Summary
Withvideo games slowly evolvingto become a complex medium full of everything from cathartic gameplay experiences to enrapturing stories, it’s easy to see why some games take inspiration from real-life literature to become as captivating as possible. These books go a long way in helping establish a diverse world full of unique things and occurrences to keep in mind.
Players who love their fair share of video games will love some novels that have played a huge role in shaping the biggest titles that players are aware of. These books are fun to read through and do a great job of letting players imagine a world that they’re already familiar with in some capacity.
8Metro 2033
Inspired: The Metro Series
TheMetroseries of games features some of the best experiences players can subject themselves to, especially if they love nail-biting gameplay with a focus on surviving in a hostile environment. These games were inspired by a Russian novel that explores the life of a group of survivors in the wake of a nuclear holocaust.
Exploring the claustrophobic underground metro and dealing with the many mutants that can damage a player’s gear is a harrowing experience every single time. Most players who love the Metro series will be thankful for the novel that started it all.
7Roadside Picnic
Inspired: The STALKER Series
Roadside Picnicis one of the most influential philosophical science fiction novels ever, paving the way for a series that fans are quite familiar with. The anomalies and death-defying shootoutsofSTALKERhave turned it into a hardcore gem that owes its success to this popular book.
The stories take place in a world where aliens have visited the Earth and caused several anomaly zones to crop up all over the world. Roadside Picnic depicts the life of a scavenger willing to risk his life to enter these zones and acquire valuable artifacts.
6Heart Of Darkness
Inspired: Spec Ops: The Line
A novel ahead of its time,Heart of Darknessis a tale that explores twisted power dynamics and the lack of morality that can be witnessed in the elite class. Its social commentary makes it a powerful piece of fiction that has inspired several other creations, including one of the best story-driven third-person shooters of all time.
Spec Ops: The Lineis a game that masks itself as a run-of-the-mill generic military shooter, only to throw a curveball later on and let players experience one of the greatest narratives they can enjoy in a video game. This harrowing tale is a critique of military violence and how this act is turned into a source of entertainment in games, which is way deeper than anyone could’ve assumed the plot would go when they booted upSpec Ops: The Line.
5The Witcher
Inspired: The Witcher Series
The Witcherstarted as a collection of short stories before eventually becoming a long-running series and one of Sapkowski’s most notable works. However, there’s no denying that these books became popular courtesy of a video game trilogy inspired by this dark fantasy series that became one of the biggest names in the video game industry.
BothThe Witcherand its sequelenjoyed modest critical and commercial success, but all of this was just a stepping stone forThe Witcher 3to worm its way into the hearts of many as one of the greatest open-world action RPGs ever made. Players love Geralt of Rivia and his friends, turning them into some of the most beloved fictional characters of all time who were brought to life by Sapkowski’s literary flair.
4Parasite Eve
Inspired: The Parasite Eve Series
Parasite Eveis the rare example of a SquareSoft JRPG that tackled mature themes, didn’t overstay its welcome, and essentially served as a sequel to the novel that inspired this game. Hideaki Sena’s book documents the story of a perfect being who seeks out an appropriate human host to help humanity evolve.
However, her methods are too drastic and horrifying to be justified, and her plan eventually fails after things don’t align with her grand vision. The seeds sown by this plot madeParasite Evea tantalizing video game adaptation that serves as a decent standalone entry and doesn’t force players into having in-depth knowledge of the novel that is responsible for the game’s existence.
3Harry Potter
Inspired: Countless Harry Potter Games, Including Hogwarts Legacy
J.K. Rowling may be one of the most controversial celebrities in modern times, but there’s no denying that this literary genius molded an entire generation of readers with her work ontheHarry Potterseries. The magical setting of Hogwarts has inspired several popular video games that fans can’t get enough of.
From some underrated direct adaptations of the story to one of the biggest open-world RPGs of 2023, it’s easy to see whyHarry Potter’s influence on the world of video games is profound.Hogwarts Legacymay be the best game set in this universe, but there’s still a long way to go before it truly elicits the charm of this series that turnedHarry Potterinto a household name.
2I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream
Inspired: A Video Game Of The Same Name
One of the most disturbing stories readers can check out,I Have No Mouth, and I Must Screamis a harrowing talewhere a supercomputer eradicates the entirety of humanity, leaving just five survivors alive whom he can torment for the end of his days. Their tales deal with some harsh themes that some readers may not be able to stomach.
As a result, it’s easy to see why the video game adaptation of this novel would be quite harrowing to play through. However, the expanded story ofI Have No Mouth, and I Must Screammakes it a great game to check out for players who can deal with their fair share of disturbing content, especially if they’re fans of classic point-and-click games.
1The Adventures Of Pinocchio
Inspired: Lies Of P
The Soulslike genre has gained steam following the release ofDark Souls, and one of the best titles from a developer other than FromSoftware that players can check outisLies of P. Aside from a focus on too many multi-phase boss fights, the Victorian world ofLies of Pis dripping with atmosphere and a blast to check out.
The fact that this game’s world is inspired by Pinocchio’s story gives this game more staying power than most people would assume. The story is tantalizing enough to do justice to Carlo Collodi’s tale and adds another captivating layer to the game’s tantalizing action combat.
