The Untapped Potential of Godzilla Games Pt. 2

In our last blog, we took a look at the history of Godzilla games, but what do modern Godzilla games offer us and what could the potential for future games in the franchise look like? Let’s dive in!

Modern Godzilla Games

There has yet to be a truly great modern Godzilla game. There have been swaths of mobile games with their typical mobile game malarky, but proper console titles are few and far between. In 2014, the lukewarm PS3/PS4 game simply titled Godzilla was released. It ended up being something of a spiritual successor to both Godzilla: Generations and Destroy All Monsters Melee. The PS4 version features missions that involve destroying static targets, destroying military assets, and battling other monsters. Many modes also allow players to play as one of several classic monsters, including King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Biolante, and Hedorah. While it arguably captures the pace and tone of the source material better than any other video game, the game’s relatively modest roster, slow and repetitive gameplay, and sparse content made it a commercial and critical flop.

Godzilla has also made guest appearances in other titles. 2017’s Japan-exclusive City Shrouded in Shadow (Kyoei Toshi, in japanese) features characters from the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises, among others. Players take on the roles of human characters trying to survive as monsters and other threats attack a fictional city in Japan.

More recently, the 2022 brawler Gigabash struck a deal for an official Godzilla character pack, which was released in December 2022. The DLC added the Hesei version of Godzilla, Kiryu, King Ghidorah, and Destoroyah as playable fighters. The game’s style harkens back to the over-the-top battles of the Pipeworks trilogy in many ways.

Future Godzilla Games

Godzilla’s film history is rich and varied, with different entries falling under a variety of banners. Godzilla films have been cheesy, kid-friendly schlock, emotional, character-driven dramas, disaster-focused political satires, popcorn action flicks, and stern warnings about the abuse of nuclear power. The character is incredibly versatile and has a rich pool of lore to draw from, which is reflected in his film catalog. However, that versatility has not been represented all that well within the video game industry. Most Godzilla games default to either arcade experiences or fighting games. What are some of the other genres that Godzilla has yet to properly delve into?

Modern Strategy Game: Some of the Godzilla mobile games tout themselves as strategic experiences, but they are inevitably hamstrung by their low budgets and aggressive monetization. The low-fi, toyetic Godzilla: Voxel Wars was released in 2023, which by all accounts seems like a fun Into the Breach-esque strategy game. However, it seems to veer more into puzzle territory than outright strategy. But what could a bigger-budget strategy game featuring Godzilla characters look like? There is a wide variety of both turn-based and real-time strategy templates that could be adapted to fit Godzilla. I’d like to see an experienced team take a stab at designing such a game.

Interactive Stories/Adventure Games: Telltale games laid the groundwork for modern, story-heavy adventure games, and that formula can be adapted to nearly any property. With the right mix of elements, there is plenty of Godzilla lore to pull from to create engaging interactive tales about things like alien races, ancient underwater civilizations, and lost islands full of monsters, with stories about how they all connect to the pantheon of monsters. Godzilla is proven to be a versatile character to tell stories with. Why not make some of them interactive?