Time to load into the Tardis, as a new Doctor Who adventure is coming to PC and consoles in early 2021. The good Doctor and his many companions have had more than a few ventures into the world of video games, but none of those releases have truly breached into the mainstream consciousness. Till now, the character has thrived in spinoffs and guest appearances, including a digital edition of British card game Top Trumps and a match-3 RPG that released on mobile devices and Facebook.
One of the most in-depth implementations of the franchise in gaming up to this point was in a game that didn't even have Doctor Who in the title; Lego Dimensions featured Doctor Who as one of its spotlight franchises, weaving the character into its main campaign and offering up an expansive open-world area based on the entire history of the series. In 2019, there was a VR game based on the series called Doctor Who: The Edge of Time that featured horror elements that fit with the technology. The latest Doctor Who game looks to expand on that release and let players outside of the VR community have a crack at it.
Announced in a release on PC and consoles. The game will feature a longer version of the story from last year's game but add new puzzles, additional monsters, and more environments than before. There will also be a new Doctor in the game, as current timelord Jodie Whittaker will be ed by the tenth Doctor, David Tennant. Considering the elements of both time travel and reality shifting often deployed by the franchise, the added Doctor will certainly make sense in the end.
Developed by the returning developers at Maze Theory, Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality seems to be one of many attempts to bridge out from VR-focused development in the wake of the technology becoming more niche than many had hoped for. Star Wars Squadrons and Trover Saves the Universe released with optional headset as a half step to try to drum up business outside the VR audience. With a title change, the expansions to Edge of Time's story, and the new additions, Edge of Reality will likely stretch on longer than the original's two-hour runtime, which will hopefully help with its mixed reception among critics and fans at release.
It's interesting that Doctor Who has never really found footing in the world of AAA video games, as it's the type of franchise that should stick that landing quite well. It has expansive lore, a dedicated fanbase, and years of stories to work from, but this has never equaled anything bigger than an extended cameo. Then again, considering how long it took DC to get a Batman game right, perhaps the Doctor's time is imminent, or at least somewhere in the future.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality will be available on PC and consoles in 2021.
Source: Doctor Who
