Comic books have become the source material for not only the best Hollywood blockbusters but also some excellent TV shows on cable and streaming. As the entertainment world bends to the power of comic books, video games have also seen a rise in both style and gameplay from the source material of pages and panels.
While comic book games are nothing new, some games have taken the concept to another level. They incorporate the conventions of the sequential art format, including artwork and panels, into their presentation and gameplay, sometimes blurring the line between the two mediums. In some cases, the characters both figuratively and jump off the pages.
6 The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You is Square Enix and Jupiter’s RPG that first hit the Nintendo DS in 2007. It gained a cult following that would prompt remakes for both consoles and mobile platforms, as well as a full sequel. The game follows Neku, an introvert in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District, who one day finds himself in the Reaper Games, a dangerous competition where the price of losing is his life.
The World Ends With You takes heavy inspiration from Japanese comics, called Manga. The character designs, with their bold outlines, pop well on the screen. The fact that the experience can be held in the palm of one’s hand also makes it a cozy game to kick back with on the couch, like one’s favorite Manga series.
5 Comix Zone
The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive’s Comix Zone follows comic book artist Sketch Turner. One dark city night, a villain from his latest project jumps out of the pages and forces him into his creation. He must now punch and kick his way through the pages of his work in a twisted version of the Looney Tunes cartoon Duck Amuck.
Comix Zone is a beautifully crafted love letter to the comics format. The artwork is bold, colorful, and striking, feeling like something that was ripped from the pages of the newest release on the newsstand at the time. The gameplay also literally breaks the boundaries of the comic book format, as Sketch jumps from panel to panel, and can smash enemies through their borders. This is one of Sega’s more difficult titles, so save states are a Godsend.
4 Ultimate Spider-Man
Treyarch arguably revolutionized superhero video games when it made Spider-Man 2, based on the Sam Raimi film of the same name. It gave web heads the thrill of swinging through the streets of New York City, climbing up skyscrapers, and living the Spider-Man dream. Treyarch’s follow-up, Ultimate Spider-Man, applied that formula to the Spidey of Marvel’s Ultimate comics universe.
Treyarch designed Ultimate Spider-Man so that it was as faithful to the comics as possible. The graphics lovingly recreates Mark Bagley’s artwork from the first 111 issues. The cutscenes zip kinetically from panel to panel, and the gameplay is filled with appearances from Spidey’s rogue's gallery and heroes from across the Ultimate universe. Ultimate Spider-Man also allows fans to play as Venom at set points in the game.
3 XIII
XIII, developed by Ubisoft Paris, follows an amnesiac who was framed for the murder of the President of the United States. He goes on a global spy adventure, complete with guns, gadgets, stealth, and plenty of action, to uncover his memories and clear his name.
XIII fully implements comic book artwork to elevate an otherwise standard shooter into something extraordinary. The cel-shaded graphics hold up incredibly well today. Also, the story is presented in comic book panels that are integrated into the gameplay. For instance, the text of the tapping of soldiers’ footsteps will appear from behind objects to show where they are walking. Also, a headshot will result in a three-panel closeup of the final blow, almost like a Call of Duty-styled kill cam. A remake was revealed and published by Microids came out in 2020, whose poor critical reception prompted another developer to remaster the remaster.
2 Framed
Framed is a thrilling noir game that tasks wannabe private eyes with guiding a cast of characters through alleyways and above rooftops as they try to evade the police. At the same time, it narrates a story in beautifully animated silhouettes and a soundtrack worthy of any classic detective movie. Framed’s gameplay uses the very nature of the comic book format as its central mechanic.
Panels must be positioned and rotated to string together scenes that will impact whether the protagonists get stopped in their tracks by law enforcement. Putting one panel in their way with an officer on a scaffolding will lead to an arrest. Placing a panel before it that has a ladder allows the character to climb up and jump on top of the scaffold in the following frame, narrowly avoiding detection. The slick presentation and wordless narrative would make a good comic book on its own.
1 Liberated
Liberated follows Barry Edwards, a hacker in a bleak cyberpunk city where everyone’s actions are monitored at all times by a powerful program and those in power who abuse it. He is recruited by a small faction that fights against the corrupt government.
Each chapter opens an issue of a comic book. The cutscenes jump between the panels of the pages, and the gameplay takes place in a long, horizontal panel. The artwork is striking, in shades of gray and bold line work. Liberated straddles the line between comic book and game to the point where one is impatient to get back to the gameplay, but is also transfixed on the visuals and the writing, creating an uneasy tension between these elements.