How Netflix’s ‘Arcane’ Bested Video Game Adaptations
This hit series has won the hearts of fans and newcomers alike… Just don’t play the game (No seriously, just don’t)
By Ernest Kiamco/EMZ
Arcane is based on the popular game franchise League of Legends, the hit series came into Netflix last November 6. Loyal fans have longingly waited for their favorite champions to make their appearance on the silver screen, however, time and time again, video game adaptations have not always been received positively by the audience — until now!
It attempts to string the world of Runeterra (the fictional world both the games and series take) and builds on existing elements into a larger narrative. Alex Lee, one of the lead writers of Arcane, expressed the challenge in bringing the beloved game characters to life.
“We really wanted players to be able to open up and share the world that they’ve been spending so much time in with people around them, be proud of it, and have this as a way of having a conversation with people who are on the outside [of the League fandom].” he said in an Ungeek.ph feature article.
Lee was not wrong with introducing the League of Legends universe to the rest of the world, as critics have given Arcane nothing but raves. IGN and IMDb, both reputable review sites, rated the series well on the ten point scale with overall scores of 9.3 and 10 respectively. This is quite a first for video game adaptations in history.
Arcane successfully pulled it off by expanding the narrative to not only these pre-existing characters, but also characters that were specifically made for the series (e.g Silco, Vander, Medarda, etc.). With substantive story lines, this only made Arcane an intricate world that draws the audience to keep watching.
MORE THAN JUST A GAME
The story revolves around two disputed cities: Piltover and Zaun.
Despite being in the same area placed in the world of Runeterra, the cities both have distinct and layered characteristics that provide nuanced perspectives on the theme of the series.
Piltover (a.k.a topside) is known for its progressive and industrious way of life, as the city calls itself the “City of Progress.” It’s governed by a ruling class council in regards to economics, security, and trade, helped by this new technology called Hextech, as discovered by one of the main characters, Jayce Talis (played by Kevin Alejandro) and Viktor (played by Harry Lloyd).
Zaun (a.k.a the Undercity) is just as bustling as the topside, however in contrast to Piltover, it is a hive of crime and poverty due to the ruling kingpins that abuse their power over the citizens (such as the distribution of the substance called Shimmer) and the negligence of the ruling class (topsiders).
The stark disparity between the two cities drives the narrative of the whole story as it covers relevant themes such as: class struggle, inequality, and injustice…. Hmm, seems familiar right?
The first three episodes focus around the culmination of pre-established characters based on the League of Legends roster; mainly, Jinx (formerly knowns Powder), Vi, Caitlyn Kiramman, Jayce Talis, and Viktor; and original characters mainly focusing on Silco who is the morally ambiguous main antagonist of the story.
With these well-developed characters with their respectable story arcs and the excellent world-building, both Riot Games and Netflix master-crafted a series that shows a more grounded take on a video game that is well known for its toxic community, and its focus on strategy rather than a story with well-rounded characters.
Ernest Kiamco, or EU, is literally like Patrick Bateman. He is an egotistical psychopath who will stop at nothing to try to be better than everyone. He keeps telling himself that he is a sigma male and he is some kind of abstraction that is simply not there (please get him some help).
