Summary
Films from the 80sare no strangers to hopping from the big screen to the screen right inside the player’s home, but many have been left in the dust with no playable version under their belt. With so much untapped potential and the trend of ’80s nostalgia still going strong, it feels inevitable for some of these timeless classics to make their return in a whole new way.
While film franchises such asPredatorandIndiana Joneshave their fair share of games, many other series aren’t nearly as lucky. Just as many others haven’t received video game adaptations in a long time, or haven’t been properly used, and could surely use a revamp for the modern era.These next movies from the 80s are primed for a modern video game adaptation.
Die Hardhas had its fair share of game adaptations in the past, but none have truly captured that feeling of being John McClane. Now, on modern consoles, a first-person action-stealth game would be ideal for providing the player with just that. It’s one man against the world, and there is no better game for it to be based on thanFar Cry.
Centralize the open worlds of theFar Cryseries into one massive skyscraper, and it really becomes a John McClane simulator.Sneak up behind terrorists, and when the player gets caught, go guns blazing. When the player has to survive on pure intuition and skill, it’s not too far of a leap to take to make them go Yippee Ki-Yay.
When considering settings that blend the fantastical with a heavy dose of comedy, these two franchises immediately come to mind. The fast and funny dialogue ofFable alreadyfeels like it’s straight out ofThe Princess Bride, so the logical next step would be to give players the opportunity to play around in that setting.
Swordfighting with Inigo Montoya, swashbuckling with Westley, and arm-wrestling Fezzik, there are plenty of opportunities to truly explore these characters and get to know them. Combining high-flying action and sharp dialogue has already made for incredible RPGs in the past; throwing in Buttercup would simply add to the charm.
A cartoony noir parody with lovable characters and a consistently gripping story is a perfect recipe for aTelltale Games-style narrativeadventure. After all, it’s been done before with theSam & Maxtrilogy byTelltale Games. TurningWho Framed Roger Rabbitinto an episodic mystery for the player to solve would be a no-brainer.
Treating this as a soft remake of the movie, with diverging paths from the iconic story to make it wholly the players' own, or as a fully unique sequel, there are plenty of directions to take the story, all of which would be equally exciting. Solving a brand-new mystery alongside Roger and Jessica Rabbit while encountering a whole new cast of characters, with some cameos in tow, would spark that same magic from years gone by.
Freddy Krueger has been dormant for many years now, in both the worlds of film and video games. His iconic claws have sunk into various modern games, most recentlyMortal Kombat (2011)andDead By Daylight, but these have all been Freddy placed among a cavalcade of characters, never as the star of the show.
The dream-like setting of theSilent Hillfranchise is the perfect basis for a truly nightmarishA Nightmare on Elm Streetvideo game. With the success of Bloober Team’sSilent Hill 2,there’s a clear demand for more games like it. Trying to escape the clutches of Freddy Krueger through ever-changing dream hallways, knowing full well that he’s controlling every single aspect of the world, would create a nightmare like no other.
The land of Oz is colorful, whimsical, and truly enchanting.Return to Oz, however, turned that completely on its head, adding surprisingly bone-chilling elements to the wonderful world of Oz. The Wheelers, a creature that acts as this film’s flying monkey, has stuck in many viewers' heads ever since.
This darker interpretation of Oz is the perfectfit for a Soulslike experience, withLies of Pbeing a suitablecomparison. Corrupting thesefairy-tale legends into something much darkerhas proven successful before; with an iconic setting like Oz, it would, without a doubt, work once more. Traversing Oz and teaming up with revamped allies to take on nasty foes in nail-biting close-call combat would fit like a ruby slipper.
Top Gun: Maverickblew cinemas away in 2022, giving audience members from around the world the drive to fly around in an F-14A Tomcat. Bandai Namco gave players that chance with theTop Gun: MaverickDLC forAce Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Despite this already coming to fruition, there is so much more to tap into.
Putting players directly in the Mach 10 missions of bothTop Gun: Maverickand the originalTop Gunwould be captivating beyond belief.The comm chatter between Maverick and Iceman, the downtime between missions, and of course, thethrilling dogfights. These would all blend together to give players the ultimateTop Gunexperience.
Iconic ’80s comedies aren’t the first thing one would think of for a video game adaptation, but bizarrely enough,National Lampoon’s Vacationwould lend itself perfectly to the fast-paced arcade-style action ofCrazy Taxi.Controlling Clark Griswald and blasting from point to point in an effort to appease the Griswald family, all while keeping his rage in check, would work perfectly to try and hit a top score.
Giving players free rein over a classic Americana-style landscape with various landmarks to hit and secrets to uncover would make this all too addictive. Throw in witty dialogue, wacky characters, and a record scratch toHoliday Road, and it’s a niche, but perfectly fitting success.
To be a true bio-exorcist, a player needs to learn how to multitask. A couch co-opparty gamelike theOvercookedseries is the perfect place to drop Betelgeuse himself, allowing players to scare (or annoy) patrons trying to live in different homes like the titular spirit does inBeetlejuice. This fast-paced, hectic gameplay loop could stir up quite the fright among any good friend group.
Pulling up the ghostly striped pants as the player’s very own custom character, or running around as Adam or Barbara, concocting new ways to make any human unlucky enough to enter into the player’s domain scream their lungs out, would never get boring. Once a level is all said and done, whoever does the spookiest job would finally find out who’s really the ghost with the most.
Putting players in the sunglasses of Nada would make for a fantasticsocial deduction game. That’s undeniable. Figuring out who’s who in a world where anyone could be anyone isMafia101, but taking this idea and squeezing it into a single-player game based onThey Livecould make for an even more engaging experience.
Taking the sunglasses away and having the player try to figure out by the skin of their teeth who’s truly human would make for a brow-sweating experience that hasn’t been seen sincePapers, Please. Fighting through lies and deception, unable to truly discern whether the choices the player makes are right or wrong until the very last second, it all adds up to an otherworldly experience.
Giving players the reins over cinema’s wildest creatures is a recipe for delicious disaster. There’s an argument to be made that there’s a funasymmetric multiplayer game, akin toDead By Daylight, to be found inGremlins, but giving players the full freedom to do whatever they want as a Gremlin of their making is far more in tune with the franchise.
Throwing the Gremlins into any setting works, so long as they’re destroying things. Whether it’s the big city, a suburb, or even the far reaches of space, they will always find a way to bring terror to the populace. Having the option to cause chaos alone or with a group of friends for maximum chaos, like inGoat Simulator,would make for the ultimate mayhem-loaded sandbox.
