Science fiction is an all-encompassing genre, from future technology to aliens, sub-genres like cyberpunk to intergalactic space travel. Many of the world’s most popular franchises, like Star Wars and Star Trek, are rooted in science fiction. Still, there are also iconic stand-alone films that grip and wow audiences, like the seminal classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It’s unsurprising, then, that many of these films have inspired video games. Some games are influenced by one film or a unique amalgamation of them. While they may not be direct copies of the stories in these films, they certainly use similar aesthetics, locations, and futuristic technology to fit their own narrative and characters. This blending of the two mediums is just as science fiction is intended to be used, and interconnectivity is at the heart of it.
6 Blade Runner: Inspired Cyberpunk 2077
Blade Runner’s influence is still felt in media following its release in 1982. Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, the book and Blade Runner are considered to be the core of the sci-fi sub-genre of cyberpunk. Described by author William Gibson as a “combination of lowlife and high tech” in his novel Burning Chrome, it was another novel of his, Neuromancer, that took these tropes and made cyberpunk what it is today.
Blade Runner’s influence can be felt in all types of work, from film to television and cyberpunk sci-fi games. But players will have definitely noticed its influence in Cyberpunk 2077. The futuristic world of Night City is filled with artificial intelligence and hackers, set in an artificial landscape lit up by neon and filled with people augmented with high-tech enhancements.
There are many Easter eggs paying homage to Blade Runner in Cyberpunk 2077. Players can also find a recreation of the “tears in the rain” scene on the rooftops, and the character Misty has the same aesthetic, hair, and makeup as Pris. In addition, there’s an obtainable skill in the skill tree named Bladerunner. Two other skills have icons related to the game, like an image of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) and an origami crane.
5 Logan's Run: Inspired BioShock
Adapted from the 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, Logan’s Run takes place in a future dystopian society where humans may only live until the age of 30 to control overpopulation. When people reach this age, they undergo the rite of ‘Carrousel’ and are killed by Sandmen like Logan (Michael York).
Logan’s Run profoundly impacted many sci-fi fans, including BioShock creator Ken Levine. “It was the first dystopia story I ever saw and if you know my games, obviously it had a huge impact on me,” Levine told GameSpot. BioShock takes place in an underwater city called Rapture – an amalgamation of dystopian and utopian ideas with a retrofuturistic art style. So basically, there wouldn’t be BioShock without Logan’s Run. As Levine says, it “inspired almost my entire career.”
4 The Matrix: Inspired Fallout 4
Like Blade Runner, The Matrix has had an unmistakable impact on the gaming world – particularly in the cyberpunk genre. The Matrix left a clear impact on developers and gamers, so much so that the first Matrix movie’s influence branched out to games that aren’t considered connected to the franchise.
Players may or may not have noticed it, but The Matrix plays a significant role in Fallout 4. While the film doesn’t have the same influence as the Mad Max universe had on the Fallout franchise, gamers can undoubtedly feel The Matrix vibes in the Memory Den. Situated in Goodneighbor, the Lone Wanderer spends a considerable amount of time here during a part of Fallout 4’s story, using a Memory Lounger to access virtual reality to live the lives of others in a simulation of sorts. The Memory Loungers resemble the chair Morpheus sits in when Neo meets him for the first time in The Matrix, and the idea of “plugging in” is used again here. These are similar to the Visiontrons used in Fallout 3, which offer the ability to experience VR simulations.
3 Star Wars: Inspired Mass Effect
The Star Wars franchise continues to captivate audiences with new content, stories, and characters. The world of Star Wars has left its mark on the generations that grew up with it, resulting in the space opera inadvertently inspiring a wave of shooter games set in space and other adventures. One of the most prominent game franchises to use Star Wars as an influence is undoubtedly Mass Effect.
The first Mass Effect game sees players take control of Commander Shepard, a human soldier tasked with defeating a machine race who plan on taking control of the galaxy. Set in space, it features a lot of exploration and battles set to a compelling, interactive story. There’s a direct connection between both franchises, as BioWare, the developer of Mass Effect, made the fan-favorite Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, released in 2003. However, the restrictions of developing that game led BioWare to create Mass Effect, as its co-founder Trent Oster told TechRadar.
2 The Fifth Element: Inspired Mile High Taxi
Two years before the release of The Matrix, there was The Fifth Element. It may not seem like it, but the sci-fi classic had a major impact on the cyberpunk genre. Audiences can see its aesthetic influences in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Cloudpunk, which are especially prominent in both games’ cityscapes and skylines.
But one game that takes direct inspiration from The Fifth Element is Mile High Taxi. Described as “The Fifth Element meets Crazy Taxi”, players take on the role of a taxi driver flying through a futuristic cityscape against the clock. Mixed with the arcade-style gameplay of Crazy Taxi, Mile High Taxi sees players attempt to avoid crashing into other flying cars, towering skyscrapers, and road signs as they pick up and drop passengers off like the job of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) in The Fifth Element.
1 2001: A Space Odyssey: Inspired Control (And Much More)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a seminal piece of science fiction cinema. Set on a spaceship called the Discovery One, it follows a group of astronauts and scientists on a journey to Jupiter to investigate a strange alien monolith. Kubrick’s creation shaped countless films that followed it, as well as TV shows and games.
One game that is heavily inspired by the film is Control. Game director Mikael Kasurinen told GamingBolt that he and the team were inspired by Kubrick’s unique way of storytelling when making Control. “He doesn’t put everything in front of you and say ‘This is exactly what’s happening.' There is a lot of room for interpretation,” he explained. “The ending was a really good take on when the human mind gets in contact with something that is beyond comprehension.”