For Game Dreaming, we look to our favorite comics, movies and television shows and imagine them as AAA video games. By using existing games as a starting point and adding in a healthy dose of imagination, we examine how the game might play, what it might look like and what it would be about in order to create the licensed games of our dreams.
This week, we are imagining what the perfect True Detective game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 might play like.
The first season of the HBO drama True Detective captivated the nation. A mysterious cult. A deranged serial killer. Horror and literary references galore as two hard-to-like detectives attempt to discover the truth behind a series of crimes spanning nearly two decades.
It might not sound like traditional video game material, but in today's gaming landscape, deep, emotional story-driven games with a focus on powerful acting performances are possible in a way that hasn't been before.
So, what might True Detective look like in video game form? Hopefully something like this.
Story
What does the story of a True Detective video game need? The first season of the show was gritty and pessimistic. It is filled with horror elements and references to the occult. While the focus of the story is catching a deranged serial killer over the course of 17 years, the show is equally about our two detectives, Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. Neither are exactly upstanding men. They each have a number of problems and demons to face, and powerful performances from big-name actors like Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson ground the crime drama in a dark reality.
The relationship between the two men forms the backbone of the show. They are two distinct characters who often butt heads but are forced to work together to bring a deranged killer to justice. Our ideal True Detective game will capture the drama that comes with working so closely with another person under such high stress situations.
However, part of what makes HBO's television series so interesting is that the upcoming second season of the show has nothing to do with the first. It is its own standalone tale completely separate from the mysteries of the Louisiana bayou we saw in season one.
It's for that reason we think the best approach for bringing True Detective to the realm of games would be to craft an all-new detective story, rather than creating an adaptation of season one or two of the show. We've seen this multiple times before from Telltale Games, which often takes existing properties like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead and crafts brand new stories in those beloved universes. It needs to be gritty, it needs to be real and it needs a cast of lead characters who are almost as screwed up as the criminals they are attempting to bring to justice.
Visuals
If we are making our dream True Detective game, it has to be visually-striking. The show adopts a gritty, grounded-in-reality look that manages to drain all the light out of any given scene. There is little hope to be found here, as these detectives dive straight into the dark abyss of human nature, and the show's visual style reflects that. So will the game.
Because such a large part of True Detective is A-list actors, our game will also look to score some major acting names and have them digitally-recreated with motion-capture performances. This will give the game the realism and star power of the HBO show.
Gameplay
A True Detective video game is primarily going to be a story-driven affair. This wouldn't be a game without gameplay, however, so what kind of tasks and activities will players be able to perform? Detective work consists of investigating crime scenes, interviewing suspects and witnesses and, of course, the occasional shootout.
Thankfully, there is already a stellar detective video game that our True Detective title could draw upon for inspiration: L.A. Noire.
In L.A. Noire, players play as detective Cole Phelps as he investigates various crimes and murders in 1950s Los Angeles. Players spend the majority of the game investigating crime scenes for clues and then use that knowledge to conduct interviews with witnesses. There are a number of chase and shootout sequences as well, but the real draw of the game is the motion-captured performances of various actors. The game brings their faces to life with impressive detail, requiring players to spot if a suspect may be lying or hiding something by judging their facial expressions.
The investigative gameplay style of L.A. Noire would work perfectly for a True Detective game. It would be a conversation-heavy title filled with choices and consequences, like a Telltale adventure game. The game could even be divided into episodes just like the show. Episodic gaming is fast becoming a popular business model, and a True Detective game would work perfectly in that format.
Our dream True Detective game would be true to the spirit of the show, yet standalone. It wouldn't rely on past characters or storylines. Instead, the name True Detective would serve as an important indication of what to expect: an emotional, thought-provoking and likely depressing tale of cops diving into the cesspool of humanity and losing a part of themselves in the process.
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