All major video games based on Stephen King books

The horror of George A. Romero’s 1993 Dark Half is based on King’s 1989 novel of the same nameand takes a more psychological approach to the author’s dark, cynical bestseller. A year before Romero’s film, Capstone Software published The Dark Half, a point-and-click adventure game that has become something of a cult classic over the years.

To set the record straight, I think the game fundamentally misunderstands King’s story of an author forced to go through a ritual of public humiliation and confront his secret demons. The game’s story handling is rife with plot holes, and the gameplay is confusing enough to periodically test your patience with the “Game Over” screen. Still, it is—in the absence of significant alternatives—the best treatment of the King story in video games to date, and sought after by completionists despite its obvious flaws.

We play as Ted (the author), who has been framed for a gruesome murder, which forces him to help solve the mystery and clear his name. The way the game untangles this journey is a bit nonsensical, as nothing Ted does feels justified (like stealing evidence from a crime scene before he’s involved in any crimes). The option to interact with other characters seems cumbersome on a technical level, and every task we’re given is half-hearted, unrelated to the developing story. Basically not a very good game or a good adaptation.

In addition to these games, there is 1989’s The Running Man, which was released as a Commodore 64 game, but it such a loose adaptation that it can’t technically be considered a King video game. However, I came across a more recent King-inspired survival horror called The Fog, a 2017 indie title from Horizon Games available on Steam. Based on “The Mist”, the game is a first-person experience with some combat and resource management. The bad news is that it’s terrible: no care has been taken to create an immersive atmosphere, the graphics are poor, and there is no save button.

It seems that the true curse of video game adaptation has to do with the fact that we don’t have a decent game based on Stephen King’s stunning work. Until this curse is lifted, we can only dream.