As excitement builds for The Matrix Resurrections, some fans have been revisiting classic video game adaptations such as Enter the Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo. While plenty of fans will argue over the quality of each Matrix game, it seems there’s one point most fans can agree on: The film series seems like a perfect franchise for video game adaptations. Despite its stylish kung-fu fights and thought-provoking narrative, The Matrix hasn't gotten the video game attention it really deserves, as the medium has grown since the latest attempt. If one studio were to handle a Matrix game, it seems like Remedy Entertainment would be the perfect fit.Remedy has an excellent track record when it comes to narrative-driven action games, with titles like Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Control all impressing critics and audiences alike. While directly adapting The Matrix Resurrections seems like it might be a poor idea given the usual quality of such a project, if the studio were to be given free rein to make its own separate in-universe story, it could make something truly special.
Remedy Entertainment’s Mastery of Weirdness
It would be something of an understatement to say that Remedy likes to create simple high-concept science fiction games. From the mysterious and horrific depths of the Oldest House in Control to the time-traveling mind-bender that was Quantum Break, the studio has proven it can handle thought-provoking narratives that push past the boundaries of what's considered "normal" storytelling. The Matrix franchise gets weird at times, but given Remedy's track record, that doesn't seem like it would be a problem.
Control already feels like something that could come out of The Matrix, so it already serves as something of a test run. As The Matrix trilogy ends up going in some far-out places conceptually, it seems like Remedy could meet the franchise where it is and not have to reign anything in for fear of getting too weird, as their games have already gotten weirder with each passing release. Remedy's storytelling is already so intriguing that it could make a Matrix game work without having to do too much additional legwork by prepping audiences for unfamiliar concepts.
The Matrix’s Gunplay and Set Pieces
So many of the iconic moments from The Matrix come from its action scenes and aesthetics. The slow-motion parkour and run-and-gun nature of the films feel almost synonymous with some of the games that Remedy has made. Max Payne brought bullet time into the mainstream for video games, which is one of the staples of the Matrix franchise, and Remedy could implement the mechanic again paired with many of the powers used by Jesse in Control.
What's more, the lobby shootout scene that happens in the third act of The Matrix feels like a film adaptation of many of the gunfights found in Quantum Break and Control. At the end of the day, Remedy just seems to have captured the aesthetics and storytelling techniques that The Matrix thrived by using, so it feels like the perfect studio to rise to the task of adapting the world of The Matrix into a video game.
The Matrix: Resurrections will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22, 2021.