When Netflix originally announced a four-episode season of an animated Castlevania series, fans were cautiously excited. However, with two additional seasons under its belt, the series has not only earned a reputation as a quality show, but as a capable and respectful adaptation of the source material. Many would agree one of the series’ greatest strengths is its ability to sympathize with some of its more sinister characters, like Dracula. He starts the series having fallen in love with a human woman that makes him want to understand mankind, but turns to murderous rage when she is killed under the false guise of witchcraft.
It’s emotionally affecting in a way the games aren’t, but uses the games as a foundation and expands upon them in surprising ways. It also handles references and Easter eggs from the games with refreshing restraint. The first season of Castlevania almost feels like the result of someone fusing the DNA of series like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Game of Thrones. It’s beautifully animated with jaw-dropping action sequences, but also has a high amount of gore and sexual content at times. Netflix tends to follow up on its successes, so with the hope of seeing additional game adaptations that don’t shy away from adult content, here are a few mostly dormant game series that should receive the Castlevania treatment.
Fans of the Zelda series would do well to check out Brave Fencer Musashi on the original PlayStation. The game combined Zelda’s DNA with games like Mega Man, following the hack and slash dungeon-crawling antics of samurai hero Musashi who could also copy his enemies’ abilities. After being summoned to the Allucaneet Kingdom (almost all of the town and kingdom names are puns in the game) Musashi must go on a journey to rescue Princess Fillet who’s been kidnapped by the Thirstquencher Empire. In order to obtain the power he needs to accomplish this task, Musashi will need the legendary sword Lumina and the power of the legendary five scrolls.
The aspects of the game that Netflix should keep are the story and the tone. Brave Fencer Musashi has a great sense of adventure while not taking itself too seriously. Musashi is made fun of upon being summoned from his homeworld for being much shorter than everyone expects, kind of like Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist. The game plays this up for comic effect, having Musashi lift boulders and giant robots at least 4 times his size and throwing them off of cliffs. The show should keep this intact, making Musashi lightning fast but comically undersized in contrast to enemies.
Add in some flashy swordplay, make use of Lumina’s copying ability to add variety to the fights, and delve into Musashi’s relationships with the townsfolk. The game lends itself perfectly to a television structure. Give one episode, for the intro sequence of the game where Musashi is summoned and the princess is kidnapped, one for each scroll Musashi finds, one to fight the final enemies of the series, and one for the characters to say goodbye and wrap up any loose ends. That’s eight episodes, the perfect length for a limited series.
Mega Man Legends is kind of like playing a delightful Saturday morning cartoon, until it goes all Evangelion at the end at least. The Bonne family, a wacky group of thieves is also a real hoot and adds an element of chaos to the proceedings. Where Netflix could really benefit from adapting this series is not to limit themselves to one Mega Man.
By taking some of the best elements of each Mega Man series and introducing them in unexpected ways, Netflix could create something that feels fresh and keeps longtime fans on their toes. They could also take a semi-anthology approach, making Mega Man a steady character but each season taking place in a different point in time and following the style of a particular series (ie Mega Man Legends, Original Mega Man, Mega Man X, then Mega Man Zero). That would Rock, Man (get it?!).
Maybe not quite the series to turn into as gritty of a show as Castlevania, but Ape Escape could more pointedly aim at a comedic tone. Keep the apes as goofy looking as they do on the box art and keep everything over the top. Make it like an old-fashioned anime in terms of the anime and over the top voice acting, but knowingly so. The plot should be suitably ridiculous, and of course, be friendly to the apes to avoid the wrath of PETA.
It’s hard to think that a Silent Hill show wouldn’t do well on Netflix given the success of shows like The Haunting of Hill House. Lean hard into the horror elements and keep to the personal traumas of characters manifesting in horrifying ways. That’s essentially the essence of Silent Hill.
Netflix could also opt to make this a slow burn of a show, using the first few episodes to flesh out the characters and building upon the sense of dread until going all out the last couple of installments. Heck, they could even get meta with the casting and tap Guillermo Del Toro as well as Norman Reedus if they want to spiritually take up the mantle of Konami’s canceled PT.
Parasite Eve is a delightfully weird tale about a real-world detective who has to battle other-worldly forces. It’s easily the most able to lend itself to a Stranger Things kind of oddity with its monsters, and would certainly be a workplace conversation starter if executed correctly. Netflix should stick to the first game for their first outing with the series and make sure to embrace the weirdness as much as possible.
Klonoa is a bit of a lesser-known platforming mascot, but he’s adorable and spunky, like a cuter and slower version of Sonic the Hedgehog. Anyone who’s ever taken the time to play some of the games in the series will know that the plots often revolve around dreams and are pretty kid-friendly for the most part.
The PS2 game in the series, Klonoa: Lunetea’s Veil has fully voiced cutscenes and is essentially a small season of television in its own right. Netflix could take that base and keep it kid-friendly, but up the darkness of the villains to make it feel dangerous enough for adults to enjoy as well.
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