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
The Emerald City of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1910)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1900)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1900) & The Marvelous Land of Oz (L. Frank Baum, 1904)
The Witcher Saga (Andrzej Sapkowski, 1994-1999)
TekWar series (William Shatner & Ron Goulart, 1989-1997)
The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, 1990-2005)
We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury, 1989)
The Way of the Tiger series (Mark Smith & Jamie Thomson, 1985-1987)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
The Iliad (Homer, 850-630 BCE)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone, 1982)
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954-1955)
From the Earth to the Moon (Jules Verne, 1865), Around the Moon (Jules Verne, 1870) & The First Men in the Moon (H.G. Wells, 1901)
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
Ubik (Philip K. Dick, 1969)
Ulysses (James Joyce, 1922)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Treasure Island [aka Sea Cook: A Story for Boys] (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
ruthless.com (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1998)
Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy, 1998)
Politika (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1997)
To Hell With the Ugly (Boris Vian [as Vernon Sullivan], 1948)
Timeline (Michael Crichton, 1999)
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Lewis Carroll, 1871)
The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas, 1844)
The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas, 1844)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
Temple of Terror (Ian Livingstone, 1985)
Team Yankee (Harold Coyle, 1987)
Tarzan the Untamed (Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1920)
Children of the Rune: Winterer (Jeon Min-hee, 2001)
Tai-Pan (James Clavell, 1966)
Tai-Pan (James Clavell, 1966)
The Swiss Family Robinson (Johann David Wyss, 1812)
Water Margin (Shi Nai'an, late 1300s)
Storm Boy (Colin Thiele, 1964)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain, 1876)
Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, 1592)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)
The Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1954)
Never Deal With a Dragon (Robert N. Charrette, 1990)
Shadow Watch (Jerome Preisler, Tom Clancy & Martin Greenberg, 1999)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (Sue Townsend, 1982)
Seasons of Heaven (Nicolas Augusto, 2016)
Seas of Blood (Andrew Chapman, 1985)
The Scoop (The Detection Club, 1930)
Nansō Satomi Hakkenden [aka The Eight Dog Chronicles] (Kyokutei Bakin, 1814-1842)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Saga of Erik the Viking (Terry Jones, 1983)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 1300s)
The Robots of Dawn (Isaac Asimov, 1983)
Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe, 1719)
The Canterbury Tales, (Geoffrey Chaucer, ~1400)
Ringworld series (Larry Niven, 1970-2004)
The Mysterious Island (Jules Verne, 1875)
The Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux, 1910)
Rendezvous with Rama (Arthur C. Clarke, 1973)
Red Storm Rising (Tom Clancy & Larry Bond, 1986)
Rebel Planet (Robin Waterfield, 1985)
The Rats (James Herbert, 1974)
The Pilgrimage (Paolo Coelho, 1987)
Parasite Eve (Hideaki Sena, 1995)
Animal Farm (George Orwell, 1945)
Nine Princes in Amber (Roger Zelazny, 1970)
Neuromancer (William Gibson, 1984)
The Mystery of the Mother Wolf ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
The Curse of the Black Cat ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2001)
The Treasure in the Royal Tower ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
The Mystery in Tornado Alley (George Edward Stanley (as Carolyn Keene), 2000)
Secrets of the Nile ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
Stay Tuned for Danger ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1987)
The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1964)
Real Fake ("Carolyn Keene", 2007)
The Thirteenth Pearl (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1979) & Tour of Danger ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1992)
Secrets Can Kill ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1986)
The Secret of Shadow Ranch (Mildred Wirt Benson (as Carolyn Keene), 1931)
The Secret of the Scarlet Hand ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1995)
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 Broken Anchor (Sharon Wagner (as Carolyn Keene), 1983)
The Phantom of Venice (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1985)
The Witch Tree Symbol (Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (as Carolyn Keene), 1955)
The Final Scene ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1994)
The Mardi Gras Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1988)
Mystery Train ("Carolyn Keene & Franklin W. Dixon", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1990)
The Greek Symbol Mystery (Nancy Axelrad (as Carolyn Keene), 1980)
The Hidden Staircase (Mildred Wirt Benson (as Carolyn Keene), 1930)
The Bike Tour Mystery ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
The Haunted Carousel (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1983)
Uncivil Acts ("Carolyn Keene", 2005)
Nancy Drew Ghost Stories ("Carolyn Keene", 1983) & Mystery by Moonlight ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
The Final Scene ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1989)
In and Out of Love ("Carolyn Keene", 1997) & The Crime Lab Case ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2002)
Whispers in the Fog ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 2000)
Death by Design ("Carolyn Keene", ed. Anne Greenberg, 1988)
The Bluebeard Room (James Duncan Lawrence (as Carolyn Keene), 1985)
Mystery on Maui (Elizabeth Nugent (as Carolyn Keene), 1998)
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