The Netflix adaption of The Witcher isn’t perfect, but for those of us who spent more than a hundred hours romping around as Geralt it was still a thoroughly enjoyable affair. The team behind it did a cracking job of relaying the feel of both the books and game, while putting their own spin on the world. After years of dreadful video game movies, a show of this quality was as sweet as a glass of Toussaint wine. The Witcher has proven that video game adaptions can not only be good, but also wildly successful.
The short run of 8 episodes has only left us wanting more, and while we’ve no doubt a second season is in development, why stop there? Plenty of cracking gaming stories are ripe fruit for the streaming services to harvest, provided they can do them justice. To that end, we've picked out five video games that we think deserve The Witcher’s Netflix treatment.
Uncharted
© Naughty Dog
Since the Uncharted movie’s hopes of ever making it out of development hell appear to have gone out the window, down the road and all the way to the garbage dump after the loss of its, yes, sixth director, we reckon they should simply scrap the whole thing and start again with a TV show. The game’s plots feature twists, turns and plenty of betrayals that’d suit an episodic show perfectly, though they might need to tone down the outrageous number of goons protagonist Nathan Drake guns down.
With the right actor, Drake’s charm would do wonders on screen, though we’d just as happily watch Uncharted: Lost Legacy’s Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross delving into ancient ruins together. We’ve had long enough since Indiana Jones that people might not even see it as a rip-off these days!
Mass Effect
By now we’ve all watched The Expanse so — wait, what do you mean you haven’t seen The Expanse? Go and watch it now, all four seasons. Better yet, read the books. Done? Okay, so as we were saying, this should be a pretty obvious one. Mass Effect takes place in a far more fantastical universe, but it’d still be served better by a slightly more grounded approach than the lighthearted comedy of Marvel movies like Guardians of the Galaxy.
Shepard’s unlikely crew would make sense introduced over the course of the show, as the fledgeling Spectre is sent on missions throughout the galaxy. There’s definitely an appetite for longer, engrossing sci-fi shows, but the real question is whether anyone could do BioWare’s iconic series justice.
What Remains of Edith Finch
© Giant Sparrow
A shorter indie game might seem like an odd choice for a TV show, but Edith Finch’s structure makes perfect sense for a series of short episodes. Delving into the family’s history of misfortune, each could center on a different relative as Edith explores their influence on her unusual family home.
What Remains of Edith Finch showed just how creative video games can be as a medium, so for an adaptation we’d rather they played to the medium’s strength, toying with genres, visuals and structure rather than control systems. There’s plenty of room for experimentation and joy here without sticking rigidly to the source material.
The Last of Us
Yes, we’ve included two Naughty Dog series in this list. What can we say? They know what they’re doing when it comes to compelling stories. With The Last of Us Part 2 due in just a few months, what better time to drive up interest with a TV adaption of one of gaming’s most-praised storylines? The developing relationship between Ellie and Joel, from reluctant dependence to genuine care and even betrayal, is perfectly suited for a more severe tone that’s still filled with heart. The Left Behind DLC is perfect ground for flashback sequences, and with the second game looking just as engrossing, there’s plenty of room for further seasons. Make it happen, Netflix.
Horizon Zero Dawn
© Guerilla Games
We’re still waiting on Sony Interactive Entertainment and Guerilla Games to confirm that a sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. In the meantime though, we’d happily take a series exploring Aloy’s fascinating world of mechanical beasts. Uncovering the mistakes of the past that led to the collapse of human civilization offers plenty of opportunities for dramatic cliffhangers, and who doesn’t want to see a robotic dinosaur charging about?
The CG budget might be a bit high for this one, but we’d still love to see Aloy’s journey from outcast to saviour make the jump, albeit with the resource collection and crafting elements cut down a notch or two. Horizon Zero Dawn was somewhat overshadowed by Breath of the Wild back in 2017, but a stint on Netflix or another streaming site ahead of a sequel would give watchers incentive to head back and try it all over again.
Those are the games we think deserve The Witcher’s Netflix treatment, but if you have another great suggestion then let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear which games you reckon would be great even when you’re not in control of the story.