The one issue that many of the best games on the market have is their inability to not take themselves so seriously all the time. I get it- games are a burgeoning storytelling medium, and they want to establish themselves as a legitimate art form. But a lot of times, the best stories in other media are ones that know how to have a laugh at themselves, something that a lot of games often seem to forget.
I’m not the only who feels this way, either. Developer of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft Quebec, feels this way, too. In an interview with EDGE magazine (published in their issue #328), Narrative Director Mel MacCoubrey talks about how, unlike so many other major games, Odyssey has highs and lows, moments of depression punctuated by ones of euphoria.
“A lot of AAA games take themselves very seriously, and it’s the same grimdark tone throughout. It’s stretched out, but in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey you have these huge moments of emotion, of euphoria and depression,” she said.
On the whole, this is good news. Every previous Assassin’s Creed game has had a great sense of humour, and its tongue firmly in cheek, which probably contributes to the series’ longevity. In fact, some of the least popular Assassin’s Creed games with fans, such as Assassin’s Creed 3, are the ones that have the dourest disposition. With Odyssey going full RPG and giving players more agency over their adventure than ever before, hopefully, it will let players set the tone to their liking and by their preference.