(Photo courtesy of the official Mandalorian Twitter, @themandalorian)
“The Mandalorian” quickly took off as one of Disney’s most successful original works, and its popularity has only continued to rise since it first aired in November of 2019. It is seemingly impossible to go into a store without spotting The Child merchandise and gifs of the Mandalorian himself saying “This is the Way” are all over social media. The show even recently won two amazing titles, one being Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series for the Critics Choice Awards, and the other award being a well-deserved spot in the top 10 television programs of the year by the American Film Institute. It’s clear that the show’s success only continues to build as season three begins filming in April, and with it raises a question: How would “The Mandalorian” do as a video game?
Spoilers for “The Mandalorian” season two are ahead, so proceed with caution.
A Mandalorian video game could easily be a major success for both Disney, and the “Star Wars” franchise, and it’s not just because of the demand for “Star Wars” content, and more adorable cameos of The Child. “The Mandalorian” isn’t just successful because of the bigger name it’s tied to, but because it has everything a good show needs to be successful. Its characters are charming and intriguing, with origin stories that keep you impatiently waiting for the next episode. It managed to find the perfect balance of humor without coming across as overly cheesy. The action scenes are flawlessly choreographed and intense. It’s perfectly constructed so that even the weaker episodes are balanced out with moments that make up for where the overall arc may have fallen a little short. These are a few of the many reasons that “The Mandalorian would make an incredible video game, especially an RPG.
The show already feels surprisingly like an RPG as you’re watching it. There are times when Din Djarin, best known simply as the Mandalorian, feels like the main character in a video game that is constantly taking side quests instead of following the main storyline. Din finds out in season two that the little green creature he had been affectionately referring to as “The Child” is actually named Grogu, and that Grogu’s mysterious powers are actually a result of him being able to use The Force. Din is given the mission of returning Grogu to his people, of finding a Jedi so that The Child he’s been protecting can be with his own kind. The quest to return Grogu where he belongs seems simple, and straight forward enough, but as the show progresses, Din quickly finds that nothing is as simple as it seems, and as soon as he thinks he’s close to finding a Jedi to hand Grogu over to, there’s yet another obstacle that keeps his goal just out of reach. This gives the show a very Witcher 3 video game feel, where sure, the main story is compelling, but there are also plenty of side quests that only add to an already interesting main storyline.
Due to the style of the show, this makes “The Mandalorian” work perfectly as a game. Between the story-driven main plot that follows Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey perfectly so far, and all the accidental side arcs along the way, it already has the perfect foundation set. Sprinkle in some of the other selling points of the show, such as hand-t0-hand combat, aerial spaceship battles, weaponry, and armor (leaving plenty of room for upgrades), and you have the perfect formula of an RPG that’s just waiting to happen. The developers could even allow decision-based events that would affect Din’s relationship with Grogu, changing Grogu’s willingness to use The Force and help Din in battle. With the show taking place all over the galaxy, the game could even be designed to be an entirely open world, allowing the player to decide which quests they want to accept and which they choose to ignore.
The best part of all? It’s not just gamers and “Star Wars” fans showing interesting in “The Mandalorian’s potential as a video game.
If someone isn’t working on a great single player Mandalorian game where you play a bounty hunter flying your ship from system to system picking up bounties, upgrading your Beskar armor and getting into adventures then I really don’t know what the hell we are doing here. ❤️
— Cory Barlog 🖖 (@corybarlog) December 8, 2020
That’s right, Cory Barlog even sees the capability in a game. If you’re not familiar with Barlog, he’s most famously known for his work as the director of God of War, a game that just so happened to win 2018’s Game of the Year. Fans aren’t alone in seeing the absolute goldmine this game could be. Your move, Disney. Give the fans what they want. This is the Way.
Written by Ashley Laney
Lynn Makes
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson