Summary
Licensed games were one of the most common “genres” around in the 80s and 90s. They didn’t have to stick close to the source material or even be good to sell well either. Games based onThe Simpsonsare a classic example as they reached everything from the Game Boy to the PS1.
Comic book games were also a dime a dozen. Nowadays, licensed games are fewer but they are in turn better as a result. There are even comic-based RPGs out there for truly hardcore players. These are just a few choice examples, mostly from the Marvel and DC side, as not a lot of independent comics have had RPGs adaptations as of yet.
Battle Chaserswas a comic started by Joe Madureira, who game fans may know from theDarksidersfranchise. The comic started in the late 90s, only ran for nine issues, and then was left on a cliffhanger for decades.
Battle Chasers: Nightwaris a game that continues the story through a turn-based RPG. It can be a bit slow at first as the difficulty starts high and only gets higher. This means there is some grinding involved but the story and art should be enough to keep players invested in this dark tale.
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipiceof Darknessis the first entry in what was planned to be a regularly scheduled episodic RPG series. It’s based on the Internet comic strip panelPenny Arcade,starring the two main characters of that series: Gabe and Tycho.
Most players probably knowPenny Arcadevia PAX nowadays, but in the early 2000s when this game launched, the comic was huge. It featured active turn-based gameplay, which meant timing was everything just like inSuper Mario RPG. It received a sequel in this style and then the last two episodes went for a 16-bit look after a long delay.
X-Men Legendswas a brawlerat heart, but it was so much more than that. It had classic X-Men storylines featuring favorite heroes like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Phoenix alongside great villains like Magneto up to his usual evil deeds. The cast of Mutants was small at first, but it grew quite large by the end of the game.
Characters could learn abilities, make dialogue choices, and so on. The best part was the co-op though, which can often make any game better. There was a direct sequel followed by the birth of a spiritual successor via theMarvel: Ultimate Allianceseries.
Disney Infinity 2.0may seem like an odd choice, but for a game aimed at kids, thisToys-to-Lifeexperience was quite an extensive RPG. The first game pushed Disney and Pixar franchises while the update was all aboutMarvelheroes and villains. Players could buy their favorite character and then progress through the story or explore the city to fight baddies and grind for EXP.
The most impressive thing about the game was the extensive unique skill trees available for each character. It’s a shame things ended after the last update which addedStar Warscharacters, but good games never truly die if we remember them fondly.
Gotham Knightsmay not have been the nextBatman: Arkhamgameeveryone wanted, but looking past expectations, players could find a solid co-op RPG brawler. Players could choose to start as Batgirl, Robin, Red Hood, or Nightwing, but they could eventually switch between them back at HQ.
Whoever was the lead affected the story, so it made more sense to stick to one character to avoid plot holes. Still, it was nice that players could try all four characters without having to restart the campaign numerous times. More RPGs with character choices should allow for this switching mechanic as it might just beGotham Knights’greatest contribution to the gaming industry.
Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxywas based on the comics, and it didn’t even try to make anyone look like their movie counterparts. Peter, for example, is strikingly blonde compared to Chris Pratt’s portrayal. Players could only play as Peter while the other Guardians did their own thing during the action combat.
This was fine as the AI was competent enough at dealing with enemies. The only downside about the whole adventure is that there weren’t a lot of side quests. It was a fairly linear adventure but one that was full of surprises and plenty of comedic moments.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis the latest comic-based RPG to come out as of last year. It’s based on a storyline of the same name which features various Marvel heroes banding together for missions in Marvel’s more mystical settings. In the game, players could jump into the roles of Blade, Ghost Rider, and Magik, for example, but there were some more mainstream heroes too, like Iron Man and Spider-Man.
The game was a tactical RPG wherein characters could move around small battlefields and attack enemies based on a card deck. Dialogue choices shaped the story, and players could chill back at HQ to get to know their heroes more, which might have been the game’s highlight.
Marvel Heroesis a game that, sadly, cannot be played anymore. It was an online-onlyDiablo-like looter RPG. Players got to choose their hero at the start, and then they could use in-game currency or real money to buy other heroes. It was a typical free-to-play model but one that didn’t feel like it was constantly trying to leech money away from players like a lot of mobile Gacha games.
It started in 2013 as a PC exclusive, but after many delays, theMarvel Heroes Omegaversion launched for consoles in 2017. Unfortunately, it also got canceled in 2017, just months after this console release, but it was fun while it lasted.
