4 Ideas For New Telltale Series
Telltale Games’ trademark episodic gaming has become quite popular in the last few years. While there are still plenty of gamers who complain about the format (you can find full forum discussions to this effect), the games have been of such high quality that most have learned to tolerate it, and some have come to appreciate it. There’s no doubt that the focus on the gradual rollout of episodes has increased the significance of storytelling in games, and this in turn has made some of the experiences produced by the developer richer than traditional console games.
Looking at the schedule of upcoming releases for Telltale, however, it’s a little unclear what’s in the works moving forward. There’s an untitled Marvel project coming in 2017, and Telltale has made some noise about starting a James Bond series, but other than that we’re looking at sequels and continuations of existing projects. So here are a few suggestions for some new original series Telltale could look to start.
The Lord Of The Rings
Telltale’s preference appears to be licensing existing franchises, and it’s hard to imagine a bigger one than The Lord Of The Rings. There have been multiple successful games based on the J.R.R. Tolkien book series and Peter Jackson’s incredible film saga. Most recently, Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor was introduced as the latest title in Monolith’s storied lineup of games, and earned rave reviews as one of 2014’s best games. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine a stronger foundation for interest in a potential Telltale series.
Beyond that interest, the scope of a Lord Of The Rings Telltale game could be incredible. The developers could either choose to begin with The Fellowship Of The Ring to tell the story of the original trilogy, or they could look to expand things by incorporating the generously expanded tale of The Hobbit that was adapted to the big screen. There are simply tons of adventures to work with, and this could be as big and beautiful a series as we could imagine.
Archer
A game based on this animated FX adult comedy was actually suggested by a user in the Telltale forums, and there have also been numerous rumors of an Archer game in the works from other developers. Most notably, a piece at Inquisitr teased the idea of an Archer game by Obsidian Entertainment, a company that was largely responsible for the brilliance of South Park: The Stick Of Truth. An Archer game would be a fascinating move by Telltale, as it could combine action and mystery elements with a more comedic angle. If they could also secure voice acting and original stories from some of the show’s writers, this would likely be an instant hit.
Jekyll & Hyde
Victorian London has been a very popular setting for video games of late. There have been numerous Sherlock Holmes titles that embrace the setting, as well as games like The Order: 1886 and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate. Meanwhile, Telltale has shown a preference for dark and creepy stories, as demonstrated through releases like The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead.
The perfect blend of these two trends might just be the tale of Jekyll and Hyde, which has been mostly left alone by the gaming industry—though not completely. Gala Casino’s slot games, which are usually based on fictional characters and concepts, includes a Jekyll and Hyde title wherein various symbols from the story are used as icons and background designs. It’s actually a fairly new game, and one that cleverly invites players to avoid being two-faced. A more playable version of the story doesn’t really exist on any major gaming platform, making this material ripe for the picking for Telltale. It’s an iconic, recognizable story built for Telltale’s standard creepy vibe, and one that also embraces one of the most popular settings for modern adventure games.
The Three Musketeers
This would be a little bit more of a gamble for Telltale Games. Despite its status as one of history’s great novels, The Three Musketeers has proven to be incredibly difficult for modern entertainers to adapt. Multiple films have flopped or been poorly reviewed, and there’s not a mainstream game to speak of (though there is a casino title not unlike the Jekyll and Hyde one that’s made the rounds online). Thus, while everyone recognizes the title, a lot of gamers might not really know what to expect form a Three Musketeers game. Nevertheless, if Telltale developers focused on the original literature and injected some adventure and intrigue, this could be a very unique game.
These are just a few ideas, but they might get you thinking about just how many different directions Telltale could take with its next major series. The company has shown a preference for licensing material but is also undoubtedly capable of producing original content. And because of that, it seems like just about any series imaginable is within the range of possibility in the coming years.
