Spoiler warning for Arcane season two!
Arcane became one of the biggest phenomena in the world when it was released in 2021, and with the second season now done, it has forever changed the way video game adaptations will be judged. With video game adaptations coming to massive popularity in the last few years, it is important to understand how Arcane’s storytelling sets it above the rest.
With the first season of Arcane, viewers are able to see the backstory of Vi, Caitlyn, Jinx, Ekko, Ambessa, Viktor, Jayce, and Heimerdinger. Specifically, the first three episodes are mainly focused on Jinx and Vi, with the others getting a few minutes in every episode. The reason why it was so important to focus on Vi and Jinx from the start is because the story is focused on two sisters, and how they orbit around each other throughout their lives. Having a deep understanding of Vi and Jinx’s history allows for viewers to see the clear chain of consequence the sisters have on those around them.
This is best shown when Vi and Jinx go to Jayce’s apartment and steal the prototype of Hextech. Once the explosion went off, a series of consequences were set in motion – Arcane would not have gone the way it did if Jinx didn’t use the Hextech prototype in her monkey bomb at the end of the first season’s Act One. With one event, the other events cannot happen, and we see this in Season 2’s episode 7, when Ekko goes into another universe and sees a world without Vi because the explosion killed her. In this world, Powder never becomes Jinx, and everyone that dies in the first season is alive here.
By having the events of Piltover and Zaun focused around the two sisters, Arcane is able to utilise the great storytelling from the original lore of League of Legends. This enables those who have never played the game or know the original League lore to enjoy the franchise lore without ever needing to play it.
Viewers who have played League of Legends get to also see how Arcane has impacted the game, with new skins and a new character, Ambessa, having come out since Season 2 released. It also shows how an adaptation of a game doesn’t need to follow the lore to be exactly like the original if done correctly – a good adaptation can even inversely influence the source material.
In other video game adaptations, many focused on going with an exact copy of the game or by changing up the lore too much in order to bring in a new audience. Yet, Arcane finds a middle ground in how it doesn’t need to follow exactly like League of Legends yet builds upon its expansive lore in a unique lens. Thus, this allows for more creative freedom with the existing story without being judged on being lore accurate like other adaptations.
One way I think Arcane does a great job of expanding the lore is by having Vander confirmed to be Warwick. It allows for a completely new look at the dialogue that happens in-game with Vi and Jinx. Having new aspects of the backstory expanded upon is what makes this story stand out against other adaptations. For other video game adaptations, many don’t go into the full backstory of the characters, and if they do, it’s small amounts and with lore that is already fully known. With Arcane, they want unexplored paths of the lore to be shown, such as Warwick and how he was created from Vander, and still retains his memories.
Arcane stands out as a great adaptation because of the way the creators handled the characters backstories as discussed, whilst also showing the characters signature fighting styles and weapons. League of Legends is a high-action game after all. Within episode 7 of Season 2, viewers are finally able to see Ekko’s time-traveling ability be discovered and how he came to be with the power.
In episode 2 of Season 2, we are also able to see Caitlyn’s iconic Hextech rifle in use and see her marksman abilities be used in the next episode. While in Season 1, we are able to see Vi, Jinx, and Jayce’s iconic weapons in action from League of Legends. All of this allows players to see their favorite champions in action without needing to play the game. With the way the creators add in the champions fighting styles into the storytelling, this then enhances the characters natural abilities and shows how much detail and care they took in making the champions video game accurate.
The animated style of the show meant viewers were able to notice that the brilliantly talented Arcane artists got to show the different emotions of characters in quick flashes at important moments. In one instance, we see Maddie aiming her rifle at Caitlyn’s head, and when she fires it, there is a rapid black-and-white flash, and in that second, we can see Maddie smirking while in the scene she is completely straight-faced.
These small details and the overarching story allow for Arcane to be one of the best video game adaptations in the past few years. Viewers like us might be sad to see the storyline of Piltover and Zaun end, but we’re also excited to see where the cinematic world of Arcane may continue in the future!
