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#Nice video video games you did not know have been impressed by traditional books – Destructoid

For the longest time, many wrote off video video games as works of little depth, a criticism that usually stemmed from the paper skinny plots from online game of outdated. That wouldn’t fly these days.

Many builders these days have taken nice care to inform a fantastic story, usually sneakily taking inspiration from precise literature to gas their extremely wealthy works. Let’s take a look at a number of the finest video games you didn’t know have been influenced by books, we could?

Ken and the main character from Disco Elysium
Picture through ZA/UM

Disco Elysium was impressed by Sacred and Horrible Air by Robert Kurvitz

Taking part in Disco Elysium already feels as enriching as studying a novel, however followers will probably take pleasure in realizing that there’s an precise novel on the market that expands upon the exact same world of the sport. I’m speaking about Sacred and Horrible Air, a novel by the director of Disco Elysium that was solely very just lately made accessible in English and solely due to loving followers.

Equally to the sport, Sacred and Horrible Air tells of a thriller, although one fully unrelated to the one within the recreation. It incorporates a fully totally different forged of characters, one we comply with from childhood to maturity as they attempt to resolve the disappearance of a gaggle of ladies. Sadly, the principle thriller will get no decision by the top of the e book, and we’re unlikely to see it resolved any conclusion anytime quickly. Nonetheless, it is a nice option to enrich our information of that world.

big daddy in bioshock
Picture through 2K Video games

Bioshock is a takedown of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Not all inspiration comes from a spot of adoration. Ever learn one thing you discovered so dumb you simply needed to develop probably the greatest video games of all time so that you clown on its plot in entrance of an enormous viewers? Nicely, I don’t know if that was Ken Levine’s pitch for Bioshock again when he was making an attempt to make it at 2K, however that certain is my Headcanon.

For those who’re unaware, Ayn Rand got here up with “Objectivism”, a philosophy that defended one ought to by no means partake in any motion that didn’t appear to straight profit them. Rand then wrote a thinly-veiled propaganda piece within the guise of a fiction novel, then named it Atlas Shrugged.

When protected by the plot armor of a e book written to put it on the market, Objectivism may sound effective — as long as Atlas Shrugged is the very first thing you’ve ever learn. In the actual world, nonetheless, Objectivism is little greater than a wise-sounding phrase for affected by nearsightedness of the thoughts (and soul). Bioshock tells the story of a metropolis the place Objectivism was the norm. The outcome was not an utopia, however a failed experiment that resulted within the brutal loss of life of everybody concerned — both by town itself, or by the merciful hand of the participant.

Cyberpunk 2077: someone on a red motorcycle shooting at an armored car.
Picture through CD Projekt Crimson/Steam.

Cyberpunk 2077 was impressed by Neuromancer by William Gibson

Whereas Cyberpunk 2077 was primarily based on a recreation of the identical title minus the 2077 half, each issues exist due to Neuromancer, the Sci-Fi dystopian novel accountable for the creation of the entire Cyberpunk style.

Curiously, Gibson doesn’t appear to assume a lot of the sport, having gone so far as deriding it as a GTA clone with ’80s sci-fi aesthetics. Tough, however that’s probably as a result of Gibson believes the sport failed to understand the style’s political messaging, choosing a superficial portrayal centered on displaying off the cool devices as an alternative. So, in the event you assume Cyberpunk 2077 already provided some cool societal commentary, you need to actually give the novel that spawned all of it a shot to see how deep the rabbit gap goes.

Captain Martin Walker, The main character from Spec Ops: The Line
Picture through 2K Video games

Spec Ops: The Line: Coronary heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad

When enjoying Spec Ops: The Line, you may get the sensation you’re enjoying a sneaky trendy adaptation of Apocalypse Now. That’s true, to a level, as the sport did take a number of cues from the super-popular anti-war struggle opus. Nonetheless, each the film and the sport concerning the hunt for a rogue army commander have been closely impressed by Coronary heart Of Darkness.

Coronary heart Of Darkness doesn’t comply with the hunt for a US Military Colonel gone rogue. It was written lengthy earlier than even the Vietnam struggle, so it tells the story of military-unrelated atrocities, this time these by the British ivory commerce. Although the army themes don’t exist within the authentic work, you possibly can see the seeds for The Line being planted, and the huge variations between these three works assure you possibly can take pleasure in every of them individually — with the choice of enjoying Dicaprio’s reference-finding recreation as you please.

Silent Hill 2 Horror
Screenshot by Destructoid

Silent Hill 2 was impressed by Solaris, by Stanisław Lem

Only a few gamers would have guessed the best inspiration behind the psychological nuance of Silent Hill 2 can be a Russian Sci-Fi story a few presumably sentient alien planet, however that’s the reality.

Members of Crew Silent have brazenly mentioned their love for Stanislaw Lem’s work, and you’ll completely see the parallels between the trajectory of the principle characters of the 2 tales, as they each should take care of what feels prefer it may very well be both a miraculous or demonic revival of a misplaced cherished one.

Kratos in God of War HD
Picture through Santa Monica Studio

God Of Battle was impressed by a mixture of 300 by Frank Miller and Homer’s works.

Identical to its gameplay, which rigorously mixes a bunch of standard parts from its time, the unique God Of Battle trilogy takes a whole lot of its seems to be from Frank Miller’s 300, which is form of like a gritty reimagining of the historical past and traditional literary works of historic Greece.

Curiously, nonetheless, whereas God Of Battle was impressed by the 300 graphic novel, the visuals — particularly the cool movement results — of the 300 movie adaptation by Zack Snyder took some heavy cues from the seems to be of God Of Battle.

Picture through Hakusensha, Darkish Horse Comics, From Software program

Darkish Souls and Elden Ring have been impressed by the Berserk Manga by Kentaro Miura

Whereas FromSoft employed the legendary George R.R. Martin to give you the recreation’s superb world, the studio had already been a longtime fan of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk collection, and it exhibits. Lots of the darkest themes in Darkish Souls and Elden Ring have been already current in Berserk, and creator Hidetaka Miyazaki doesn’t shy from displaying it off.

If you recognize Berserk and take a look at do do a ingesting recreation the place you are taking a shot for everytime you encounter a Berserk reference, likelihood is you may encounter the “You died” display screen in actual life. Don’t do this, however make certain to take pleasure in all the attractive references and tributes to the late mangaka current in Elden Ring.

Black Myth: Wukong playable character
Picture through Sport Science

Black Fantasy: Wukong was impressed by Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en

The builders at Sport Science knew they wanted to convey their A recreation in the event that they have been to create a recreation that would go toe to toe with the Souls collection each gameplay and lore-wise, so that they made the safest-possible alternative. A giant a part of Wukong is impressed by Journey To The West, a sixteenth century Chinese language epic a few magical trickster monkey warrior who wielded a magical workers in battle.

If Wukong appears cozily acquainted to you, it’s probably as a result of Journey To The West is without doubt one of the most influential “Hero’s Journey” tales in historical past. In case you possibly can’t put your finger on it, then sure, this was additionally the literary work accountable for inspiring the Dragon Ball manga and anime.

STALKER 2: a silhouette of a solider walks towards some decrepit trees lit by sunlight.
Screenshot by Destructoid

S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl was impressed by Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Few folks know S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. and S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2 have been primarily based on an arthouse movie of the identical title (minus edgy acronym dotting) by Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. That’s comprehensible, because the film lacks the gun violence on the poor mutant inhabitants of the zone that permeates the video games. Nonetheless, probably the most fascinating half is how even the film is already impressed by one thing else. That’s Roadside Picnic, a sci-fi novel with a reputation even much less marketable for motion followers. The perfect half is how Roadside Picnic gives an expertise already so distant from the video games which you can completely take pleasure in them as one thing just about new.

books for fans of assassin's creed
Picture through Ubisoft

Murderer’s Creed was impressed by Alamut by Vladimir Bartol

The Murderer’s Creed collection of video games options its personal collection of novels, however that’s only a trick the assassins pulled to maneuver you away from the entire thing’s actual origin. It’s all primarily based on Alamut, a 1938 novel by Vladimir Bartol.

Alamut tells the story of a sect of assassins in eleventh century Persia, and, better of all, it’s primarily based actually. Sure, the assassins you see within the recreation are considerably primarily based in an actual crew of badass assassins. The animus and all of the sci-fi synchronization shenanigans, nonetheless, is both a fabrication made by the devs, or one thing the unique novel didn’t assume to declassify.


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