Video gameadaptationshave never been as popular as they have been in the past few years. Not only have TV shows likeArcane,Fallout,andThe Last of Usbeen met with incredible praise, but the film adaptations ofSonic the HedgehogandSuper Mariohave both been major box office successes, withThe Super Mario Bros. Movieeven becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
The video game adaptation curseis largely dead, and that especially shows itself with anime. As bad a history as video game anime have, recent projects likeCastlevaniaandNier: Automata Ver1.1ahave done great jobs of bringing their original games to life, and with those examples in mind,the recent uptick in quality for video game anime adaptations shows that there’s more than enough reason for that to become a trend for years to come. Naturally, there are plenty of video games old and new that are deserving of that treatment, and each one is plenty worth highlighting.
Maddy Makes Games’Celesteis a platformer starring Madeline, a young woman plagued by anxiety and depression who decides to climb Celeste Mountain in an attempt at self-improvement. The mountain repeatedly challenges Madeline on a physical, emotional, and even mystical level, however, and in her quest for self-improvement, it will Madeline everything she has to survive.
Not only isCeleste’s artwork and style of gameplay the kind of material that would translate very well into animation under the right studio, butCeleste’s mature and thoughtful narrative about depression and the importance of learning to accept yourself make it the kind of story anyone can relate to, no matter where they are in life. It’s a surprisingly touching story in the best of ways, and an anime would serve to bring its best qualities out even further.
Vanillaware’sMuramasa: The Demon Bladeis a side-scrolling beat ’em up set in a fantastical take on Genroku-era Japan. The shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi has thrown the nation into chaos over his desire to own the legendary Demon Blades, and unwittingly wrapped up in all of it are Momohime, the princess of a small province possessed by a deadly samurai, and Kisuke, an amnesiac ninja on the run from his clansmen.
Not only does the game have some of the most stylish side-scrolling action of any video game, butthe wayMuramasa: The Demon Bladehandles its stories both separately and as an interwoven narrative makes for a surprisingly compelling narrative that always has something that can keep people interested, no matter the circumstances.Muramasa: The Demon Bladeis a cult classic for a reason, and the right anime adaptation could do wonders to show off why it’s so beloved.
Insomniac Games’Ratchet & Clankis the long-running platformer and third-person shooter franchise starring the duo of the alien Ratchet and the robot Clank. Each game sees Ratchet and Clank travel across the galaxy to save people from a new cataclysmic threat, and despite its simplistic origins, each new game sees the stories and characters within them gradually mature.
Ratchet & Clank’s great combat and character designs, combined with its writing that always strikes a perfect balance between comedy and heart, has made it one of the most iconic Western video games of the past 20 years, and that hasn’t changed, even with how much the series has slowed down in recent years. The 2016 film was a critical and financial failure, but if given an adaptation that was more faithful to the original games, it would surely be just as fun, if not more so.
Game Freak’sPokémon Legends: Arceusis a spinoff of the iconicPokémonfranchise employing an open world-esque gameplay. The player character is a child chosen by Arceus, the God of thePokémonworld, to go back in time to Hisui i.e. ancient Sinnoh and catch all the Pokémon there, and doing so quickly puts them at the center of a conflict that could destroy the very fabric of the universe, itself.
Between the open world setting, the element of Pokémon attacking you in the wild, and a vibrant and engaging narrative,Pokémon Legends: Arceusis one of the bestPokémonexperiences in recent years for how much it tries and succeeds at changingPokémon’s formula. Seeing a full-fledged anime adaptation would only further emphasize how great the story is, and with other spinoffsgetting that treatment in the past, there’s a clear precedent for Arceus doing the same.
Team Cherry’sHollow Knightis a Metroidvania set in Hallownest, a desolate kingdom for anthropomorphic bug people. Many years ago, Hallownest fell to ruin when it was overrun by The Infection, a supernatural disease infecting far too many with madness, and for reasons unknown, a young bug known only as the Knight has taken it upon themself to venture into Hallownest and find a way to end The Infection for good.
Not only would the artwork and action both translate perfectly into animation, as seen with a show likeCastlevania, butthe haunting and twisting narrative ofHollow Knightmakes for a very compelling narrative that emphasizes the dark imagery in the best of ways.Hollow Knighthas been iconic ever since its Indie release in 2017, and withHollow Knight’s sequel,Hollow Knight: Silksongseemingly delayed indefinitely, an anime would be the best way to capitalize on its success.
Supergiant Games’Hadesis a roguelike starring Zagreus, the son of Hades and prince of the underworld. After spending his entire life trapped in the underworld, Zagreus now wishes to escape to learn the truth about his birth mother, Persephone, but Hades, of course, won’t allow that, thus putting him in a cycle of death and rebirth whenever he tries to escape.
In addition to its punishing roguelike gameplay, all of which would make for great action in an animated sequence,Hades’ story is one that’s filled with great action and character writing that only gets better with each subsequent playthrough as the player slowly grows accustomed to the game. It’s a great game that uses stylish action to cover up a deeper story, and it would be great to watch that play out in animation.
Atlus’Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Sagais a spinoff of the iconic JRPG franchiseShin Megami Tensei. The ongoing feud between the six tribes of the Junkyard is escalated when the arrival of the mysterious Sera gives everyone demonic powers at the cost of uncontrollable cannibalistic urges. Now, the tribes are being offered a chance at Nirvana by killing the other tribes and capturing Sera, and it falls onto the Embryon to protect Sera and discover the truth of their world.
While not as well known as otherShin Megami Tenseigames,Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga’s unique mystery plot and narrative centered around what it means to be human gives it one of the most engaging narratives of anyShin Megami Tenseigame. Add in an incredible presentation through its artwork and soundtrack, and it’s a game that’s just asking for a great anime adaptation.
Atlus’Metaphor: ReFantaziois an original JRPG made by Studio Zero, a sub-studio founded by Katsura Hoshino ofPersonafame. After the murder of the king of Euchronia, a tournament is announced to decide the new king, and a young boy named Will must gather together allies and awaken to an ancient power to stop the king’s murderer from taking the throne and throwing the world into chaos.
Not only does the game put an interesting spin onShin Megami Tensei’s combat with itstokusatsuaesthetic, butthe writing, visuals, and overall aesthetic ofMetaphor: ReFantaziois a perfect melding of the dark atmosphere ofShin Megami Tenseiand the lightheartedness ofPersona, resulting in a story that ultimately surpasses both in nearly every regard.Metaphor: ReFantaziohas been nothing but a success since its debut, and with that in mind, an anime adaptation is the next logical step.
Square Enix’sLive A Liveis a JRPG where players play through seven different stories set across seven different time periods, stretching from the ancient past into the distant future. While the stories seem unrelated at first, playing through them slowly reveals a deep connection underneath the surface, all of which is centered around a mysterious figure named Odio who finds his way into everyone’s stories.
The game’s unique take on turn-based action is one thing, but more than that,Live A Live’s unique narrative works not only for fun, episodic adventures, but it all comes together for a thrilling singular narrative that perfectly plays off of everything that came before it.Live A Livehas one of the best stories of any JRPG, and it would be great to see how that translates into animation.
Square Enix’sKingdom Heartsis an iconic JRPG franchise that mixes the aesthetics ofFinal Fantasyand Disney. After his world is destroyed by the Heartless, series protagonist Sora must harness the power of the legendary Keyblade and travel from one Disney world after another to find his friends and save the universe from one new threat after another, all with Donald and Goofy by his side at the behest of Mickey Mouse.
The incredible action that always finds ways to evolve would, of course, be great to see in animation, but better still is howKingdom Hearts’ overall narrative is one that combines complex plotting with heartfelt comedy and character writing for a story that always gets the most of its bizarre premise. There are few video games as iconic asKingdom Hearts, and because of that, it easily stands as thebest video game that needs an anime.
