42 Novels based on video games

Diablo is an action role-playing dungeon crawler video game series developed by Blizzard North and continued by Blizzard Entertainment after the north studio shutdown in 2005. The series is made up of three core games: Diablo, Diablo II, and Diablo III. Expansions include the third-party published Hellfire, which follows the first game, Lord of Destruction, published by Blizzard and released after the second game, and Reaper of Souls, which follows the third game. Additional content is provided through story elements explored in other media forms. Diablo IV was announced at BlizzCon 2019.

Dead Space: Martyr is a 2010 science fiction horror novel written by B. K. Evenson, published by Tor Books. Martyr forms part of the Dead Space survival horror media franchise developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. A prequel entry in the franchise, the novel is set centuries before the events of the main series follows geophysicist Michael Altman as he investigates an alien artifact called the Black Marker. The novel concludes with Altman being unwillingly used to found Unitology, a religion that worships the Marker.

The Dig is a point-and-click adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995 as a CD-ROM for PC and Macintosh computers. Like other LucasArts adventure games, it uses the SCUMM video game engine. It features a full voice-acting cast, including voice actors Robert Patrick and Steve Blum, and a digital orchestral score. The game uses a combination of drawn two-dimensional artwork and limited, pre-rendered three-dimensional clips, with the latter created by Industrial Light & Magic.

Elemental: War of Magic is a fantasy 4X turn-based strategy game developed and published by Stardock, released in August 24, 2010.

Fable: The Balverine Order is a fantasy novel by Peter David. It is the first book from the Fable video game series, and takes place sometime after Fable II.

Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future is a fantasy novel by Emi Nagashima, published by Square Enix and based on the universe and characters of Final Fantasy XV, an entry in the company's long-running Final Fantasy franchise. It was first released in Japan in April 2019, before being released worldwide in June 2020 as one of the debut titles in the company's newly formed Western publishing house.

Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes is a 2015 horror mystery novel written by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley. It is based on Cawthon's bestselling horror video-game series Five Nights at Freddy's, and is considered by Cawthon to be separate-canon to the events that occurred in the game series, as well as his and her debut novel.

Gauntlet Dark Legacy is a video game originally released to arcades in 1999. It is the sixth title in the Gauntlet series, and is an expansion of the previous title in the series, Gauntlet Legends. The expansion adds five new levels, and four new character classes: Dwarf, Knight, Jester, and Sorceress. It also adds a large number of secret characters, some of which can be unlocked in the game, while others are only accessible by entering specific cheat codes.

God of War is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). First released on March 22, 2005, for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) console, it is the first installment in the series of the same name and the third chronologically. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist Kratos, a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian Gods. The goddess Athena tasks Kratos with killing Ares, the God of War and Kratos' former mentor who tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. As Ares besieges Athens out of hatred for Athena, Kratos embarks on a quest to find the one object capable of stopping the god once and for all: Pandora's Box.

God of War II is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). First released for the PlayStation 2 console on March 13, 2007, it is the second installment in the God of War series, the sixth chronologically, and the sequel to 2005's God of War. The game is based on Greek mythology and set in ancient Greece, with vengeance as its central motif. The player character is protagonist Kratos, the new God of War who killed the former, Ares. Kratos is betrayed by Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, who strips him of his godhood and kills him. Slowly dragged to the Underworld, he is saved by the Titan Gaia, who instructs him to find the Sisters of Fate, as they can allow him to travel back in time, avert his betrayal, and take revenge on Zeus.

Homefront is a first-person shooter video game developed by Kaos Studios and published by THQ. The game tells the story of a resistance movement fighting in the near-future against the military occupation of the Western United States by a Korea unified under Kim Jong-un. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. After THQ's bankruptcy, the rights of the game were sold to Crytek who then sold the rights to Koch Media after restructuring their company. Deep Silver, a subsidiary of Koch Media, have published the reboot Homefront: The Revolution. Homefront was met with mixed reviews across all platforms. Some critics praised the atmosphere and story, while others panned those same aspects, along with the short length of the single-player campaign. However, the multiplayer aspect was generally well received.

Ico is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 in various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop. The team employed a "subtracting design" approach to reduce elements of gameplay that interfered with the game's setting and story in order to create a high level of immersion.

In the 1st Degree is an interactive legal drama adventure computer game released in 1995 by Broderbund in which the player plays the role of a prosecutor attempting to convict an artist for grand theft and the first-degree murder of his business partner. The player must first examine evidence, then interview witnesses, and finally go to trial to secure a conviction. The program was developed by Peter Adair and Haney Armstrong of Adair and Armstrong.

Infinity Blade: Awakening is a novella by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. It is based on the action role-playing iOS video game Infinity Blade developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, and serves as a story bridge between the first and the second game. It was released as an e-book on October 3, 2011 which coincided with the release of the fourth update for Infinity Blade and the announcement of the sequel.

Infinity Blade: Redemption is a novella by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. It is based on the action role-playing iOS video game series Infinity Blade developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, and serves as a story bridge between the second game and the third. It was released as an e-book on September 8, 2013.

King's Quest is a graphic adventure game series, released between 1980 and 2016 and created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installments, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation of Sierra. Roberta Williams, co-founder and former co-owner of Sierra, designed all of the King's Quest games until the series' reboot in 2015.

Lucky Wander Boy is the 2003 debut novel by D. B. Weiss. The book's official website describes the work as: "A novel of video game addiction, Hollywood serfdom, ill-fated romance and extremely misguided notions about Japan, Lucky Wander Boy marks the debut of an original new voice that will captivate wanderers of every description."

The Mass Effect: Andromeda book series consists of a trilogy of science fiction novels based on the Mass Effect series of video games. The books in the series are Nexus Uprising (2017), Initiation (2017), and Annihilation (2018). All three books are released in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. The audiobook formats of Nexus Uprising and Initiation are narrated by Fryda Wolff, the voice of Sara Ryder, while the Annihilation audiobook is narrated by Tom Taylorson, the voice of Scott Ryder.

Mass Effect: Ascension is a science fiction novel by author Drew Karpyshyn. It is a sequel to the video game Mass Effect, as well as to its prequel novel, Mass Effect: Revelation, also written by Karpyshyn. The novel is set approximately two months after the ending events of the first game. While the first book acted as a prequel to the first game, Ascension helps to bridge the gap between the first game and Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect: Deception is a novel by writer William C. Dietz set in the Mass Effect universe. Published in 2012 by Del Rey Books, it is the fourth novel set in the Mass Effect universe, and continues the story of the previous three novels. Deception is notable for the negative reception from fans of the Mass Effect series, which prompted significant coverage from media outlets. In response to the negative reception, BioWare announced in February 2012 that they intended to revise the novel's content for future editions of Deception. No rewrite has been announced or published ever since.

Mass Effect: Retribution is a Science fiction novel by Canadian writer Drew Karpyshyn set in the Mass Effect universe. It is a sequel to the video game Mass Effect 2, as well as to its prequel novel, Mass Effect: Ascension, also written by Karpyshyn. Retribution is set directly after the events of Mass Effect 2, and like its predecessors, expands on the Mass Effect universe by fleshing out its setting and providing background on some key characters.

Mass Effect: Revelation is a science fiction novel by Drew Karpyshyn, who was the lead writer of the Mass Effect series. Published in 2007 by Del Rey Books, it is the first novel set in the Mass Effect universe, and the prequel to the Mass Effect video game by BioWare.

Metro 2035 is a 2015 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. Glukhovsky's third book in the core Metro series, it serves as a sequel to Metro 2033 and Metro 2034. Like previous novels in the series, Metro 2035 is primarily set in the Moscow Metro and the ruins of Moscow itself in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse. 2035 follows Artyom, the protagonist of Metro 2033, as he attempts to make contact with other survivors in the world. Metro 2035 is partially inspired by the video game Metro: Last Light. In turn, Metro Exodus is a game loosely based on Metro 2035.

Mission Critical is an adventure game released in 1995 by Legend Entertainment. Though its main advertising point was the presence of Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Michael Dorn, he played a very small role in the game, the main author being Legend CEO Mike Verdu. The game also featured a leading role by American actress Patricia Charbonneau, best known for her role in the film Desert Hearts.

The Myst Reader is a collection of three novels based on the Myst series of adventure games. The collection was published in September 2004 and combines three works previously published separately: The Book of Atrus (1995), The Book of Ti'ana (1996), and The Book of D'ni (1997). The novels were each written by British science-fiction writer David Wingrove with assistance from Myst's creators, Rand and Robyn Miller.

Nintendo gamebooks based on video games created by Nintendo. The gamebooks feature characters and settings from the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda franchises, in two series, Nintendo Adventure Books and You Decide on the Adventure.

Ōkami Kakushi is a Japanese visual novel developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation Portable, with Ryukishi07 of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni fame as game director and the manga author duo Peach-Pit as character designers. The game was released on August 20, 2009 in Japan. An anime adaptation produced by AIC began airing in Japan on January 8, 2010 on TBS.

The Pandora Directive is the fourth installment in the Tex Murphy series of graphic adventure games produced by Access Software. After its creators reacquired the rights to the series, it was re-released on Good Old Games on July 2, 2009.

Pool of Twilight is a fantasy novel published by TSR, Inc. in November 1993. It is the third and final novel in the "Heroes of Phlan" novel trilogy, set in the Forgotten Realms setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Pools of Darkness is a novel based on the Pools of Darkness computer role-playing game. It was written by James Ward and Anne K. Brown, and published by TSR in February 1992. The novel is set in the Forgotten Realms setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book was the second in a trilogy, preceded by Pool of Radiance and followed by Pool of Twilight.

Project: Starfighter is a 2D shoot 'em up written by Parallel Realities. It is a mission and objective based game also featuring an intricate plot. The game was later released by Sweeney as Freeware and the engine's source code was opened to the public. The game is now maintained and updated by the game's community as Free and open-source software.

Rise of the Robots is a fighting game released by Time Warner Interactive in 1994. Originally developed for the Amiga and PC DOS computers by Mirage's Instinct Design, it was ported to various video game consoles, including the Super NES, the Mega Drive, and the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. The game includes a single-player mode in which the player assumes the role of the ECO35-2 Cyborg, as he attempts to stop the Supervisor who takes over Electrocorp's facilities in Metropolis 4.

SSN is a techno-thriller novel, created by Tom Clancy and Martin H. Greenberg and published on December 1, 1996 as a tie-in to the video game of the same name. It follows the missions of USS Cheyenne, a United States Navy nuclear attack submarine, during a fictional war between the United States and China over the Spratly Islands. SSN is the second Clancy novel after Red Storm Rising (1986) that is not set in the Ryanverse.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It was later re-released on Steam in September 2009, and again in 2015 on GOG.com. It is the sequel to 1995's Star Wars: Dark Forces, and the second installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. The story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe one year after the film Return of the Jedi, follows returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the New Republic, who discovers his connection to the Force and "The Valley of the Jedi", an ancient source of power. With his father having been murdered years prior by the Dark Jedi Jerec and his followers over the Valley's location, Katarn embarks on a quest to confront his father's killers and find the Valley before they do.

Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The story is set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe and begins shortly before the original Star Wars film, before flashing forward to a year after the film's events. The game's protagonist and playable character is Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance who discovers the Galactic Empire's secret Dark Trooper Project, which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers.

Starship Titanic is an adventure game developed by The Digital Village and published by Simon & Schuster Interactive. It was released in April 1998 for Microsoft Windows and in March 1999 for Apple Macintosh. The game takes place on the eponymous starship, which the player is tasked with repairing by locating the missing parts of its control system. The gameplay involves solving puzzles and speaking with the bots inside the ship. The game features a text parser similar to those of text adventure games with which the player can talk with characters.

Stonekeep is a role-playing video game developed and released by Interplay Productions for the PC in 1995. It is a first-person dungeon crawler game with pre-rendered environments, digitized characters and live-action cinematic sequences. Repeatedly delayed, the game that was supposed to be finished in nine months took five years to make.

Under a Killing Moon is a 1994 point-and-click adventure interactive movie video game. It is the third installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games produced by Access Software. In it, the detective Tex Murphy finds himself unwittingly involved in the affairs of a dangerous cult.

The Worlds of Power books are a series of novelizations of video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System released in the early 1990s by Scholastic. The series was created by Seth Godin and take creative liberties with their source material. They usually include game hints written upside down at the end of chapters and are written in a simplistic, easy-to-read style.