The Shrek 5 trailer officially brings back the ogre, but it shouldn't be his only return

The Shrek 5 The trailer is finally out, the movie is now slated to hit theaters on June 30, 2027. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are all back, giving DreamWorks' most famous ogre his first proper movie. Shrek is always behind In 2010. It means Shrek 5 The last mainline is coming after 17 years Shrek The film, which is wild for a franchise that still feels like such a big part of current pop culture.

If Shrek Officially making his film comeback, though, there's no reason to stop his return to theaters after that. The franchise has been absent from gaming for almost as long, and that absence feels especially strange now that licensed games are starting to feel exciting again. before Shrek 5 Arriving, DreamWorks should seriously consider giving Strange another chance Shrek The game of them all, Shrek Superslam.

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Shrek SuperSlam was one of the franchise's most unique gaming experiments

Shrek Superslam Beach was released in 2005 Shrek 2 and Shrek the ThirdAnd it didn't try to retell the plot of a single movie. Instead, it turned the franchise into a chaotic fighting game where the characters Shrek Universes crashed into each other through walls, windows, and fairy-tale arenas. Players could control Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Fiona, Prince Charming, and other familiar faces in a game designed purely around over-the-top brawling — much like the games themselves. Super Smash Bros

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Permadeath (2.5 seconds)

That concept alone makes it Shrek Superslam Stand apart from the rest of the franchise's gaming history. a lot Shrek The games were made as platformers, party games, racing games, or direct movie tie-ins, but Superslam understood that ShrekThe world was too strange to even support something. It essentially treated the franchise like a playground of oddball characters who wanted to destroy each other that had to be copied scene-by-scene rather than the plot of the movie.

The main idea of the game was simple, but it fit Shrek It's probably better than it had any rights. Every character had a superslam attack, and the environments in the games were completely destructible. This meant not only that the appeal won the battle, but that the chaos of the fairy tale appeared in a way that felt very much on the brand. Shrekpersonality of

Shrek Superslam It wasn't a critical masterpiece, although it fared better than many other licensed games of its era. Metacritic lists the Xbox version as Shrek Superslam at 71, the GameCube version at 70, the PC version at 69, and the PlayStation 2 version at 67, while the handheld versions were brought down a bit. For a 2005 license Shrek Fighting games, that's not really a disaster.

a lot Shrek The games were made as platformers, party games, racing games, or direct movie tie-ins, but Superslam understood that ShrekThe world was too strange to support anything.

What critics and players loved most about the game was its premise. Shrek Superslam There was an immediately understandable appeal, especially for younger gamers, because it let them throw familiar characters into absurd battles with devastating stages and exaggerated attacks. It wasn't trying to be a polished competitive fighting game because it didn't need to be one, and that actually worked in its favor.

The problems were also very obvious. Some reviewers found the game too easy, too short, repetitive, or shallow, and the handheld versions did not have the same appeal as the console versions. It was of great size Shrek Party-fighting game, but it didn't have the depth or longevity to become a true franchise pillar.

But that's exactly why it feels like the right kind of game to revisit right now Shrek 5 is on the way. original Shrek Superslam The idea was strong enough to be remembered, but had clear enough boundaries that a modern revival could improve almost everything about it. Better combat, arenas, multiplayer support, online play, and the addition of a much larger roster of characters from Dreamworks could keep the new version absurd. Shrek the universe.

Shrek Gaming has also had a much longer history than some fans may remember. in fact, Shrek Games were once everywhere, even if not every release was good or particularly memorable. Now that the movies are finally making a comeback, the gaming industry shouldn't act like that entire franchise never happened.

The greatest Shrek video games ever released

Shrek (2001)
Shrek: The Fairy Tale Freakdown (2001)
Shrek: Swamp Cart Speedway (2002)
Shrek: Treasure Hunt (2002)
Shrek Super Party (2002)
Shrek: Trouble in the Castle (2002)
Shrek Extra Large (2002)
Shrek 2 (2004)
Shrek 2: Beg for mercy (2004)
Shrek Superslam (2005)
Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing (2006)
Shrek the Third (2007)
Shrek n Roll (2007)
Shrek: Ogres and Dronkeys (2007)
Shrek's Carnival Craze (2008)
Shrek Cart (2009)
Shrek is always behind (2010)
Shrek's fairy tale kingdom (2012)
Shrek Sugar Fever (2017)
Shrek Swamp Tycoon (2024)

Shrek's gaming comeback doesn't need to be a simple movie tie-in

a direct Shrek 5 The game can work, but only if it avoids feeling like an old-school obligation. The licensed tie-in era often produced rushed games that often existed because a movie was about to hit theaters, and Shrek It had its fair share. To justify its existence, then, the new Shrek The game will need to feel like a real project with its own reason for existence.

Guess the games from emojis.

Easy (120 seconds) Medium (90 seconds) Hard (60 seconds)

right there Shrek Superslam Makes more sense than a straightforward adaptation. A modern Superslam Revival could use the excitement around it Shrek 5 Without getting bogged down in the plot of the movie. It can bring back classic characters, add new characters from sequels, and fold into the franchise Shrek and Puss in shoes the universe.

a direct Shrek 5 The game can work, but only if it avoids feeling like an old-school obligation.

Time is better than it seems. With Insomniac, licensed games have gotten a lot more interesting in recent years Marvel's Spider-Man Games that show how powerful high quality customization can be. Marvel's Wolverine Now giving Insomniac another major licensed character, and Warhorse Studios working on an open world Lord of the Rings RPG.

In other words, the industry is no longer throwing out the idea of licensed games. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle It also proved that a classic movie franchise can work in games when a project is built that makes that property fun to live with. If the studios are willing to take it Spider Man, Wolverine, Indiana Jonesand Lord of the Rings Seriously, then Shrek Nostalgia shouldn't be limited to memes and theater seats.

of course, Shrek Those franchises don't need the same prestige-game treatment. right Shrek The game should probably be funnier, weirder and more chaotic than most modern licensed games. That's why Superslam Such a good starting point, because it was already known Shrek Fairy-tales were at their best when the rules were broken.

Even if DreamWorks is never revived Shrek Superslam in particular, Shrek 5 Still need to make it easier to justify the new game. The franchise has the characters, settings, humor and nostalgia to support something more ambitious than a quick mobile release. A co-op adventure, party game, brawler, or open-field fairy-tale comedy game can all make sense if the studio behind it understands the tone.

This is the biggest thing ShrekThe comeback should feel bigger than a movie. Shrek 5 It's already bringing Ogre back to the big screen after a long absence, and that alone will be enough to make longtime fans curious. But if DreamWorks wants ShrekA true franchise is back to what feels like a revival, gaming deserves to be a part of it, whatever that may look like.