Out of all the film genres that can be taken to greater heights through the medium of gaming, horror is easily at the top of the list, with games like the upcomingResident Evil Requiemthrusting players into a world of nightmares with little escape. While there’s no shortage of great horror games lately from both Triple-A and Indie developers, there are plenty of film franchises that deservice a more immersive adaptation. Out of all the options available, there’s one record-breaking blockbuster experience that I can’t help but hope to get a gaming adaptation soon.
Although countless subpar gaming adaptations seem to exist as nothing more than quick cash grabs, there have still been plenty offantastic movie tie-in gamesin the past to show the concept’s full potential. With a rising trend of Triple-A adaptations like007 First Light,Indiana Jones & The Great Circle,there’s even more hope for a recent blockbuster to make its video game debut. Going beyond jump scares or glorified action titles,one franchise that helped start a global trend could be the one to revolutionize the genre yet again.
A 28 Years Later Game Could Provide A Darker Tone For The Zombie Genre
Offering A Genre-Defining Experience Similar To Telltale’s The Walking Dead
In between horror one-offs and disappointing extensions from longstanding franchises, the most recent28 Years Laterfilm has done an excellent job at subverting expectations while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessors. Where movie tie-ins likeA Quiet Place: The Road Aheadstumbled in theirexperimentation with unique features,the latest sequel in the28 Days Laterseries could provide the perfect starting point for a new video game franchise.Even if the zombie genre isn’t nearly as popular as it used to be, there’s still plenty of room for standout titles to shine.
Subverting expectations while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessors.
Where several great indie games have experimented with the more desperate survival aspects thatsurviving zombie hordescan provide,it’s rare to find a Triple-A horror game that doesn’t end up leaning into action-based, blockbuster-level gameplay. While theResident Evilfranchise has taken steps towards returning to the roots of its truly terrifying, yet campy gameplay experience,Resident Evil Villagestill faced criticism over overindulging in somewhat underwhelming combat. WhileVillageis still one of my favorite entries in the series, it’s the characters, story, and familiar gameplay that keep you engaged, rather than the fear factor of its predecessor.
Compared to the more formulaic game design of its competitors, avideo game adaptation of the28 Days Laterfranchise could lean much more heavily into the sheer terror and disturbing moments that an undead apocalypse entails. Much like how Telltale’sThe Walking Deadseries did a fantastic job at emulating the elements of horror, tension, and character strife of the television series, the28 Daysseries could provide a similar experience with a wholly original cast.
Thebiggest difference between the two legendary zombie franchises comes in the nature of the infected themselves, with28 Years Laterand its predecessors being even more terrifying in their unrelenting brutality. While it would be much harder to sell a narrative-driven story with such fast-paced infected without fully resorting to action-hero-level combat,28 Years Latershows the franchise is still more than capable of delivering on the concept.
Enough Time Has Passed Since The Gaming Zombie Craze For A Fresh Start
Starting A New Era With A More Terrifying Twist
While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact start of the zombie craze that swept the gaming industry in the early 2000s,the critically acclaimed28 Days Laterfilm was one of the many titles influencing the genre’s sudden popularity. Despite their film counterparts, most games from the era likeDead RisingorCall of Duty: World at War,used zombies more as a setting for their gameplay, rather than the main focus of horror. Although these games still have plenty of scary moments or unsettling themes, it’s not the traditional experience you would expect from the horror genre.
It feels as though few titles have explored the full potential that the setting can provide.
Even with a focus on combat,plenty of franchises likeLeft 4 DeadandDead Islandstill did a more than respectable job at portraying the grotesque or disturbing elements of an undead apocalypse, primarily through their environmental storytelling or cinematics. While these horror elements can sometimes be in stark contrast with moment-to-moment gameplay, it’s still one aspect that makes them such enjoyable experiences. There’s nothing wrong with games that want to take a lighthearted or more action-heavy approach to the genre whatsoever, but it feels as though few titles have explored the full potential that the setting can provide.
An Evolving Virus Needs To Be Terrifying, Not Exciting
Instilling Fear In A Way That’s Unique To The Zombie Genre
Where games likeLeft 4 Deadand even theResident Evilfranchise make use of evolving infected for unique enemies or even exciting new boss encounters, they often fail to capture the sheer terror these inclusions should bring with them. One of the best examples that comes to mind of tackling the concept is the Necromorphs in theDead Spacefranchise. Throughout the iconic sci-fi horror series, each terrifyingly grotesque iteration of the reanimated corpses finds a new way to haunt both its protagonist and the player.
Although theDead Spacefranchise is one of the best to tackle an evolving virus, a true28 Days Lateradaptation would much more likely fall into the category of the fast-paced Virals anddeadly evolving Volatilesof theDying Lightseries. Even ifDying Lighteasily falls into the action-heavy subset of the genre,the nighttime chases of the original zombie game provide one of the closest experiences to a28 Years Latergaming adaptation. Unfortunately,Dying Light 2failed to achieve the same night-based gameplay loop, further distancing itself from the horror that the film series provides.
Even if there are few options for a truly Triple-A experience to replicate the same unnerving experience from start to finish, there are still a few games that can scratch a similar itch as28 Years Later. FromProject Zomboidproviding a detail-oriented survival simulator toDayZ’s unforgettable multiplayer encounters among the previously mentioned titles,there areat least some options to choose from while holding out hope for a28 Years Latergaming adaptation.
$60 million
$106 million
89%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
64%
While there have been no official discussions of a game set in the28 Days Lateruniverse, there’s still plenty of time to start planning ahead after its most recent blockbuster success. With a successor to28 Years Lateralready in the works and the potential for a third film to top off the new trilogy, thefranchise’s future could changein more ways than one, with plenty of potential for a groundbreaking video game tie-in.
