Percy Jackson deserves the Hogwarts Legacy treatment

It’s an exciting time to be a Percy Jackson fan with the TV show’s obvious success and a new book on the way. Now, it’s time for the mythological series to receive the epic RPG treatment it deserves.

Though the subject of a lot of controversy, 2023’s Hogwarts Legacy undoubtedly gave a lot of Harry Potter fans what they’ve always wanted in a game – a chance to step into the wizarding world and carve out their own adventure.

There are countless IPs out there with enticing worlds and characters that would make a fantastic Triple-A experience but, there’s no better time for Percy Jackson and the Olympians to put its godly mark on the gaming industry.

Disney+

The following article contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians book and TV series.

A brief history

For anyone unfamiliar, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (or PJO for short) started life as a book series by Rick Riordan aimed primarily at a middle school audience. In the almost 20 years since the first book was published, however, it’s attracted a dedicated worldwide fanbase across all ages.

The story centers around the titular protagonist Percy Jackson who is thrown into a dangerous world of gods and monsters after discovering that he’s a demigod – the son of a Greek god. After learning of his lineage Percy finds himself at Camp Half Blood – a refuge for demigod children and teenagers where they can develop their skills, connect with other Half Bloods, and learn how to survive in a world where hostile monsters will always be on the horizon.

The initial tale of Percy was chronicled across five books, the first two – The Lightning Thief, and The Sea of Monsters – were adapted for the screen in the 2010s. However, both the fans and Riordan himself, have criticized the movies for their deviations from the source material. It was The Lightning Thief feature film that gave fans their first, and to this date, the only video game though with an exclusive Nintendo DS tie-in turn-based RPG, that unfortunately left a lot to be desired.

All eyes on Percy

After over a decade of waiting and hoping from fans, 2023 finally saw a brand new adaption of Percy Jackson in the form of a TV series for Disney + that had Riordan’s full involvement. With a talented cast of young actors leading the way, and a second season already ordered, there’s a high chance we may see all 5 books brought to life eventually.

A brand new book, Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods was released ahead of the show’s premiere in 2023 which followed the core trio, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth, and it’s since been confirmed that a sequel, Wrath of the Triple Goddess is due for release in 2024. Essentially, there are a lot of eyes on Percy, making it the perfect time to give the franchise a second shot at video game greatness.

The case for a video game: Demigods and Monsters

Disney+

From our brave and sassy hero to his fellow campmates, and the all-powerful gods from the Greek Pantheon, the characters and world Rick Riordan has crafted would act as the perfect basis for a sprawling RPG experience.

The safe haven of Camp Half Blood could easily act as a main hub, while the perilous domain of the Underworld, and the sheer scale of Mount Olympus would make for stunning in-game environments.

In terms of gameplay, Percy and co. have certainly faced enough challenges to make for exciting content. How about having to face Medusa in a fight or playing an intense game of Capture the Flag with weapons included? And those are just a couple of snippets of the action that the demigod faces in his first adventure, let alone the rest of the books.

Live your own adventures

While there’s a lot of potential in reliving Percy’s journey in a game adaptation, there’s perhaps even more in fans being able to carve out their own story.

Creating a character would be a fantastic way to immerse yourself at Camp Half Blood. Having the ability to choose your godly parent at the start of the game, or have them be selected at random – could set the stage for your demigod’s unique abilities.

Each Greek god has an area of expertise so it’s natural their children would inherit some of their skills. A son of Poseidon could breathe underwater indefinitely, making certain areas in the world easier to explore. A daughter of Hephaestus could be efficient at building and crafting. Being a child of Ares would boost your character’s overall physical strength. There are countless ways that creating your character would make for a unique playthrough in a PJO RPG, and that’s before even deciding on your weapon of choice or taking on quests.

Endless possibilities 

A vast open-world RPG in the vein of Hogwarts Legacy would be groundbreaking for a Percy Jackson game, but there are really endless possibilities when it comes to the franchise venturing into video game territory properly.

A LEGO game where you can experience the different quests from the series while collecting and playing as different characters akin to LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga would likely serve the scope of PJO just as well as an action/adventure or open-world RPG. There’s even an in-universe trading card game in the franchise called Mythomagic which would make a fantastic turn-based title like Gwent.

Overall, Rick Riordan has created an extremely rich franchise over the years that’s more than deserving of the Triple-A treatment. With so many eyes on Percy Jackson right now, as well as the success of games based on mythology in recent years, such as God of War, and Hades, there’s never been a better time for PJO to get the video game adaption it deserves.