The world of video games has come a long way, especially in recent decades. Audiences and critics alike have praised games for their ability to tell compelling stories, to the point where some can be compared to film and television. This should make the process of adapting them to those media easy, but for some reason it always comes down to flipping a coin in quality.
This erratic style of adaptation is probably best seen when classic titles are adapted for animated series. Depending on the writers and the intentions of the networks, this could result in a beloved adaptation or a dud. Either way, the art style is likely to make the product leave a distinct impression.
‘Captain N: The Game Master’ (1989)
Long before Nintendo released the first Super Smash Bros, NBC released a cartoon on Saturday morning in which a teenager named Kevin and his dog were sucked into his television. They find themselves in Videoland and meet a number of video game characters, including Mega Man, Pit (named Kidicarus), and Simon Belmont. Kevin learns that he must take the title of Captain N and defend Videoland from the evil villain of metroMother Brain.
While the idea of putting all these video game characters together in 1989 appealed to kids, the show fell short. This is mainly due to how none of the legacy characters look or act like they do in their respective franchises. However, the show has its own charm thanks to its premise and a healthy dose of cartoon cheese on Saturday mornings and managed to spawn a comic book adaptation.
“Where the hell is Carmen Sandiego?” (1994)
In addition to providing entertainment, video games can also be used for teaching. This is best seen in the Carmen Sandiego series, in which the player learns about geography and history in order to track down the titular master thief. There have been many adaptations over the years, but the best is the first animated series from the 90s.
Set in a self-conscious video game, the human player helps ACME agents Zak and Ivy stop Carmen’s most recent heist. The show throws a lot of interesting facts on the audience regarding the different countries that Zak and Ivy visit and even lets some of the characters speak in their native language. The voice cast is also spectacular, including high quality voice actors like Scott Menville,Jennifer Hale, Roger Bumpassand Rita Moreno.
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (1993)
In the early 90s, DIC Entertainment produced two different shows based on Sega’s flagship show, Sonic the hedgehog. The second of these shows surprised audiences by offering a dark and mature story, in which Dr. Robotnik has taken over the planet Mobius and replaced the majority of its inhabitants with robots. Now Sonic and Princess Sally lead a group of freedom fighters to undo Robotnik’s evil.
For a Saturday morning cartoon, this show tells an impressive story with an environmentally conscious message without being too preachy. It wasn’t afraid to let the heroes lose every now and then, but always had a hopeful prospect that things would get better. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after two seasons, but it held onto a strong reception among fans and inspired an Archie Comic series.
‘The Super Mario Bros Supershow’ (1989)
The Mario franchise is both Nintendo’s most popular series and the best-selling video game franchise in the world. Several animated series have been created, the first of which aired in 1989. Each episode begins with a live-action segment of Mario and Luigi meeting guest actors before moving into animation to help Princess Toadstool defeat the evil Bowser.
The show has been criticized for its reliance on slapstick and casting Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells as Mario and Luigi. With the rise of the internet, the show found a new audience as the clips were used in internet memes. On Friday, the show was swapped with an edit of The Legend of Zelda, which would eventually cross with Captain N: The Game Master.
‘Pokemon’ (1997)
Since the first games were released in 1996, pokemon has become the most profitable media franchise in the world. The series is about catching a team of cute pocket monsters and training them to defeat rival trainers to become regional champions, while also catching one of each to fill out the encyclopedia known as a Pokédex. One of the reasons for its success is the anime released in 1997.
The anime offers the audience a chance to see a world where humans and Pokémon live together in harmony. Because it is hand drawn, the Pokémon battles are more dynamic and visually interesting than the static models used in the games. Writing it can be hit and miss at the time, but the morals and characters work for the target audience.
‘Donkey Kong Country’ (1997)
On Kongo Bongo Island, Donkey, a community of gorillas has settled around the legendary crystal coconut. The future ruler of the community, Donkey Kong, must guard the coconut and keep it from falling into the hands of the evil King K. Rule. That’s easier said than done, because Donkey Kong still has a lot to mature.
Despite how disturbing the character models can look at times, Donkey Cong Country is notable as one of the first animated series created using motion capture technology. Each episode also had two songs ranging from forgettable to catchy earthworms. Although it only lasted a few seasons, several elements from the show, including the crystal coconut, would make an appearance in the Donkey Kong video games.
‘Kirby: All the way back to Ya!’ (2001)
One of Nintendo’s most successful franchises is Kirby, which follows the adventures of the titular star warrior as he defends his home Dreamland from various evils. An anime adaptation of the first few games was released in October 2001 and adapted for international audiences in 2002. Unfortunately, the dubbing was handled by 4Kids Entertainment, a rather infamous studio known for heavy localization and editing of the original product.
Even with the involvement of 4Kids, Kirby: Right back at Ya! is a fun experience. It follows a simple slice-of-life formula, reminiscent of how casual a Kirby game is to play. The voice cast also has a ball, especially Ted Lewis,who portrays the evil King Dedede and his cynical henchman, Escargoon.
‘Viva Pinata’ (2006)
After being bought by Microsoft, Rare Studios, the company that produced Donkey Kong Country and the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, created a garden simulator in which players provided animated piñatas. Seeing that this franchise had potential, Microsoft contacted 4Kids to produce a television series. Both were released in 2006 and received positive reception.
Just like the pokemon animation, Viva Pinata focuses on the day-to-day lives of the piñata characters with no connection to the game’s plot. The design of the piñatas is creative and colorful, and the show featured several tricks from the game, such as feeding the piñata certain foods to trigger a transformation into a new species. It also showed that when 4Kids weren’t dubbing anime, they were able to create their own fun cartoons for kids.
‘The Cuphead Show’ (2022)
cup took the world by storm when it was first released in 2017. It combined classic run-and-gun gameplay with an aesthetic inspired by early 1930s Disney and Fleischer cartoons. In 2022, the game released both the DLC called The Delicious last course and an animated series created by Netflix.
The series maintains the 1930s aesthetic with its character designs, music and dialogue. However, it trades the plot of in-game Cuphead fighting to claim soul contracts for life comedy. It’s not bad, and there are plenty of funny jokes to make, but fans looking for a faithful adaptation may fall short.
‘Mysterious’ (2021)
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League of Legends sees two teams take control of some champions as they defend and counterattack to try and destroy the opponent’s base. Thanks to constant support and updates from Riot Games, the series maintains devoted fans and esports recognition. In 2022, Netflix released an animated series that relies heavily on the lore of the series.
Arcane has received critical acclaim for its great animation, voice work, and storytelling. Several of the characters are existing champions, which helps to flesh out their characters and relationships with each other. It does not shy away from showing the brutality of its world and is accessible to a new audience that does not know the lore.
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