Summary
A good video game will make you want to check its official Wiki afterward.A truly great video gamewill make you want to read every piece of supplementary material you may get your now probably quite clammy hands on. Thus, the humble tie-in novel comes to the rescue, and is often the ideal way to keep getting that fix outside of the games.
But sometimes, those tie-ins can manage to outshine their origins in certain ways, particularly when it comes to characters. Occasionally, fans will love a character from the book (or books) so much that the developers have no choice but to bring them into the main entries. So who are some of the most memorable to make that jump?
8Rae Sloane
Star Wars: Squadrons
Star Warsis no stranger to that flash of fan service when a beloved book character makes it to the big, small, or phone-sized screen. But it’s not often where such a figure will actually make their post-novel debut in a video game. That’s what happened with Imperial Officer Rae Sloane inStar Wars: Squadrons.
Sloane built her way up through her various book appearances as one of the most influential and capable Galactic Empire leaders following their defeat in Return of the Jedi. She even took command as the inaugural leader of the First Order. Naturally, in a game focused on space battles during the time after the fall of the Empire, it would have been foolish not to include her.
7Kahlee Sanders
Mass Effect 3
This instance is a bit tragic, as Kahlee Sanders' role inMass Effect 3is rather massively diminished compared to what she got to do in her book appearances. She first showed up in Mass Effect: Revelation, where she was shown as a remarkably gifted technician.
She saw many adventures during her time over several novels, which involved a long and prosperous friendship with David Anderson before and during the events ofthe main Mass Effect trilogy. But in Mass Effect 3, she was unfortunately little more than a side character in an already missable quest. She deserved more, but she definitely earned that spot in the games. Plus, it was a really good quest.
6Ben Saxon
Deus Ex: The Fall
Say what you will about originally-mobile spinoff/prequelDeus Ex: The Fall, and most people have already said what they will. But it pretty well continued the series trend of conspiracies, striking futuristic visuals, and cool people with sunglasses.
Ben Saxon took that role in The Fall, but not before he saw plenty of action in Deus Ex: Icarus Effect, a novel which sets up the events of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. This former British Special Air Service agent’s particularly emotive personality really set him apart from other Deus Ex protagonists. Of course, he had to come back to prove that sometimes, cool dudes can also have a personality.
5Lucanis Dellamorte
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Right from his initial on-screen appearance in that first trailer forDragon Age: The Veilguard, Lucanis Dellamorte captivated fans with a smoldering aura only matched by his incredible name that probably makes hired killers jealous the world over. If you were among those enthralled, then you’d do well to check out a little book of short stories called Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights.
This adept assassin with the Antivan Crows made his first appearance in the story The Wigmaker Job from Tevinter Nights, which establishes his lethal prowess, particularly againsteven the strongest of mages. Apparently, that was enough to earn him a spot in The Veilguard, a true boon for fan artists everywhere.
4Aria T’Loak
Mass Effect 2
She’s merciless, cunning, and enforces one particular rule that doesn’t need to be mentioned here. Asari crime boss Aria T’Loak pretty much immediately captivated everybody when she showed up inMass Effect 2, and the endearing vocal performance from Carrie-Anne Moss was certainly an extra help.
But Aria actually saw her first appearance before Mass Effect 2, with a notable role in the Mass Effect: Redemption comics. These told the story of how Commander Shepard’s lifeless body found its way to Cerberus to get that little scientific necromancy going, and naturally, the Queen of Omega herself manages to get involved.
3Anna Kelso
Former US Secret Service agent Anna Kelso plays a substantial role alongside Ben Saxon in Deus Ex: Icarus Effect. But unlike Ben, she unfortunately gets relegated to a supporting character when she showed up in the spinoff Deus Ex: The Fall.Video game side charactersreally need to unionize.
Her history involves overcoming a substance abuse problem and infiltrating the Secret Service headquarters, so naturally she’s been through some stuff. But while she doesn’t enjoy the same level of agency as fellow protagonist Ben in The Fall, it’s definitely nice to have her back for those who checked out the book.
2Neve Gallus
Unlike fellow Veilguard member Lucanis, Neve Gallus has the distinction of appearing both in print and panel prior to her video game debut. The charismatic private investigator is someone who clearly appreciates the look, based on that immaculate headpiece of hers, and that alone earns her tons of visual representation.
Appearing first in the Tevinter Nights story The Streets of Minrathous, Neve also showed up to meet Varric Tethras and Lace Harding during their search for Solas in the comic Dragon Age: The Missing. Her investigative and magical skills enjoy plenty of demonstrations throughout, and if she wasn’t in The Veilguard, she likely would have been fans' top choice for a DLC character.
1Tartarus
Halo 2
It’s not often that a villain makes the jump from book to game, largely because villains don’t usually enjoy particularly bountiful life expectancies. But Tartarus, the imposing Chieftain ultimately taken down by The Arbiter and Sergeant Johnson inHalo 2, is a special case.
First appearing in the novel Halo: First Strike over a year before Halo 2 released, Tartarus enjoyed a surprisingly robust backstory. This is especially true for someone involved with afanatical religious cult like The Covenant. It wasn’t enough to save him from an admittedly pretty epic demise, but even so, you probably still remember his name. That counts for something.
