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Could Stephen King's books/universe make for good games?

Nida

Nida

Member
Aug 31, 2019
11,281
Everett, Washington
Started Castle Rock S2 last night and am enjoying it so far. Got me thinking about the potential for games set in the world he has created, but not necessarily following the plot of the books. Adventure games would make sense, but I do wonder if an RPG in the world of the Dark Tower could be done. All his books and short stories are being turned into movies or series, but I don't know that there has ever been a game. Would the studios that picked up the rights for movies control what properties could be used in games, or is that a completely different licensing deal? They could just license his name like Tom Clancy and make games under that banner. I could see them doing really well.

What kinds of games would you want to see?
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
116,771
I don't think the Dark Tower is adaptable. It's one of those stories that they KEEP TRYING to adapt to other formats and it just never comes together.

Beyond that, I don't know. King's stories don't really feel like they'd be suited for video games. Like maybe some kind of Telltale-style adventure game if he wrote it WITH the developers, but that's about it. I don't think any of his existing works would be able to turn into a game without losing a ton in translation.
 
Platy

Platy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,829
Brazil
Dark Tower yes .... not sure about any other

i mean if you are not talking about adventures or visual novel what can you do with stuff like misery ?

unless you think adapting stuff like adapting Christine into a Carmagedoom like racing game is a good adaptation

...then Silent Hill is pretty much The Mist xD
 
Z-Beat

Z-Beat

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,922
PlanetSmasher said:
Beyond that, I don't know. King's stories don't really feel like they'd be suited for video games. Like maybe some kind of Telltale-style adventure game if he wrote it WITH the developers, but that's about it. I don't think any of his existing works would be able to turn into a game without losing a ton in translation.
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His endings tend to be the weakest part so pawning that agency off on the player works well, lol
 
Carn

Carn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,991
The Netherlands
Nida said:
Started Castle Rock S2 last night and am enjoying it so far. Got me thinking about the potential for games set in the world he has created, but not necessarily following the plot of the books. Adventure games would make sense, but I do wonder if an RPG in the world of the Dark Tower could be done. All his books and short stories are being turned into movies or series, but I don't know that there has ever been a game. Would the studios that picked up the rights for movies control what properties could be used in games, or is that a completely different licensing deal? They could just license his name like Tom Clancy and make games under that banner. I could see them doing really well.

What kinds of games would you want to see?
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Click to shrink...

Well, The Dark Tower connects with a big part of King's works. One could imagine an RPG-esque game set in TDT-world, but having areas/quests linking with other King-stories. A bit like Kingdom Hearts does it with Disney-properties. It would all be 'alternative universe' kinda stuff but I would be interested in something like this.
 
Javier23

Javier23

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,904
I mean, sure, but you don't really need to license his stuff to do anything horror-related you couldn't do under any other name. Much about his style gets lost in translation onto other mediums anyway.

Alan Wake, to mention one, is one game that's very explicit about drawing inspiration from Stephen King. It still goes for its own vibe.
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
Maybe not King's work specifically but a shared universe of horror games would be pretty rad.
 
Fatmanp

Fatmanp

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,440
They could adapt the world of the dark tower but I don't think a faithful recreation would result in an interesting game.
 
OP
OP
Nida

Nida

Member
Aug 31, 2019
11,281
Everett, Washington
Platy said:
Dark Tower yes .... not sure about any other

i mean if you are not talking about adventures or visual novel what can you do with stuff like misery ?

unless you think adapting stuff like adapting Christine into a Carmagedoom like racing game is a good adaptation

...then Silent Hill is pretty much The Mist xD
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Yeah I figured going the Castle Rock route where a game is set in his locals, and characters pop up throughout.

S2 of Castle Rock for example is using elements of Misery, Salem's Lot and others to tell an original story.
 
Jhey Cyphre

Jhey Cyphre

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,123
The Dark Tower could easily be adapted into anything. By the stories very nature it could fit into just about any genre and still make sense within the context of it's story. How those boneheads messed up that movie is beyond on me.

Carn said:
Well, The Dark Tower connects with a big part of King's works. One could imagine an RPG-esque game set in TDT-world, but having areas/quests linking with other King-stories. A bit like Kingdom Hearts does it with Disney-properties. It would all be 'alternative universe' kinda stuff but I would be interested in something like this.
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Exactly. Thank you.

Also it wouldn't be an alternate anything. Everything fits into that story.
 
Fatoy

Fatoy

Member
Mar 13, 2019
7,269
King is great at small town drama but less so at directly supernatural stuff, so I'd quite like to see him script something like Life Is Strange or Night In The Woods.
 
kyoya

kyoya

Member
Dec 26, 2017
119
A game based on The Shining, playing from the perspective of Danny would be awesome, it's long overdue.
 
ContraWars

ContraWars

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,517
Canada
Dark Tower would make for a good JRPG.

It's all about the power of friendship, saving the world, and it is full of stupid Deus Ex Machina after King got hit by the mini van.
 

dep9000

Banned
Mar 31, 2020
5,401
Sure. They wouldn't be the shoot shoot bang bang type of games, but many of them absolutely could be made into games. The Shining could be a dope horror game!
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
116,771
Z-Beat said:
His endings tend to be the weakest part so pawning that agency off on the player works well, lol
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Click to shrink...

Oof. You're not wrong. I still remember hearing how he almost fucked up the end of 11/22/63 before his son read it and rewrote it for him. The new ending isn't GOOD but it's a lot better than the original one King had planned.
 
Ryuelli

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
I could see an adaptation of IT working pretty well as a Persona-esque RPG. It wouldn't be exactly the same as the book, but I think "Kids gathering up the courage to confront creepy thing in their town that awakens every 27 years and feeds on fear" is vague enough that you could work with it. Have each of IT's appearances as boss battles, have the sewers be a dungeon you can periodically visit that has a "fear" mechanic where initially you can only survive so long before you die/are kicked out/whatever, but the more time you spend in them, the better items you find, which helps you survive longer in your next run. When you're not in the sewers leveling up, you're spending time with friends which would mechanically be similar to confidants in Persona. Maybe this could even be where the "adult" parts come in, and who you decide to spend time with throughout the game determines who makes it to the end.
 
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
The templates for a Langoliers game already existed when it first came out

images


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Rattlethyhead

Rattlethyhead

Member
Jan 7, 2019
233
Die hard SK fan here, and the answer is not in a way that would make die hards happy. They would have to change too much about the source material. And SKs work is much MUCH to personal to tell a compelling story using those characters and doing them justice. No matter them gameplay style they choose, it won't work. The only way would be to destroy what makes the source (books) so special.

That said, thank you for this thread. I'm excited to read it and see if someone can prove me wrong.
 
PRomeotheus

PRomeotheus

Member
May 29, 2018
192
I can see something based on his universe, like Tom Clancy. Having the liberty of doing something as long as the feeling is the same, as Alan Wake did. Frankly, I think that's the main reason why Castle Rock works. Because it's not based on one of his particular books but based on his "universe".

But to use one specific book or series, like Dark Tower. I don't know. I enjoy Stephen King's novels but out of their original medium, they tend to be silly. That's the main reason why almost all their adaptations end up being heavily edited.

For example, I loved Duma Key, and while in the universe of the book, it made sense for a painting to kill people, imagining that in a visual medium sounds like out of a B-movie.
 
sredgrin

sredgrin

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,276
I can see adventure games. Maybe something along the lines of Deadly Premonition set in Castle Rock.
 
NoPiece

NoPiece

Member
Oct 28, 2017
304
skeezx

skeezx

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,332
you could do all kinds of shit with dark tower. anything, really

as for "stephen king games" writ large though i dunno... you'll get a lot of run of the mill 'horror' games with his name slopped on top if they go that direction
 
Arcia

Arcia

Member
Oct 27, 2017
662
Houston, TX
If you squint, isn't Kingdom Hearts basically a Dark Tower video game? I mean, they're going to other worlds through magic doors, different realities are colliding, antagonist(s) wear black...
 
DixieDean82

DixieDean82

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,837
Give me Misery in VR.

Kathy Bates coming at your ankles with a sledgehammer while you're tied up to a bed would be the most fucked up thing.
 

Deleted member 543

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,065
I feel that King's work is so ingrained into our culture it works better inspiring other works, similar to how the best Lovecraftian properties aren't direct adaptations of Lovecraft stories. Life is Strange and Oxenfree definitely had some King DNA, along with their other influences. Hearts of Stone was wonderful as it basically pitted Geralt against not-the Man in Black.
 
DixieDean82

DixieDean82

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
11,837
How about how Shawshank redemption - the video game?

The valve for money with this game would be incredible. It takes about 20 years complete it. But just keep chipping away at it and you'll get there.
 
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