budget film could pick up those threads to tell a story worth seeing. A director like Luc Besson might be perfect to bring a new chapter to life with a perfect blend of sleek style and action reminiscent of Britain’s own 007.
4
Undertale
Years after its release, Undertale remains a delightful adventure that new audiences continue to discover and enjoy. It presents a charming, slightly dark, and pleasingly complicated world that might work perfectly either as a live-action film or a stylish cartoon. A lively cast of complex characters, along with an endearing protagonist, could serve a variety of approaches. The possibilities here seem nearly endless.
3
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
People remember a variety of things about Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, which appeared on the GameCube more than 20 years ago. We still haven’t stopped talking about the so-called sanity effects, which sometimes broke the fourth wall to leave the player questioning what was real. That vibe would translate perfectly to film in the right director’s hands. A movie could examine history from multiple perspectives as viewers get to know a cast of distinct heroes battling personal demons. It’s easy to imagine the treatment working perfectly either as a fast-paced movie, or as a series with the space to explore its rich canvas more deeply.