Doctor Who is one of the most influential science-fiction properties out there, and almost everyone has either heard of it or watched it. While the show took a hiatus between 1989 and 2005, Doctor Who has been around almost 60 years. In that time there have been 13 different actors who have portrayed the titular character - 15 if the War Doctor and Fugitive Doctor are counted - not to mention the many audio dramas, spin-off shows, novels, comics, and crossovers. Even with that success, Doctor Who has always struggled breaking into the video game space.
Doctor Who has had an alright track record with video games, seeing a couple of adventure games that were decent enough experiences, but lacking in gameplay and visuals. Recently, Doctor Who tried out the VR genre with Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, which saw the return of David Tennant, but the game itself was pretty bare bones. The most successful video game that Doctor Who has had is arguably not a Doctor Who game itself, but an appearance in Traveller's Tales LEGO Dimensions; a multiverse crossover title where The Doctor plays a pivotal role. This showed that a LEGO Doctor Who video game may just be the best thing for this franchise.
The Doctor Was a Stand-Out Addition to LEGO Dimensions
The 12th Doctor played a pivotal role in the LEGO Dimensions story, and Doctor Who received two different play sets. One was a level pack which included The 12th Doctor, K9, and the TARDIS; the other was a fun pack that included a Cyberman and Dalek. The Doctor Who characters unlocked an Adventure World that featured iconic locales from the show like London, Skaro, and Trenzalore. Along with that, players were able to jump into the TARDIS, explore the console room, and travel through time.
Perhaps the best part of The Doctor's inclusion in LEGO Dimensions was that Traveller's Tales included the ability to regenerate. A big part of Doctor Who is that The Doctor regenerates when they face a life-threatening injury (leading to a new actor taking the reins). When players die playing as The Doctor he will regenerate into the first Doctor, then the second, then the third, all the way back up to the 12th. That means each iteration of the Doctor is playable in-game, and they all have their own version of the LEGO TARDIS interior. Traveller's Tales put a lot of heart into the Doctor Who characters, so maybe it is time to go even farther with the property.
LEGO Doctor Who Could Stand Alone or Adapt Iconic Episodes
Doctor Who has almost 60 years' worth of storytelling, iconic characters, and varying locales. Traveller's Tales could use all of that to craft a story of its own using Doctor Who lore. It could make a time-traveling story that involves every iteration of The Doctor, giving a good excuse for why each one is playable. Throw in some of the most iconic companions along with some of the scariest villains and the game would be perfect for fans. Traveller's Tales has always been good at using the source material to adapt its own story, and based on the work it put into The Doctor in LEGO Dimensions, there are clearly fans of the franchise in the studio.
A LEGO Doctor Who game could also just take some of the most popular Doctor Who arcs and adapt them. The 11th Doctor could follow the cracks in time, the 10th Doctor could fight the Master, the eighth Doctor could revisit the movie, and even the War Doctor could appear to adapt Day of the Doctor. There are limitless possibilities for a story, Traveller's Tales just has to pick its favorite episodes.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's Hub Worlds Would be a Perfect Fit
A staple of Doctor Who is The Doctor's ability to travel through time and space using the TARDIS. In recent years Traveller's Tales has been steadily expanding its idea of an open-world hub world, but perhaps the biggest innovation to the formula comes with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. The game will have 24 different planets that the player can explore, and they will have ability to fly through space. These planets are going to be heavily detailed and filled to the brim with Easter eggs.
Doctor Who has many memorable planets and locales like Star Wars. Traveller's Tales could recreate the worlds it already included in LEGO Dimensions but make them larger and more detailed. It could then go further and add other planets or locations like Gallifrey, The Library, Sontar, or even Raxacoricofallapatorius. Along with adding multiple worlds, Traveller's Tales could add multiple different time periods like Medieval England or the demise of Pompeii. It has many options for hub worlds that could be filled with all sorts of fun collectables and things to explore.
LEGO Doctor Who Has Hundreds of Character Choices
One of the most important parts of a LEGO game is the playable characters. Right away Doctor Who has 15 character options for The Doctor, more than 40 different companions, and countless antagonists the player could utilize. That is not even mentioning the amount of alternate costumes that Traveller's Tales could give The Doctors. The developer also loves taking on obscure or odd characters, and Doctor Who is not short on the odd characters. Traveller's Tales could add the Absorbaloff, Cassandra, The Jargafess, and even the Kandyman to the game; fans would surely enjoy the acknowledgment of this weird sides of Doctor Who.
A LEGO Doctor Who game seems like a recipe for success, with almost 60 years of storytelling, countless amounts of characters, and many locales to explore. Traveller's Tales has already put in some work for a Doctor Who LEGO game through LEGO Dimensions, it just has to go all the way and deliver a fun-filled experience for fans.