ASSASSIN’S CREED SHOWS HOW AN ESTABLISHED SERIES CAN WELCOME NEWCOMERS WHILE STILL PLEASING LONG-TERM FANS.

Devs need to master the art of balancing the old and new

Devil May Cry was a game I’d always turned my nose up at. Although the lure of its horror hack ’n’ slash vibe and extensive catalogue of demonic creatures had grown fierce, I simply wasn’t willing to set aside hours of my time playing catch-up across a daunting four ‘core’ instalments. Now DMC5 is one of my most anticipated games of this year, and I have the DmC (2013) reboot to thank for that.

DmC modernised the series’ trademark gameplay and rebranded its protagonist, Dante, in a completely new story that required no prior knowledge of the series. Following this, DMC5 is now arguably less overwhelming. It’s clearly reconciled and balanced the nuances born of the reboot with the deep-rooted lore and well-loved characters that have kept the series buoyant since DMC1 to stand clear of the daunting shadow cast by the number in its title.

This highlights the meticulous balancing act developers face when working with a longrunning series. How do you concoct a warm starting point for keen new players while expanding the lore and maintaining the interest of long-term fans? Enter Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It’s no secret that the widely loved series ditched its prior stealthy, action-adventure approach along with numeric titles long ago, instead opting for all out openworld RPG carnage as showcased in Odyssey. This has piqued the interest of a mass of new players, urging them to test the vast, vibrant waters of its latest masterpiece. I get asked frequently if you can come into the series at Origins or Odyssey and truth is, yes, you can. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the hesitation. The core AC instalments now amount to an intimidating ten-plus titles spanning generations of hardware. Any sucker for a good narrative will seek the reassurance that they aren’t jeopardising any plot coherence by not trudging through every predecessor beforehand.

A NEW BEGINNING

Assassin’s Creed games have reached the point where each can be considered an entirely discrete experience from the last. This has proved key for invoking an appeal to new audiences with little, if any, AC experience. Odyssey sets a new bar for freshness in the series, flaunting two brand-spanking-new leads as a standout feature to tempt all manner of audiences. Lore is stripped back to basics and retold, negating any dependence on prior AC knowledge and reaffirming the curiosity of players without any (it’s set hundreds of years before any of the other games). That said, there’s still oodles to stay the shaky hands of Assassin’s Creed aficionados too. Ubisoft has ensured a flurry of new characters, quests and collectables are scattered throughout Odyssey to fluff out the lore even further alongside countless nostalgic nods to past games.

Rolling out additional releases for a long-running series, each teeming with fresh content that both embraces newcomers and maintains the smiles on the faces of committed fans, is no easy task. It’s not as simple as keeping a fire alive by carelessly casting on more kindling. It requires patience and planning not to tarnish a perfectly good series. As the medium gets older, long-standing series will need to find this equilibrium to survive – to grow with the tastes and expectations of players while remaining true to their roots and fanbases in turn.