It’s about time someone made a proper game about the most popular hero of Chinese mythology. Black Myth: Wukong‘s titular Sun Wukong is taking the gaming industry by storm. And while part of that might be due to his origin country’s massive population, we also can’t help but wonder how other mythological legends and folklore will fare. We certainly think these legends next door have the rep and the lore for their own cool game.
Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Mythology)
On the surface, Gilgamesh might sound like a typical power fantasy with a strong, adventurous, and brave hero. However, it can easily be woven into a tale about the tragedy of the pursuit of power. Throughout his life, Gilgamesh is a king who even challenges gods in an effort to attain immortality so he can rule forever.
His quest to find a cure for man’s mortality is easy enough to translate into a conventional action-adventure video game premise. Throw in an epic Dynasty Warriors-style combat system and it’s a package. In hindsight, his story is a bit similar to Kratos’ journey and transformation in the God of War games and the reboot. It ought to be just as profound.
Maui (Polynesian Mythology)
Maui — yes, the same one from Moana is a demigod in multiple Polynesian cultures and someone who has interesting powers. He’s not just powerful, but he’s also a trickster who keeps messing with established hierarchies and orders, especially if it benefits mortals.
In one story, he even pulled off a Prometheus and stole fire from the Underworld to give it to mortals. In another story, he slows down the sun by punching it, providing more sunlight to the world. He also used his hook weapon (featured in Moana) to fish out islands for mortals to live in. Maui is essentially a superhero who rebels against authorities to provide for the small folk, which always works well as a video game premise.
Romulus & Remus (Roman Mythology)
J.K. Rowling sparked this idea in my head thanks to one of the character’s names in Harry Potter, but imagine if the mythical Remus became a werewolf after his brother Romulus killed him and now his werewolf kin took revenge on the Roman Empire. It’s an absurd historical fiction that pits lycanthropes against Roman Legionaries.
It’s too ridiculous to be a movie, but as a video game, it’s quite an exciting premise based on mythological legends. And besides, the only big AAA game about Rome is either a strategy or an expensive tech demo like Ryse: Son of Rome. We need more action games about Ancient and Classical Rome.
Baba Yaga (Slavic Folklore)
It’s hard to pin down exactly what Baba Yaga is because so many Eastern European cultures and mythological legends have adopted and changed the story, but the general impression is that she’s a cannibalistic witch. She’s one of the inspirations for Dungeons and Dragons‘ hag monster. That’s a perfect opportunity for an atmospheric and culturally-relatable horror game.
Or you could play the witch role and strategically terrorize a village or a kingdom in some kind of villainous revenge game. The potential here is about as flexible as the actual lore for Baba Yaga. It could also be easily interwoven into a modern setting, something that most other mythological figures here aren’t complementary with.
King Arthur (Arthurian Legend)
Technically, the Arthurian lore has already had several video games. Still, and so far, the AAA treatment eludes good old King Arthur and friends. Imagine a Fire Emblem or Dragon Age-style RPG where you’re a scraggly teenager who pulls out a sword in a stone; now a wizard and some knights tell you to raise an army and take your own kingdom.
Arthurian lore was basically video game writing before video games existed. There’s so much potential in this kind of setup and given how often the Arthurian lore has changed, any video game that dares to rewrite the canon would be easily forgiven. It’s already an RPG template. Someone just needs to fill it in.
