While there is no shortage of action-packed blockbusters out there for fans of the series to play, the legendary John Wick films offer a specialized experience that’s hard to find an exact comparison. Despite several attempts at making a John Wick gaming adaptation, and a new original project on the horizon, fans looking for a movie-like experience are better off experimenting with games that offer a similar experience instead.
Thankfully, whether you’re a fan of stealth-based action, fast-paced gun-fu, or stylish takedowns, there are more than a few games to let you live out your inner John Wick fantasy, at least until the release of the Untitled John Wick game.
Max Payne 3 Offers An Incredibly Styalized Experience
Although the even grittier narrative of the Max Payne trilogy is far from the glorified action you’d expect from the John Wick films, its gunplay and neo-noir aesthetic share more than a few similarities with the films. Following a washed-up security contractor thrust back into a massive globe-trotting conspiracy that doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the franchise to appreciate.
Offering classic bullet time mechanics that up the ante during precise gunfights, even simple combat encounters can turn into an incredibly stylish shootout right out of a blockbuster film. Combed with an absolutely fantastic soundtrack that pairs with its over-the-top action, it’s not hard to see why Max Payne 3 has been used as inspiration for several John Wick-style game adaptations.
While the slower-paced gameplay that comes from Metal Gear Solid‘s stealth espionage action might not seem like a great fit for John Wick fans right off the bat, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain offers an unprecedented level of freedom when it comes to tackling its wide variety of missions, while including plenty of cinematic parallels to the films.
Even if you’re forced into slower stealth segments at times, the close-quarters combat and wide range of weapons and gadgets can make you feel like you’re in the thick of a well-choreographed action movie, with more than a few options for creative takedowns. Even with its preference for tactical precision over chaotic gunfights, there’s still plenty of room to swap between tactical infiltration and guns-blazing action depending on your mood.
Resident Evil 4 Remake Offers A Surprisingly In-Depth Combat System
Although survival horror might be the furthest thing from your mind when you think of the action-packed John Wick films, the Resident Evil 4 Remake‘s focus on action-heavy combat and stylish finishers fits surprisingly well with the blockbuster franchise. Encouraging an aggressive playstyle that mixes parrying and melee attacks into its gunplay, RE4‘s cinematic combat offers a thrilling ride from start to finish.
While some segments will see you stalking your way around horrifyingly mutated monsters, there are plenty of sequences that will see you roundhouse kicking cultists and performing some incredibly satisfying combos that feel like they were pulled right out of a John Wick film. With the remaster also including the well-beloved Mercenaries mode, you’ll have plenty of options to unleash your inner action hero in Resident Evil 4‘s well-developed combat systems.
Superhot Was Practically Made With John Wick In Mind
While it might not have the eye-catching visuals or character-driven narrative like the films, the precise cinematic gameplay of Superhot offers an unparalleled level of control over its creative fight sequences. With time slowing down whenever you don’t move, you can plan out a perfectly choreographed action sequence that looks even better when played back at full speed.
Aside from being an incredibly overlooked gem nowadays, Superhot‘s minimalistic style allows for some even more brutal hits than most games provide, with plenty of rewards for players who can master its combat systems in both the original game and its sequels.
Severed Steel’s High-Paced Action Is Surprisingly Addictive
For anyone looking for an incredibly fast-paced shooter that perfectly captures the more chaotic blood-pumping action of the John Wick films, Severed Steel is a tough game to beat. Severed Steel‘s acrobatic-style movement mechanics also heavily encourage you to mix things up during a firefight, while using the environment to your advantage in taking down its waves of enemies.
Created by a solo developer that’s backed by an excellent soundtrack, Severed Steel‘s FPS gameplay offers all the combat momentum and heavily stylized visuals you could hope for in a John Wick game.
I Am Your Beast Is The Quintessential Assassination Simulator
Offering a similar revenge thriller with plenty of incredibly fast-paced combat encounters, the compact mission style of I Am Your Beast feels incredibly rewarding once you get the hang of it. From chaining together kills for brutal combos, I Am Your Beast aims to make every combat encounter feel like a well-choreographed fight scene with plenty of alternate ways to take down your foes.
With minimal downtime between levels and a narrative that encourages you to combine precision and speed with brutal efficiency, I Am Your Beast will have you getting into the flow of a legendary assassin like John Wick in no time as you quickly master its creative combat systems.
Sleeping Dogs Is An Absolute Classic For A Reason
Despite having been released all the way back in 2012, the martial-arts-centered Sleeping Dogs still offers an incredibly immersive open-world experience that has all the same hallmarks as John Wick‘s film inspirations.
Taking place in a crime-ridden version of Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs follows a police officer going undercover to infiltrate a powerful Triad organization through mastering its melee-combat, gunplay, and parkour systems to their full potential. With plenty of similarities to John Wick‘s deep criminal ecosystem and visual aesthetics, Sleeping Dogs is an excellent choice for anyone that wants to experience the spirit of the films for themselves.
Hitman: World of Assassination Lives Up To Its Name In Spades
If you’re more of a fan of the aesthetics and tactical assassination side of the John Wick series rather than its bombastic action, then Hitman: World of Assassination is just the game you’re looking for. While Hitman‘s gunplay is definitely the trilogy’s weakest aspect, its globe-trotting storyline and sheer number of creative ways to take down your targets offer countless hours of incredibly satisfying stealth gameplay.
Rewarding players who plan ahead to set up the perfect kills on unsuspecting targets, World of Assassination‘s stylish presentation manages to surpass John Wick’s calculated kills, with three games’ worth of content making for a formidable assassin-themed package.
Hotline Miami 1 & 2 Offer An Unforgettably Violent Experience
If you’re looking for a game that offers incredibly fast-paced combat with an emphasis on brutal takedowns, Hotline Miami is the quintessential action game when it comes to capturing John Wick‘s overall tempo. Even with its simple pixelated style, Hotline Miami‘s visceral gameplay loop encourages you to take full advantage of its combat systems and memorize enemy patterns to achieve a perfect mission score.
Hotline Miami‘s top-down style even bears a striking resemblance to an action scene in the fourth John Wick film, which captures just a glimpse of the punishing combat systems that Hotline Miami‘s gameplay thrives in. Throwing on a surprisingly in-depth story that expands in scope across several characters and interesting timelines, both Hotline Miami games are a rewarding ride from start to finish with plenty of replayability.
Sifu Is The Closest We’ve Got To An Official John Wick Adaptation
While lacking the tactical gadgets and intense firefights that make the John Wick films so iconic, Sifu more than makes up for it by offering an incredibly deep martial arts-based combat system. With an emphasis on precise timing, tactful counters, and using your environments against enemies, the choreography of Sifu‘s combat feels incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it.
As if its surface-level gameplay similarities weren’t enough, Sifu‘s connections to the John Wick series are made even more apparent by its TV adaptation, as Sifu’s Netflix special shares a director with the iconic action franchise. With a similar revenge storyline and mods that transform its protagonist into John Wick himself, it’s hard to find a better game for fans of the blockbuster films to get invested in.
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Derek Kolstad
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The Continental