Cult classic movies that have gone on to inspire online games

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

It must be difficult for game developers to come up with new characters, narratives and ideas that are sure to be a hit with players, and so increasingly they are dipping into the canon of cult classic movies as a source of inspiration.

These titles are all licensed and approved by the movie studio that owns them, of course, so game developers are free to use the likeness of the characters involved and – in many cases – actually use video and audio clips from the original film to use in their games.

What are the best online games that have been inspired by the finest cult classic movies?

King Kong

There can’t be many film franchises that are older than King Kong.

The big ape first appeared on camera way back in 1933, and for the best part of the next century, he appeared in many guises and in ‘mash-ups’ against another giant mythical creature, Godzilla.

Whether portrayed as a rampaging monster thirsty for blood or as a sort of anti-hero with a heart of gold, King Kong is a concept that has been widely used in online gaming – from 2D adventures in Skull Island to a slot game in which King Kong acts as the focal point of the action.

Many casinos offer the King Kong slot, and you can try it armed with an enhanced bonus using Mohegan Sun’s promo code if you want to tackle the oversized beast!

Jurassic Park

You probably know the drill by now: careless entrepreneur, assisted by his own team of scientists, brings dinosaurs back from extinction and makes them the stars of his wildlife park – with obviously disastrous consequences (this is Hollywood, after all).

The original movie was released in cinemas back in 1993, and since then a number of follow-ups have been made – both Jurassic World and its sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom feature on the list of the 20 all-time highest-grossing films.

A fertile concept for online gaming, a number of Jurassic Park-inspired online games have been made with the same basic premise – avoid the bloodthirsty velociraptors, assist the bungling guards, and get off the island alive.

Planet of the Apes

Like King Kong, Planet of the Apes is a film franchise that has been around for decades, and as such, there is ample material for game developers to make the most of.

There is a fantastic online game in which you take on the role of an astronaut exploring the Planet of the Apes, moving side to side and up and down in this charming 2D platform outing.

There’s also a Planet of the Apes-inspired slot game. This has been licensed by 20^th Century Fox and is essentially a synergy of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, two of the most popular modern incarnations of the series.

Mortal Kombat

Children of the 1990s will remember the classic battle – were you on the side of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat?

The games, which butted heads on Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive, were both classic beat ’em ups where the object was to weaken your opponent before delivering your designated finishing move.

Both have since been immortalized as online games, though arguably it’s Mortal Kombat that has fared the best – you can still download the title on your Apple and Android devices.

Jumanji

Whether you prefer the original movie starring the sadly departed Robin Williams, or the fun reimaginings with The Rock and Jack Black among others, the sheer scale of Jumanji – being sucked into a board game of endless possibility – is perfect fodder for online gaming.

Even though the original movie came out in the 1990s, it actually took until 2019 before an online game was released that did the franchise justice – the Jumanji game, available online and via the various app stores, lets you play as one of the lead characters in a world that is every bit as crazy as that in the films.

Ghostbusters

It’s amazing to think that when the original two movies were released back in the 1980s, Ghostbusters was a franchise that really pushed the envelope as far as what could be achieved on the silver screen.

Powered by a typically understated performance from Bill Murray, Ghostbusters is an ever-popular movie franchise that has been immortalized in game form – the original platform game, in which you try to vaporize various ghosts and ghouls, is still available online.

The Ghostbusters slot game features all of the key characters as well as fun bonus games where you get to fire the famous Proton Gun and try to take down the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man while trying to win real cash prizes.

We can only guess what ‘future classics’ will be turned into online games, but we can’t wait to play them nonetheless!