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

The Shrek 5 trailer has finally been revealed, with the film slated to hit theaters on June 30, 2027. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are back, giving DreamWorks' most famous ogre his first proper movie since Shrek forever after in 2010. That is Shrek 5 comes 17 years after the last main series Shrek a film that's wild about a franchise that still feels like a big part of contemporary pop culture.

If Shrek he's officially returning to film, but then there's no reason why his return should stop in theaters. The franchise has been away from gaming for almost as long, and that absence is especially strange now that licensed games are starting to get exciting again. Before Shrek 5 They will arrive, DreamWorks should seriously consider giving the weirdest another chance Shrek everyone's game Shrek SuperSlam.

LEGO Shrek officially revealed

An officially licensed LEGO set based on the Shrek franchise has just been revealed and pre-orders are now open.

Shrek SuperSlam was one of the franchise's weirdest gaming experiments

Shrek SuperSlam was released in 2005, between Shrek 2 and Shrek the Thirdand it wasn't trying to simply retell the plot from one of the movies. Instead, it turned the franchise into a chaotic fighting game where characters from Shrek the universe bumped into each other through walls, windows and fairytale arenas. Players could control characters like Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Fiona, Prince Charming and other familiar faces in a game designed purely for over-the-top brawls – similar to games like 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 (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

This concept alone does Shrek SuperSlam stand out from the rest of the franchise's gaming history. A lot Shrek games were built as platformers, board games, racing games or direct movie tie-ins, but SuperSlam he understood that ShrekThe world was weird enough to support something even dumber. It basically treated the franchise as a playground of weird characters out to destroy each other, rather than a movie plot that had to be copied scene by scene.

The main idea of the game was simple, but it fit Shrek better than he probably had any right to. Each character had a SuperSlam attack and the environments were fully destructible during matches. This meant that the attraction wasn't just winning the fight, but watching the fairytale chaos unfold in a way that was very enjoyable Shrekpersonality.

Shrek SuperSlam was not a critical masterpiece, although it performed better than many other licensed games of its era. Metacritic lists the Xbox version 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 landed slightly lower. For the 2005 license Shrek fighting game, it's not exactly a disaster.

A lot Shrek games were built as platformers, board games, racing games or direct movie tie-ins, but SuperSlam he understood that ShrekThe world was weird enough to support something even dumber.

What struck critics and players the most about the game was its premise. Shrek SuperSlam it had an instantly understandable appeal, especially to younger players, as it allowed them to throw familiar characters into absurd battles with destructible stages and over-the-top attacks. She didn't try to be a polished competitive fighting game because she didn't have to be, and that actually worked in her favor.

The problems were also quite clear. 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 shaped like a large one Shrek party-fighting game, but it didn't have the depth or longevity to become a true franchise mainstay.

But that's exactly why it feels like the right kind of game to me now Shrek 5 is on the way. original Shrek SuperSlam he had a strong enough idea to remember it, but enough obvious limitations that a modern revival could improve almost everything about it. A new version could keep the absurdity and add better combat, arenas, multiplayer support, online play and a much larger roster of Dreamworks characters. Shrek universe.

Shrek it also has a much longer gaming history than some fans may remember. actually Shrek was once everywhere in games, though not every release was good or particularly memorable. Now that the movies are finally waking up, the gaming industry shouldn't act like the entire franchise just never happened.

The Greatest Shrek Video Games Ever Released

Shrek (2001)
Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown (2001)
Shrek: Swamp Kart Speedway (2002)
Shrek: The Treasure Hunt (2002)
Shrek Super Party (2002)
Shrek: Trouble at 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: Gobblers and Slaves (2007)
Shrek's Carnival Madness (2008)
Shrek Kart (2009)
Shrek forever after (2010)
Shrek's fairy tale kingdom (2012)
Shrek Sugar Rush (2017)
Shrek Swamp Tycoon (2024)

Shrek's gaming comeback doesn't have to be a simple movie

Direct Shrek 5 the game could work, but only if it didn't feel like an old-school obligation. The licensed tie-in era often produced rushed games that existed mostly because a movie was coming to theaters, and Shrek he had his fair share of it. To justify its own existence, therefore, new Shrek the game would have to feel like a real project with its own raison d'être.

Guess the emoji games.

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

That's the place Shrek SuperSlam makes more sense than direct adaptation. Modern SuperSlam a revival could use the excitement around Shrek 5 without being trapped by the plot of the film. It could bring back classic characters, add new characters from the sequels, and expand it wider Shrek and Puss in Boots universe.

Direct Shrek 5 the game could work, but only if it didn't feel like an old-school obligation.

The timing is also better than you might think. Licensed games have become much more interesting in recent years, with Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man games showing how powerful high-quality adaptation can be. Marvel's Wolverine now giving Insomniac another major licensed character to deal with, Warhorse Studios is working on an open world lord of the rings RPG.

In other words, the industry isn't just throwing out the idea of licensed games anymore. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also proved that a classic movie franchise can work in games when the project is built around what makes the property fun. If the studios are willing to accept Spider-Man, Wolverine, Indiana Jonesand lord of the rings seriously Shrek shouldn't be limited to nostalgic memes and theater seats.

Of course, Shrek doesn't need the same kind of prestige games treatment as these franchises. The right one Shrek the game should probably be funnier, weirder, and more chaotic than most modern licensed games. Therefore SuperSlam is such a good starting point because he already knew Shrek she was at her best when the fairytale rules were broken.

Even if DreamWorks never revives Shrek SuperSlam specifically, Shrek 5 should still make it easier to justify a new game. The franchise has the characters, setting, humor and nostalgia to support something more ambitious than a quick mobile release. A co-op adventure game, party game, brawler, or open-air fairy-tale comedy could all make sense if the studio behind it understood the tone.

The biggest point is that ShrekThe return of the movie should probably be bigger than one movie. Shrek 5 is already bringing the ogre back to the big screen after a long absence, and that alone will likely be enough to keep longtime fans curious. But if DreamWorks wants to ShrekComing back feels like a true revival of the franchise, the gameplay deserves to be a part of it, whatever that looks like.