novel adaptations
Trying to avoid more indirect adaptations, i.e. ones based on a movie/tv adaptation rather than the book itself, ones based loosely around a famous character rather than a specific story, ones that are just a sequel to a previous video game adaptation (unless they're based on a particular sequel novel). I'll fudge those rules where I feel like it though.
198 Games
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (Spider Robinson, 1977)
The Neverending Story (Michael Ende, 1979)
The Blackstone Chronicles (John Saul, 1996-1997)
Red Storm Rising (Tom Clancy & Larry Bond, 1986)
Parasite Eve (Hideaki Sena, 1995)
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco, 1980)
The Thirteenth Pearl (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1979) & Tour of Danger ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1992)
The Bluebeard Room (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1985)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, 1990-1994)
Mystery Train ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1990)
Moving Pictures (Terry Pratchett, 1990) & Reaper Man (Terry Pratchett, 1991)
The Riftwar Cycle (Raymond E. Feist, 1982-2013) (subsequently novelized as Krondor: The Betrayal (1998))
Azure Bonds (Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb, 1988)
Children of the Rune: Winterer (Jeon Min-hee, 2001)
Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne, 1873)
The Curse of the Black Cat ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2001)
Uncivil Acts ("Carolyn Keene", 2005)
The Phantom of Venice (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1985)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
The Treasure in the Royal Tower ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
When Gravity Fails (George Alec Effinger, 1987)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett, 1989)
Below the Root (Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 1975)
Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence (Nick Bantock, 1991)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Final Scene ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1989)
The Mardi Gras Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1988)
Metro 2033 (Dmitry Glukhovsky, 2002)
The Final Scene ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1994)
The Secret of Shadow Ranch (Mildred Wirt Benson (as Carolyn Keene), 1931)
False Impressions & The Clues Challenge ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1990 & 2001)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (Lewis Carroll, 1871)
Never Deal With a Dragon (Robert N. Charrette, 1990)
The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, & The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Mildred Wirt Benson (as Carolyn Keene), 1930)
The Invincible (Stanisław Lem, 1964)
Captive Witness (Richard Ballad (as Carolyn Keene), 1981)
Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe, 1999-2001)
Inferno (Dante Alighieri, ~1320)
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury, 1953)
Kim (Rudyard Kipling, 1901)
Fire on the Water (Joe Dever & Gary Chalk, 1984)
Flight from the Dark (Joe Dever & Gary Chalk, 1984)
Nancy Drew Ghost Stories ("Carolyn Keene", 1983) & Mystery by Moonlight ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
Neuromancer (William Gibson, 1984)
Team Yankee (Harold Coyle, 1987)
ruthless.com (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1998)
Whispers in the Fog ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2000)
The Mysterious Island (Jules Verne, 1875)
To Hell With the Ugly (Boris Vian [as Vernon Sullivan], 1948)
The Mystery of the Mother Wolf ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
In and Out of Love ("Carolyn Keene", 1997) & The Crime Lab Case ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
The Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux, 1910)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Haunted Carousel (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1983)
Guards! Guards! (Terry Pratchett, 1989)
The Bike Tour Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
Inferno (Dante Alighieri, ~1320)
Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, 1592)
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie, 1940)
The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1964)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams, 1979)
The Secret of the Scarlet Hand ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
Evil Under the Sun (Agatha Christie, 1941)
Death by Design ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1988)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
Gateway (Frederik Pohl., 1977)
Ringworld series (Larry Niven, 1970-2004)
Tai-Pan (James Clavell, 1966)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (Sue Townsend, 1982)
The Awakening (L.J. Smith, 1991)
it might adapt elements from some of the following novels as well, not quite sure, but it far predates the TV series
it might adapt elements from some of the following novels as well, not quite sure, but it far predates the TV series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Greek Symbol Mystery (Nancy Axelrad (as Carolyn Keene), 1980)
The Witcher Saga (Andrzej Sapkowski, 1994-1999)
Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe, 1999-2001)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, 1990-2005)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne, 1873)
Shadow Watch (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1999)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
Stay Tuned for Danger ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1987)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Secrets of the Nile ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
The Difference Engine (William Gibson & Bruce Sterling, 1990)
Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy, 1998)
Peril at End House (Agatha Christie, 1932)
Kâbus (Alev Alatlı, 1999)
Dracula (Bram Stoker, 1897)
Shōgun (James Clavell, 1975)
Rebel Planet (Robin Waterfield, 1985)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Tom Clancy, 1988)
The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy, 1984)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Emerald City of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1910)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone, 1982)
11 Comments
thanks! I think it came up when I was getting the list together but I was having a hard time figuring out which specific Kenji Miyazawa works it was pulling from and whether it might be better suited for my other list, for games based on short stories? I should look into it further
Hmm yeah possibly the short stories list would be a better fit – I haven’t found much info on the specific stories it’s adapting either, and am not familiar with Miyazawa’s work
I love your list! There are novels that I didn't even know had a game.
Definitely need "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" on here!
"I Have No Mouth" is based on a short story so it's on this list instead https://www.backloggd.com/u/jakobvongunten/list/games-based-on-poems-short-stories-and-songs-1/
You missed Shannara when it comes to Legend Entertainment book adaptions.
There's also the Discworld adventure game trilogy and the Infocom Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy interactive fiction game. Also Pilgrim: Faith as a Weapon and Return of the Phantom
Finally I think the Dune RTSes by Westwood would count, unlike the original Cryo adventure game which was clearly based off the Lynch film.
There's also the Discworld adventure game trilogy and the Infocom Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy interactive fiction game. Also Pilgrim: Faith as a Weapon and Return of the Phantom
Finally I think the Dune RTSes by Westwood would count, unlike the original Cryo adventure game which was clearly based off the Lynch film.
have added a few of those but Shannara, Discworld Noir, and the Westwood Dune games are all original plots within the setting of their respective series afaik. Not sure why Hitchhiker's wasn't here already, perhaps when i made the list I thought it was primarily based on the radio series?
The Atlus Megami Tensei isn't actually a direct adaption on the novel, it's a sequel the the first 2 novels (before the 3rd novel released and went in a different direction). I don't know too much about the Telenet one but I believe it's a side story rather then an adaption of the novels.
I am glad someone else already did the work of compiling these. Thanks For Making it. Recently this game called "To Hell With The Ugly" was released, which is a direct adaptation of the Boris Vian novel of the same name, if you wouldnt mind adding it.
thanks! (for both the appreciation & the tip)
TeN
3 years ago