In the eclectic world of ghost hunting aficionados and those versed in demonology, the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren is one that many talk about in hushed tones. Known, but enigmatic. Then, in 2013, James Wan released his sensational film, The Conjuring. It was not a simple adaptation, but an eruption. The film didn’t just “tell” their story. On the contrary, it spectacularly propelled her into the spotlight. It revealed, layer by nuanced layer, the sinister, twisting world the Warrens navigated daily. From creepy dolls to demonic possession, the couple has seen it all in the Conjuring universe. It’s safe to say, then, that The Conjuring has become a modern classic for horror fans – a tale so haunting, so captivating, that its labyrinthine scope has spawned multiple sequels. Given its illustrious legacy in the world of horror, isn't it high time to consider the idea of a video game adaptation of The Conjuring?
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For fans of horror films, there comes a point where simply watching a succession of jumpscares stops being entertaining. Sure, it's nice to see the spooky settings and follow the macabre stories, but there's more to the Warrens' works than what we've seen in the movies, right? It is precisely for this reason that a video game adaptation of the Conjuring series would be completely logical, especially today.
With the upcoming release of The Conjuring: Last Rites and The Nun II haunting the box office, The Conjuring fans are living the dream. Even after three main films, the series continues with new stories and locations, each scarier than the last. If there's one thing video games like Visage and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard have taught us, it's that you can always be scarier.
When you think about how the Warrens conduct their investigations, it seems like the perfect formula for a paranormal investigation in a Conjuring-style video game. Imagine a scarier L.A. Noire, in which you have to interview witnesses to gauge what kind of supernatural threat you're dealing with, if there is one.
One thing more famous than Warren history is the Warren Occult Museum. It was in this building that the duo of demonologists stored the haunted objects they had acquired during their travels. For a long time, the museum was closed to the rest of the world.
Many enthusiasts of ghost hunting and the study of the afterlife would have killed for the opportunity to visit the museum of occult artifacts created by the Warrens. Many horror fanatics who fell in love with their fascinating stories would have done the same for a unique experience in the universe that was created to discover what it was like to be in the shoes of a Warren during that era .
What if you could have the best of both worlds with an immersive and mysterious video game? Without further ado, here is an idea for “The Conjuring” game based on the fictional version of the occult Warren Museum and on images created by AI.
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History
Although the Warrens' story has been explored in the many films in The Conjuring universe and its spinoffs (The Nun franchise and the Annabelle franchise), the story has always focused on the Warrens going out and helping the others, and how their work as a demonologist affects them. What if the roles were reversed and they were the ones who needed help?
In this game concept, we get a little closer to home. Judy Warren (portrayed by Sterling Jerins in the films), the daughter of Ed and Lorraine, is said to be the main character in The Conjuring.
Ed and Lorraine did their best to protect Judy, but when the demonic attacks they helped people escape began to become more frequent and affect their family, the Warrens realized they had to prepare Judy and equip her for the world they live in, a world where demonic and ghostly activity is a reality they must face. Although reluctant at first, the Warrens began teaching Judy how to protect herself from a young age.
Years later, when Judy becomes a young adult, she falls out with her mother and father because she has her own ideas about what she wants for her future – she wants to leave the world of the occult behind. and have a more everyday life. As an intelligent young woman, she wants to study more than demonology and decides to follow her own path.
Barely a year later, Judy receives an urgent letter from her father, who urges her to come home due to an imminent threat that is worrying him and Lorraine. Although Judy has no desire to return to the world of demons and spirits, she still decides to go see her family, worried by how distraught her father's letter seemed.
When she returns home, her parents are nowhere to be found. What happened to Ed and Lorraine Warren? Can Judy solve this mystery?
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Gameplay
The concept of this horror and mystery game is that the many spirits and entities attached to the occult objects and artifacts that the Warrens have collected over the years have begun to manifest in terrifying ways. What was once a safe house has become a scary and terrifying portal to another world.
Players will explore the world from the perspective of Judy, who, although she doesn't want the knowledge passed down to her from her parents, is a skilled demonologist. Faced with the choice of using the knowledge she was taught or never seeing her parents again, Judy swallows her pride and dives into this mystery.
Every artifact in the Warren Museum has a chilling story that explains how it came to be and why it should never be in the world. Through demonic and spiritual manifestations, each artifact has created its own terrifying pocket dimension that will suck players in. Players must use Judy's skills to figure out how to deal with the entity that rules this small universe, follow clues left by her parents, and solve puzzles to progress.
The gameplay style of this Conjuring game will include mechanics such as finding clues and solving puzzles, while allowing players to choose between two ways to play: Fight or Flee.
By choosing to fight the entities head on, Judy will develop her spiritual warfare skills, gaining more knowledge on how to destroy the entity if possible or contain it as a last resort. On the other hand, if the player chooses to flee, Judy will develop her stealth skills, learning new ways to use her knowledge and abilities as a demonologist to create diversions and distractions that will allow her to bypass enemies that she encounters. she faces and seals this pocket dimension once she gets all the clues she needs.
Through the choices she makes throughout the game, Judy will not only learn different skills that will allow her to play in different forms, but she will also have access to different options. If Judy chooses to fight, she will be brave; if she chooses to flee, she will be cunning. Each choice also has an impact on the end of the game.
Judy will have to do all this while managing her fear and paranoia. If she is strong and courageous, she will be able to learn skills to recover after facing the entities head-on. On the other hand, if she is cunning, she might lack skill in avoiding entities with her stealth and cunning. To avoid fear, one must stay in the light, not look at the darkness for too long, and not look at the entity for too long.
At the end of this Conjuring game, there will be four possible endings. The first ending is the “happy” ending – if Judy finds enough clues, manages to seal/destroy enough minds, manages her fear and paranoia well, and finds both of her parents, she will be able to bring out Ed and Lorraine Warren pocket dimensions in which they are trapped, thus reuniting the family in the real world.
Other ways to complete the game would be to complete the majority of the same requirements, but only find enough clues to find one of your parents. The other would be left behind and sealed in this dimension forever.
If Judy cannot deal with her fear and paranoia, it is possible that she will manage to save her parents but be too far away to escape, choosing to sacrifice herself in order to seal the portal forever, thus saving the mortal realm of pocket dimension horrors created in the Warren Occult Museum.
Worse still, if Judy is completely swallowed up by darkness before she can help one of her parents escape, all three of them will be trapped in this realm, left to the wanderings and horrors of this entity until ‘until their spirits fade.
In conclusion, it would be really cool to experience an interactive video game set in The Conjuring universe, whatever the story, whether it's based on the real-life stories of the Warrens or or entirely fictional, like The Nun or this video game concept.
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Why we need The Conjuring game
The Conjuring movies hide tons of information about every character and cursed object. Sure, we know Annabelle all too well, but what about the dozens of other artifacts on display in the Warren museum? What is their story ? This is the kind of thing you can't tell in cinema – it's impossible to make more than a dozen films with the same actors and cover all the story there is to cover in a universe as dense as that of The Conjuring.
A game would appeal to fans of the films who want to know more about the Warrens, of course, but it would also take things to the next level. Seeing Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga face off against unspeakable abominations is cool and all, but what about being able to face these apparitions head on? It's the kind of experience that can only be had with The Conjuring game, no matter how intense or well-crafted the film may be.
Although the craze for first-person horror adventures has faded somewhat in recent years, horror games – like their cinematic counterparts – are still relevant. We badly need a new name to enter the market for iconic horror franchises in gaming – with Silent Hill and Resident Evil both settling for remakes of their biggest hits instead of innovating with new stories. Don't get me wrong, I loved Resident Evil Village, but there's a limit to how many times a person can play Resident Evil 4 before it becomes more of a job than a hobby.
Fans know the kind of games that Warner Bros. spell – Shadow of Mordor is a real blast, for example. Now imagine if they did the same thing for The Conjuring franchise, offering an open-ended survival horror adventure, complete with all the Warren history and haunting imagery from the films. This is the kind of franchise that horror games need, and it won't be long!