Ever since its inception, Doctor Who has been delivering science fiction mayhem for genre fans to enjoy. It has had a long and varied history with more than a dozen different actors playing the titular character. Now, the series is revving up for the debut of Ncuti Gatwa as the 14th Doctor. His introduction will mark the first time that a black actor has played the role, and it is fresh off the heels of the first female leading the show with Jodie Whittaker. As Doctor Who prepares to enter this new era, maybe it is time for it to finally make a mark in the gaming industry.
While Doctor Who has had a couple video games in its time, none of them have ever really wowed the audience. The titles have mostly been a series of decent adventure games, and the most recent title was a foray into the VR landscape. At its core, Doctor Who is an episodic sci-fi adventure through time and space. The games have never been able to capture that exact feel, but that may be because they never truly had the right studio. Telltale Games has made a name for itself developing episodic adventures, and it may be a perfect fit for a new Doctor Who game.
Doctor Who Has Struggled in Gaming
The show may be dominating the sci-fi television landscape, but Doctor Who has struggled in the video game industry. Over its lifespan, the series has only seen around 16 different titles. These games have covered a range of genres like side-scrollers, mobile games, adventure games, and even some VR adventures. While these titles have never captured the same feeling that the show has, they did provide a decent amount of fun for fans of the time traveling Doctor.
Perhaps the most well known Doctor Who games have come in the form of the adventure games. These titles were the first, and currently only, Doctor Who games that were released as episodic adventures. There were five adventures in total following Matt Smith's run as the Doctor. The series saw the Doctor face off against the Daleks, Cybermen, the Vashta Nerada, the Sontarans, and mysterious blue worms. The games let players control the Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams through explorable 3D environments. While these games were not perfect, they were the closest to capturing the essence of the series. However, the license has since expired and the titles are no longer purchasable.
The series has since dipped its toes in the mobile market and the VR space. Recently, two VR titles were released titled Doctor Who: Edge of Time and Doctor Who: Edge of Reality. Neither of these games were critically acclaimed, but they did allow Doctor Who fans a chance to actually explore the world of Doctor Who with their own eyes. The series also tried its hands at a horror mystery game with Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins. Just like past Doctor Who games, these were fun for fans but did not capture the same feeling that the show gave them.
Telltale is the Perfect Match
Doctor Who video games shone the brightest when they were in an episodic format thanks to the adventure games. Over the years, Telltale Games has shown that it can craft compelling episodic adventures with pre-established IPs. The award-winning The Walking Dead game is a huge success, Game of Thrones fans have fond memories of Telltale's GoT title, and it is hard to forget Telltale's romp in the Borderlands universe with Tales from the Borderlands. The studio has shown that it knows how to tell a story, and it is the perfect choice for a Doctor Who title.
A Telltale Games Doctor Who title could feel the most like the TV series does. It could be constructed much like a season of the show is with episodic adventures that lead to a much bigger confrontation in the finale. It could follow one of the past Doctors like David Tennant or Tom Baker, or it could follow Ncuti Gatwa and serve as a way to hype up the new season. It could also be a multi-doctor story that involves large stakes and a world ending crisis, similar to the Day of the Doctor 50th Anniversary. Whatever Telltale chooses, the title could be just the thing that Doctor Who fans need.
As the 60th anniversary for Doctor Who rolls around and a new actor prepares to take up the reins, now is the perfect time for a new Doctor Who episodic adventure in video games. While Telltale Games is currently hard at work on The Wolf Among Us 2, the studio would be the perfect choice for a Doctor Who series and BBC should really consider letting it play in the Doctor Who sandbox.