All major video games based on Stephen King books

George A. Romero's 1993 horror film The Dark Half is based on King's 1989 novel of the same name.and psychologically closer to the author's dark, cynical bestseller. A year before the release of Romero's film, Capstone Software published The Dark Half, an adventure that has become a cult classic over the years.

To set the record straight, I think the game grossly misunderstands King's story of an author forced to undergo a public rite of humiliation and confront his innermost demons. There are a lot of holes in the game's story, and the game is difficult enough to occasionally test your patience with the “Game Over” screen. However, in the absence of meaningful alternatives, this is by far the best video game treatment of King's story that King completionists have sought, despite its obvious flaws.

We play as Tad (the author) who is set up for a gruesome murder that forces him to help solve the mystery and clear his name. The way the game unfolds this journey is a bit silly, as nothing Thad does seems justified (like stealing evidence from a crime scene even before he's involved in the crimes). Being able to interact with other characters feels cumbersome on a technical level, and every objective we're given is half-baked, failing to connect to the unfolding story. Basically neither a good game nor a good adaptation.

In addition to these games, there is also 1989's The Running Man, which was released as a Commodore 64 game, but is such loose adaptation that it can't technically be considered a King video game. However, I stumbled upon a newer King-inspired survival horror called The Fog, a 2017 indie title from Horizon Games available on Steam. Based on The Mist, the game is a first-person experience with little combat and resource management. The bad news is that it's terrible: no care has been taken to create an immersive atmosphere, the graphics are poor, and no save button.

It seems that the true curse of video game adaptation is due to the fact that we don't have a proper game based on Stephen King's amazing work. Until this curse is lifted, we can only dream.