There still isn’t any official word from Ubisoft on the authenticity ofAssassin’s Creed Ragnarokleaks, which is surprising considering the history of leaks ofAssassin’s Creedgames, butAssassin’s Creed Ragnarokcould still very well end up being the nextACgame at the rate these rumors have been piling up. While there is no doubt that Ubisoft will continue to build off of the RPG systems that shapedAC Odyssey(which itself was preceded by, and is based on,AC Origins),AC Ragnarokcould draw some more inspiration from the game that seemed to influenceAC Odysseythe most -The Witcher 3.
If the ongoing coronavirus pandemic hasn’t caused every game coming out later this year to be delayed, thenAssassin’s Creed Ragnarokwill mark the return of the franchise after it skipped 2019. It’ll also follow the enormous success ofAC Odyssey, which was critically and commercially acclaimed when it came out in 2018. AlthoughAC Odysseywas the culmination of everything good about theAssassin’s Creedseries, it also drew heavy inspiration fromThe Witcher 3,which came out more than three years before it. Here are a couple more things that Ubisoft can learn fromThe Witcher 3for its upcomingAC Ragnarok.
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Gwent and Mini-Games
The Witcher 3is one of the biggest RPGs of all time and features several enormous open-world sections for the player to explore. However, one of the biggest aspects of the game comes from the in-gamecard game known as Gwent, which is a one-on-one card game that simulates battles through character cards assigned with set power points. The character cards are based on actual characters in the game which creates an in-game metagame that even confuses Geralt, the game’s protagonist. The card game resonated with so many fans that developer CD Projekt Red made a standalone digital game and even some real-world card packs.
If Ubisoft is going to continue gradually turningACgames into RPGs, then mini-games are definitely the way to go, and as it stands, there aren’t any inAC Odyssey.AC Ragnarokdoesn’t necessarily have to have some kind of card game in the same vein asGwent inThe Witcher 3,but it could add something to do besides the main quests. Speaking of which, Ubisoft could also take some cues fromThe Witcher 3regarding story pacing.
Story Structure in AC Odyssey and The Witcher 3
Assassin’s Creed Odysseydoes indeed take a lot of inspiration fromThe Witcher 3.One only needs to look at the dialogue system to see how similar the two games are. Although both games have a lot in common,AC Odysseytended to have a pacing problem with the story, or at least some of the major quests were spread out a little awkwardly. For example, the Cultists’ storyline is one of the most important ones, and bothAlexios and Kassandraare central figures in the events that shape the organization. However, the Cultists’ storyline is also somewhat optional.
The player can complete the game without fully resolving some parts of the plot that were originally thought to be essential to the storyline.The Witcher 3has many plotlines that are significant to the story, but the game does a good job at setting up where each major plot point fits in the overall narrative. When a playerbeatsThe Witcher 3,they get to see what becomes of Geralt and all the major factions of the game. The same isn’t true forAC Odysseyand Ubisoft should address that forAC Ragnarok.
Jora’s Endings Should Be Like Geralt’s Endings
Speaking of endings, bothAssassin’s Creed OdysseyandThe Witcher 3have multiple endings, with player choices affecting each outcome. The main problem is that whileThe Witcher 3does a great job at closing the story of the game,AC Odysseyfalters at its ending because the outcomes that the player can affect are limited to Alexios’ and Kassandra’s family, and not much else. This sort of connects to the previous point thatAC Odysseyshould’ve done a better job at pacing its most important quests.
The endings ofThe Witcher 3are all different from each other, with certain factions winning over the other, and certain characters either living prosperously or dying miserably. It all depends on choices the player makes (like siding with factions, aiding in assassinations, etc.). InAC Odyssey,the player is really only affecting which of the five family members of the main character appear in the ending, if any.Assassin’s Creed Ragnarokwould do right to adopt the same style of endings asThe Witcher 3,with the player, asmain character Jora, affecting the entire world of the game by the time it’s completed.
