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
Parasite Eve (Hideaki Sena, 1995)
Metro 2033 (Dmitry Glukhovsky, 2002)
Inferno (Dante Alighieri, ~1320)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (Lewis Carroll, 1871)
The Witcher Saga (Andrzej Sapkowski, 1994-1999)
The Invincible (Stanisław Lem, 1964)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, 1592)
Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne, 1873)
Chaos Legion (Tow Ubukata, 2003)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937)
Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy, 1998)
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954-1955)
Mystery Train ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1990)
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886)
The Final Scene ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1994)
The Broken Anchor (Sharon Wagner (as Carolyn Keene), 1983)
Digital Devil Story trilogy (Aya Nishitani, 1986-1988)
Kâbus (Alev Alatlı, 1999)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
The Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain, 1876)
The Greek Symbol Mystery (Nancy Axelrad (as Carolyn Keene), 1980)
Tai-Pan (James Clavell, 1966)
Tai-Pan (James Clavell, 1966)
The Swiss Family Robinson (Johann David Wyss, 1812)
Stay Tuned for Danger ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1987)
How to Be a Complete Bastard (Adrian Edmondson, Mark Leigh & Mike Lepine, 1986)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Evil Under the Sun (Agatha Christie, 1941)
Flight from the Dark (Joe Dever & Gary Chalk, 1984)
Seas of Blood (Andrew Chapman, 1985)
Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe, 1999-2001)
Murder off Miami (Dennis Wheatley, 1936)
The Thirteenth Pearl (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1979) & Tour of Danger ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1992)
Peril at End House (Agatha Christie, 1932)
The Way of the Tiger series (Mark Smith & Jamie Thomson, 1985-1987)
Shōgun (James Clavell, 1975)
The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown, 2003)
Dragonflight and sequels (Anne McCaffrey, 1968-1979)
Never Deal With a Dragon (Robert N. Charrette, 1990)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Moving Pictures (Terry Pratchett, 1990) & Reaper Man (Terry Pratchett, 1991)
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett, 1989)
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Lewis Carroll, 1871)
Dracula (Bram Stoker, 1897)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone, 1982)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie, 1940)
Politika (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1997)
Storm Boy (Colin Thiele, 1964)
To Hell With the Ugly (Boris Vian [as Vernon Sullivan], 1948)
Below the Root (Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 1975)
The Iliad (Homer, 850-630 BCE)
Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, 1592)
False Impressions & The Clues Challenge ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1990 & 2001)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, 1990-2005)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (Jules Verne, 1870)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
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
The Mardi Gras Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1988)
The Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux, 1910)
Damiano trilogy (R.A. MacAvoy, 1983-1984)
The Colour of Magic (Terry Pratchett, 1983)
The Witch Tree Symbol (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1955)
The Hidden Staircase (Mildred Wirt Benson (as Carolyn Keene), 1930)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie, 1937)
Uncivil Acts ("Carolyn Keene", 2005)
Whispers in the Fog ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2000)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960)
Ringworld series (Larry Niven, 1970-2004)
Guards! Guards! (Terry Pratchett, 1989)
The Difference Engine (William Gibson & Bruce Sterling, 1990)
Mystery on Maui (Elizabeth Nugent (as Carolyn Keene), 1998)
Nansō Satomi Hakkenden [aka The Eight Dog Chronicles] (Kyokutei Bakin, 1814-1842)
Fire on the Water (Joe Dever & Gary Chalk, 1984)
The Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, 1990-1994)
Rebel Planet (Robin Waterfield, 1985)
Demons Don't Dream (Piers Anthony, 1993)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Bike Tour Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
The Fourth Protocol (Frederick Forsyth, 1984)
The Canterbury Tales, (Geoffrey Chaucer, ~1400)
Bedlam (Christopher Brookmyre, 2013)
The Mist (Stephen King, 1980)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1964)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937)
Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe, 1999-2001)
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (Spider Robinson, 1977)
Brave Story (Miyuki Miyabe, 1999-2001)
Congo (Michael Crichton, 1980)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Seasons of Heaven (Nicolas Augusto, 2016)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Falcon: The Renegade Lord (Mark Smith, 1985)
The Bluebeard Room (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1985)
The Secret of the Scarlet Hand ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
Ulysses (James Joyce, 1922)
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