{"id":9512,"date":"2026-07-18T11:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9512"},"modified":"2026-07-18T11:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:28:11","slug":"the-odyssey-badly-needs-a-big-budget-video-game-adaptation-readers-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9512","title":{"rendered":"The Odyssey badly needs a big budget video game adaptation &#8211; Reader\u2019s Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_295973424-1c68.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28250519\" alt=\"God Of War screenshot of Kratos and his son\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>God Of War \u2013 Kratos was invented for the games (Sony Interactive Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/christopher-nolan\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Christopher Nolan<\/a>\u2019s movie launching worldwide, a reader asks why <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">video games<\/a> are so slow to borrow from classic Greek myths and other famous stories.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m currently very excited about the idea of watching <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/15\/odyssey-review-christopher-nolans-epic-will-change-cinema-forever-29142345\/\">The Odyssey<\/a>. I\u2019ve seen the reviews, I\u2019ve got my <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/tickets\/\">tickets<\/a>, and by the time you read this I will have seen it. I\u2019m expecting something special but even if it\u2019s a disappointment it doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s The Odyssey, there\u2019s been adaptations and riffs on it since film was invented, so there\u2019ll be another along sooner or later. It\u2019s an almost 3,000 year old story that, to quote Soul Blade, is eternally retold. Except in video games.<\/p>\n<p>I actually looked it up and the only video game I can find that is anywhere close to a proper adaptation is a PC game from 2000 that I\u2019ve never heard of and I\u2019m pretty sure was not a hit (or very big budget). This is not much of a surprise as video games, at least in the West, are very bad at making use of public domain characters. Although Japan and China are forever making games based on their myths and famous stories all we ever get over here is the odd low budget Sherlock Holmes game.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019re no decent King Arthur or Robin Hood games and while there\u2019s plenty of games with Dracula or Frankenstein in it there\u2019s none that are both good and based on the original stories. And most strangely to me, there\u2019s very little based specifically on Greek and Roman myth. Sure, you get lots of generic fantasy games that pick and choose from them but almost nothing that\u2019s trying to be in any way authentic.<\/p>\n<p>The one exception is <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/god-of-war\/\">God Of War<\/a> but while it does feature more of the mythos than most other games, and is definitely big budget, it\u2019s not very accurate and Kratos is an entirely made-up character. So while I like parts of it, it\u2019s such a mean-spirited and old-fashioned game I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve ever really liked it. The reboot games are much better but unfortunately they don\u2019t have anything to do with Greece.<\/p>\n<p>The thing about the Odyssey is that it\u2019d actually make a perfect video game. It\u2019s got a very clear goal (get home) and tons of monsters and random battles breaking out all the time. It\u2019s very episodic, so it\u2019s already cut up into levels that have distinct themes, like travelling into Hades or being trapped by Calypso, as well as what\u2019s going on with Penelope and Telemachus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Given what a massive hit The Odyssey looks like being, lots of people are going to become very familiar with the story and characters soon, but of course video games take so long to make nowadays that even if you started now it\u2019d be old hat by the time it came out. Or at least the film would, obviously the story itself is immortal.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Playthrough: &quot;Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses&quot; part 1\/11\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s3oFK-I9BRk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But this is why I don\u2019t understand why it\u2019s not been done before. It\u2019s not like you\u2019re adapting Shakespeare or anything. There\u2019s depth to the story but a lot of it is just an action adventure, fighting a man-eating cyclops and avoiding the Laestrygonians and the six-headed Scylla. That\u2019s the kind of stuff God Of War does well, and it was super popular, so why haven\u2019t other companies tried to copy it in the 25-odd years it\u2019s been out?<\/p>\n<p>Companies waste millions buying the licenses to <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/star-wars\/\">Star Wars<\/a> and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/marvel\/\">Marvel<\/a> characters, when they could just make up their own stories. But of course everyone wants a recognisable IP, so they pay the money. But Homer isn\u2019t going to sue you if you make a game based on the Odyssey or the Iliad. It\u2019s free, just like King Arthur or Dracula.<\/p>\n<p>The only time I can think of anyone doing this sort of thing is when <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/electronic-arts\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">EA<\/a> made a game based on Dante\u2019s Inferno. It was a blatant God Of War clone, so they\u2019d obviously followed the logic I was just trying to lay out. But for some reason they chose an epic poem with zero action and, worst of all, they made a bad game.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not sure that Christopher Nolan has ever spoken about video games, although I know a lot of people thought Inception seemed a bit of <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/call-of-duty\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Call Of Duty<\/a> influenced. He\u2019s probably not interested in organising a tie-in to his Odyssey film but if that\u2019s what it takes to kick things off I\u2019m fine with that. Although the irony is that the publisher would have to pay for the licence, whereas if it was just based on the original text there\u2019d be no fee at all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>By reader Rooster<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_299934453-28c9.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28632238\" alt=\"God Of War Laufey artwork of a vast landscape\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>God Of War Laufey \u2013 there are no talking gelatinous cubes in the Odyssey (Sony Interactive Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>The reader\u2019s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><em>Just contact us at <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/18\/odyssey-badly-needs-a-big-budget-video-game-adaptation-readers-feature-29166540\/mailto:gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a> or use our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page<\/a> and you won\u2019t need to send an email.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/18\/im-giving-modern-gaming-know-im-not-one-readers-feature-29165722\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">I\u2019m giving up on modern gaming and I know I\u2019m not the only one &#8211; Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/12\/greatest-gaming-experience-a-40-year-old-game-vr-readers-feature-29108003\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">My greatest gaming experience was a 40-year-old game in VR \u2013 Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/11\/best-action-game-2025-a-game-nobody-bought-readers-feature-29107874\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The best action game of 2025 is a game nobody bought &#8211; Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>God Of War \u2013 Kratos was invented for the games (Sony Interactive Entertainment) With Christopher Nolan\u2019s movie launching worldwide, a reader asks why video games are so slow to borrow from classic Greek myths and other famous stories. I\u2019m currently very excited about the idea of watching The Odyssey. I\u2019ve seen the reviews, I\u2019ve got&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_295973424-1c68_1784338333.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}