The 1994 film The Crow and the comic it was based on tell the tragic story of a man named Eric Draven who, along with his fiancé Shelly, is murdered by a gang of psychopaths. When Eric mysteriously rises from the dead, he is guided by a supernatural crow, becoming a personification of vengeance as he stalks and murders each gang member who did him wrong.
As a series, The Crow is a property ripe for a video game adaptation. The world created in the comics and films is full of revenge, mysticism and a striking visual aesthetic. However, the franchise has only produced one game adaptation so far, the poorly-received beat 'em up The Crow: City of Angels. Much like other iconic but dormant movie franchises, The Crow deserves a modern video game that does it justice.
The 1994 film adaptation of The Crow comic is a modern gothic masterpiece in design and tone, with its bleakness perpetuated by a glimmer of hope. It's a film that explores grief, loss and how to move forward through that pain. An action vehicle that starred Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee, the film was intended to be the young actor's big break and likely would have been if not for his death during production. This looming real-life tragedy only served to make the film feel more somber, illustrating what a promising young actor Lee was. Upon release, The Crow was hailed by critics and fans alike, cementing its place as a different kind of action movie.
Since its release, the film has become iconic thanks to Lee's portrayal of Eric Draven. This version of the character would be the best choice for a video game adaptation. This Eric is a local rock musician living Detroit who is murdered by a local street gang consisting of members T-Bird, Skank, Funboy and Tin Tin. After he is resurrected by the crow, he hunts them down one by one until he makes it to their leader, Top Dollar, in a climactic battle atop a church.
This setup is perfect for a video game narrative, as players could navigate levels in the dark and bleak Detroit setting that the film nails, taking down members one at a time as boss fights. The game could even be an open-world affair that employs something like Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System that allows for gang members to escape and change rank as they are taken out by Eric. Players could complete side missions that unlock clues to other members' whereabouts, similar to the scene from the film where Eric tracks down a pawnshop owner and presses him for information.
Another way The Crow could translate into an interesting video game is through the character's invulnerability granted by the mysterious crow that accompanies him everywhere. The game could flip this mechanic, with the player's journey through the campaign progressively weakening Eric until the final showdown where the crow is shot and wounded, stripping Eric of his ability to heal from damage. Or, the crow itself could be a mechanic where players have to protect it from damage by defeating enemies before they can harm the bird weakening the player.
As for who should develop such a game, the best choice would be Rockstar Games. Rockstar has proven it can create massive open-world epics like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, as well as incredible licensed games that work within that world's fiction while also being fun to play. Rockstar's work on incredible 3D brawler The Warriors proved this in spades, and the company has the dedication an talent to turn The Crow into a modern 3D action game.
The original film The Crow has an amazing legacy, and a video game that stays true to its cinematic vision could really be something special. With the ever-present rumblings of a Crow reboot refusing to die, a video game companion could join the ranks of Terminator: Resistance and RoboCop: Rogue City to help bring another iconic film character to a brand new generation of fans.