Summary
- Shakespeare's influence is still seen in gaming, with adaptations like Final Fantasy 15 drawing inspiration from Hamlet's themes.
- Games like Haven offer unique twists on classic tales, like Romeo and Juliet set in space, exploring 'What If?' Scenarios.
- Interactive novels like To Be Or Not To Be and Elsinore provide humorous and engaging ways to experience Shakespeare's works.
He may have lived nearly 500 years ago, but there’s no denying that Shakespeare’s work still has a profound effect on us today. Every year there are new interpretations of his plays on stage and influences from his stories in the films we watch, from West Side Story to She’s The Man. Shakespeare even coined everyday phrases we use all the time; for example, fans of Netflix reality shows might be interested to know that he actually invented the phrase “Love is blind.”
Although Shakespeare isn’t as popular in video games, there are still a few titles that take inspiration from the bard. The Curse Of Monkey Island features several Shakespearean jokes, while Brütal Legend has a character called Ophelia who drowns herself. Even Killzone Shadow Fall shows two characters from warring factions teaming up, and Shakespeare himself appears as a boss fight in The Simpsons Game. Although the planned MMO Arden: The World Of Shakespeare never really came to fruition, there are still some video games based on the works of the bard to please Shakespeare’s gamer fans today.
10 Something Wicked
A Side-Scrolling Battle From Macbeth
- Platform(s): PC
- Release Date: August 2017
- Developer: Elizabeth Hunter
Something Wicked is a fast-paced 2D side-scrolling mini-game based on the great battle featured in Act 1 of Macbeth. The game aims to make Shakespeare more accessible to today's digital generation, using gameplay to bring the script to life. Taking visual inspiration from the Bayeux Tapestry, the player takes on the role of Macbeth, fighting their way through the Norwegian forces and the traitorous Thane of Cawdor as described in the Captain’s monologue.
Players don’t have to read Macbeth or know the Captain’s monologue off by heart to play this game, but it does help to win, since players can only level up by Macbeth battling as Shakespeare described. Since Macbeth is all about fate and free will, it’s interesting to see that the player can’t rewrite the ending. Something Wicked also includes references to the play’s themes, such as Macbeth’s bloodlust meter that recharges with every kill. It was featured in a gaming exhibition in Germany, and versions for both mobile and macOS are currently in development.
9 Life Is Strange: Before The Storm
The Tempest Flows Throughout The Game's Story
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS, Linux, Google Stadia, iOS, Android
- Release Date: August 31, 2017
- Developer: Deck Nine
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is a prequel to the original Life Is Strange, focusing on the relationship between Chloe Price and Rachel Amber before Rachel she goes missing. In one scene, the player controls Chloe as she takes over the role of Ariel from Juliet Watson during Blackwell’s production of The Tempest. If the player knows The Tempest well, they can sail through and select all the correct lines. If not, they have to guess and let Chloe awkwardly improvise.
Although Shakespeare’s influence is most obvious in that scene, ideas and themes from The Tempest also permeate through the entire game. On the surface, the titular tempest is an obvious reference to the storm at the start of the original Life Is Strange game, but there are deeper similarities to its narrative too. For example, Ferdinand and Miranda’s love for each other in the play is only strengthened when Prospero keeps them apart, closely mirroring Rachel and Chloe’s relationship. It’s interesting that Chloe takes the role of Ariel too, since Ariel is the air spirit Prospero uses to cause the tempest, suggesting that Chloe is the cause of the storm in Life Is Strange.
8 The Lion King
A Movie Tie-In Game That Follows The Story Of Hamlet
- Platform(s): Super NES, NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, SEGA Genesis, Amiga, Master system, MS-DOS
- Release Date: November 4, 1994
- Developer: Westwood Studios
Everyone knows The Lion King is just the story of Hamlet retold with animals in Africa – although that doesn’t stop the film from being considered a masterpiece by many Disney fans. This also technically makes the tie-in video game for The Lion King an adaptation of Hamlet too. This game is still popular today, although played largely out of nostalgia and using an emulator.
The Lion King was released in 1994 for the SNES and Genesis and ported to various other systems later. Gamers play as Simba as he goes from a young cub to an adult in this side-scrolling platform game. They jump through the world, eventually learning to scratch and roar to take out enemies before facing Scar to reclaim Pride Rock.
7 Romeo Wherefore Art Thou
A Mario-Style Adventure Featuring Romeo And Juliet Characters
- Platform(s): PC
- Release Date: N/A
- Developer: ShakespeareGame.com
Romeo and Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play, known for its tragedy, passionate romance, and beautiful language still quoted to this day. Romeo Wherefore Art Thou doesn’t quite live up to this legacy, but it's still a simple game that makes Shakespeare seem less daunting to children forced to study it.
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Romeo Wherefore Art Thou is surprisingly similar to a regular 2D Super Mario Bros. Game, where players assume the role of Romeo as he gathers a bouquet of roses for Juliet. Players jump around platforms as Romeo picks up chapters and roses scattered around “Shakespeare Country” (an environment that bizarrely resembles Stratford-Upon-Avon in England rather than Verona in Italy). Although simple and repetitive, Romeo Wherefore Art Thou is an easy-going way to introduce children to the world of Shakespeare.
6 Hamlet Or The Last Game Without MMORPG Features, Shaders, And Product Placement
A Comedic Version of Hamlet With A Focus On Puzzles
- Platform(s): PC, iOS, Android
- Release Date: April 8, 2010
- Developer: Denis Galanin
The title Hamlet Or The Last Game Without MMORPG Features, Shaders, And Product Placement (also known as just Hamlet!) provides all the necessary information about the game. Inspired by Hamlet, this is a quirky game with a humorous twist. Claudius kills the King and forcibly weds Ophelia, but before Hamlet can take his revenge, he is accidentally crushed by a time traveler who takes his place.
What follows is a point-and-click adventure as the player guides Hamlet’s replacement through twenty-five puzzles, including one where he escapes a giant octopus. Although it’s a short game without any voiced dialogue, and it veers very far from the original plot, there’s still a variety of puzzles with artwork full of personality and a comical twist on a classic story.
5 Final Fantasy 15
An Action-Packed Story With Clear Inspirations From Hamlet
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
There might not be many Shakespeare adaptations in the gaming industry, but the bard’s stories have still inspired the narrative of several games. Although The Lion King is the most famous modern example of Hamlet, Square Enix took the same story and used it to inspire Final Fantasy 15. While Final Fantasy 9 has a range of Shakespeare references too, Final Fantasy 15’s story is particularly similar to Hamlet.
Although not a like-for-like adaptation, numerous parallels clearly come from Shakespeare: King Regis is killed by the protagonist’s uncle; his son is a brooding protagonist who becomes exiled and seeks the help of male friends, similar to Horatio, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern; and the King’s ghost even tells the protagonist to reclaim the throne. Even one of the trailers for Final Fantasy 15 features a Hamlet quotation: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking it makes it so.” Although the exhilarating action and gameplay have little to do with Shakespeare, there’s no ignoring Hamlet’s influence on this story.
4 Haven
A Sci-Fi Version Of Romeo And Juliet That Asks "What If?"
Haven
Haven is a 2020 RPG about two young lovers, Yu and Kay, who elope to escape a society that disapproves of their relationship and instead insists on arranged marriages. Yu and Kay escape to another planet to build a new life together, gliding through the environment and fighting for survival as they are chased by authorities and drones sent by Yu’s intended spouse.
Creative director Emeric Thoa has admitted that Haven was originally pitched as a version of Romeo and Juliet set in space. Then again, it’s certainly a different take on the story; instead of the tragic story we all know, Haven’s story asks “What if Romeo and Juliet had survived?” With multiple possible endings and a powerful depiction of relationships, perhaps Shakespeare himself would appreciate this take on his tale.
3 To Be Or Not To Be
A Comedic Interactive Novel Of Hamlet
- Platform(s): PC
- Release Date: December 9, 2022
- Developer: TUTGame
Besides a few illustrations, To Be Or Not To Be is basically an interactive novel where players make their own choices in a comedic retelling of Hamlet. The player can play the role of either Ophelia, the King, or Hamlet himself, guiding them to several possible fates, each peppered with jokes and gags along the way.
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Although players will spend most of their time reading, it’s never dull or slow; the paragraphs are short, to the point, and packed with comedy and personality to make Shakespeare seem more entertaining than it is at school. After each bit of text, players can make a choice; decisions characters make in the actual play are depicted with Yorick skulls, but players can go in a completely different direction and pick another choice to alter the story. It’s a fun, humorous introduction to Shakespeare, and it even comes with a dyslexic-friendly font to make it accessible for all.
2 A Midsummer Night’s Choice
A Humorous Text-Based Retelling Of A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Platform(s): PC, macOS, Linux, Android
- Release Date: August 25, 2016
- Developer: Choice of Games
Most game adaptations of Shakespeare’s works are either very different from the original source material or a comedy re-telling. True to form, A Midsummer Night’s Choice is a comedy adventure that plays more like an interactive novel than a video game. The player’s father is a Duke who forces them to marry against their wishes, leading them to escape in disguise and enter a story full of mistaken identities, fairies, and humor.
A Midsummer Night’s Choice contains a whopping 190,000 words all written by Kreg Segall. However, players still have complete freedom; more than just making choices, their character can be a jester, knight, poet, or more with any sexuality or gender they wish. It might be completely text-based with no graphics or sound effects, but the clever, tongue-in-cheek writing fuels the imagination enough to satisfy true Shakespeare fans.
1 Elsinore
A Time-Loop Version Of Hamlet Where Every Choice Counts
- Platform(s): PC, macOS, Linux
- Release Date: July 22, 2019
- Developer: Golden Glitch Studios
Fate is a common theme in Shakespeare’s plays, and everyone knows Ophelia’s tragic ending – which is precisely why Elsinore tries to switch things up with a Shakespearean version of Groundhog Day. It’s a point-and-click adventure with a time-loop gameplay system that adapts the story of Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view. Ophelia wakes up from a vision in which everyone in Elsinore Castle dies within four days, but when she tries to avoid this tragic fate, she ends up living the same four days over and over again.
The story reacts to each choice the player makes as they interact with a wide range of characters, whether it’s lying to them or befriending them. There’s a lot of trial and error involved in making the right choices to save Ophelia’s friends and family, but as with all sandbox games, it’s fun to experiment with the story to see which choices affect the outcome, learning more and more with each passing loop. Elsinore includes a good dose of Shakespearean poetry too, to make it feel more like an authentic Shakespeare experience.
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