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The story of Assassin’s Creed’s protagonist Desmond Miles “needs to end”, AC III’s creative lead Alex Hutchinson believes, saying that “things that go on too long lack resonance”.
“It’s more like The Twilight Zone,” Hutchinson told Polygon.
“There’s always a guy introducing it and he’s there every episode, but each game completes its own story. Assassin’s Creed 1 was Altair’s story. Ezio has been and gone. You can engage with these historical stories individually without having to necessarily understand Desmond’s story. But yes, we eventually do have to wrap it up.”
Instead, Hutchinson thinks Assassin’s Creed should adopt a structure like the Star Trek TV shows, where different sub-series focus on different groups of characters.
“I think what you do is you finish it,” said Hutchinson, talking about Desmond’s story.
“It’s not the only conceit you can use. There’s other ways you can frame the experience.
“I always pitched it to the guys on this game to think of it almost like Star Trek. Each game is a season […] each big number is a sub-title. We’re not changing the universe, but we’re being given the reins to the equivalent of [Star Trek:] The Next Generation. Yes, it’s the Star Trek universe, and that has certain immutable laws and there’s a base kind of tone to it, but within that you can do whatever you want.”
“I think Desmond needs to end,” he continued. “At some point. You know what I mean? Things that go on too long lack resonance. We’re asking people to remember seven years’ worth of story. Which is like saying you were in junior high and now you’re finishing college. And you need to remember what you were doing in junior high.”
Ubisoft has previously hinted that Desmond’s story may end with this year’s game, Assassin’s Creed III.
VideoGamer.com regular Nick Cowen discussed the problem with Desmond’s narrative in a recent feature, saying that the character’s story has become “lousy and plodding”. Do you agree with him?
