It has been a long-standing understanding of many that TV shows or films based on video games that have a great audience and fan base usually do not turn out well. Either they cram the whole story line into a few episodes, or the music score, storyline, and animation do not do justice to the characters, or it just feels like a bland representation. Over the years, TV series adaptations like Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Sonic Underground, and Street Fighter have not been up to the mark for a lot of viewers.

However, there are many adaptations that have surpassed the expectations of many. The extremely reminiscent Pokémon anime adaptation remains a huge part of a lot of people’s childhood and summed up the story perfectly. There have been recent adaptations, and with video games becoming more focused on their stories and animation, fans could expect some of them to be adapted as TV shows.

Video games like Last of Us or Death Stranding have attracted a lot of attention that fans are awaiting TV show or film adaptations. Though the recent film adaptation of Sonic The Hedgehog has made many skeptical of how the storyline is going to be crammed in just a few hours.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Castlevania (2017)

     Viz Pictures Anime LtdMadman Entertainment

The animated TV show adaptation of the dark horror fantasy video game Castlevania received a lot of praise from all the gaming community. The show, just like the video game, follows the story of the last survivor of the Belmont Clan, Trevor (Richard Armitage), a powerful vampire killer.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Upon its release, Castlevania was appreciated for its animation usage, which was right on par with the video game. It effectively portrayed the edgy, dark, and gruesome environment the video game had, which immediately caught everyone’s eyes. Its gothic theme was accompanied well by the musical score composed by Trevor Morris, adding more depth to the already sad stories of the characters. Even the villain of the show was so well written, it was almost believable. However, later, the show was discontinued because of serious social issues, keeping the story incomplete for a show that had amazing potential.

Netflix Reveals First Look at Castlevania: Nocturne

4 Dota: Dragon’s Blood (2021)

     Netflix

Based on Dota 2 by Valve, Dota: Dragon’s Blood is the new TV series following the story of renowned dragon knight Davion. Davion must use the power of the dragon to fight the monstrous demon from wreaking havoc. Even though it is based on the video game of the Dota lore, it is not a full adaptation and has some creative aspects to it. Composer Dino Meneghin adds to the aura of the movie with a complimenting futuristic music score. The storyline is also kept in line with the basics of the game, with dark and gruesome action scenes, striking and gory visuals, and a stellar performance by the cast. For a fantasy universe, the script also effectively balanced humor and action, making it more appealing.

3 Pokémon (1997)

     TXN

This most loved and missed Japanese anime adaptation of the Pokémon video game series by Super Smash is a humongous part of a lot of people’s childhoods. The story of the 1000+-episode anime series follows Ash Ketchum. He, along with his friends, attempts to catch rare Pokémon from time to time, including Pikachu. Pokémon was a great hit because of its bright and colorful design. Along with kids getting accustomed to monsters fighting, Pokémon had a strange connection with kids through the connection they showed between Pikachu and Ash. The sound design of the show also prompted to attract children, and everyone can relate to wanting Pikachu all for themselves for the rest of their lives. Pokémon was such a huge hit that spillover effects of its existence, and its hype still exist. The recent movie Detective Pikachu is also an adaptation of the life of Pikachu and is adapted from the game.

2 Arcane (2021)

     NetflixTencent VideoWeTV

Produced by Christian Linke, Arcane is based on League of Legends by Riot Games and is by far the highest rated video game adaptation on IMDB. The show shook the gaming community and the Netflix world with its incredibly amazing production. The show, like the video game, is set in the sister cities of Piltover and Zaun. The show also stars Hailee Steinfield and Ella Purnell. The series came to life after six years of illustrated designs and a mixture of animation. It stands as proof that video game adaptations can be successfully pulled off with the right amount of care. The show perfectly presents the complex storyline with class distribution issues. The musical score by Pusha T, Denzel Curry, and Sting adds an extra layer of awesomeness to the show, which keeps viewers glued to the screen.

The Witcher: Why Differences Between the Books and Show May Not Matter

1 The Witcher (2017)

The Netflix show, The Witcher, which took the world by a storm for its incredible casting and costume design, is based on the video game of the same name developed by CD Projekt Red. It follows the story of soldier and monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavil), trying to find his place in a world where people are worse than monsters. The whole set and costume design of the TV show is what attracted the players of the video game to the show. It looks dystopian, lived in, and dirty, which is the initial appeal of a world overrun by monsters. The cinematographer, Romain Lacourbas, perfectly executed all action scenes with the camera panning from behind. Additionally, they also keep the storyline on the same pace as that of the book and the video game, adding another plus point.