Though it has a ton of potential,Watch Dogsis a franchise that often leaves players wanting more. There are three mainline titles that have each beendeveloped and published by Ubisoft, and while the IP started in 2014 as a victim of its own hype, the 2016 sequel was a huge leap in the right direction. The platform to be catapulted into greatness was there, but 2020’sWatch Dogs: Legionwas a lackluster open-world offering.
Some rumors suggest thatWatch Dogswill be retired, ending the life of the somewhat short-lived franchise. This means that the London-set third game will be the lingering final impression, which is a shame as there are some critical things it gets wrong. Perhaps the game’s most obvious flaw is its approach to characters, giving players the ‘freedom’ to recruit NPCs. It’s a bold move, but one that ultimately hinders the product as it restricts its storytelling hugely.
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Watch Dogs has a Protagonist Problem
Each of the threeWatch Dogsgames provided players with an interesting open world by using the cities of Chicago, San Francisco, and London respectively, which were the main source of enjoyment for many players. Cruising through Piccadilly Circus, navigating the twisty turns of Lombard Street, or enjoying the sights on the Mad Mile were fun because it felt like a virtual glimpse into a well-realized, real-world place. However, be it through the eyes of Aiden Pearce, Marcus Holloway, or the wealth of playable characters inWatch Dogs: Legion, it didn’t really matter who players were controlling.
The protagonists of theWatch Dogsgames are never a stand-out element in their respective experiences; they are instead just a vessel to explore the interesting settings with.Aiden Pearcein the original 2014 game was a blank slate throughout, and while Marcus was more compelling, the ludonarrative dissonance couldn’t be ignored, as his happy-go-lucky persona clashes with the crime that players could commit. The side personalities like T-Bone and Wrench were far more interesting.Watch Dogs: Legionditching protagonists entirely felt like an admission that the first two attempts left much to be desired.
The Story Suffers with Watch Dogs: Legion’s No Main Character Approach
However, the third game suffered even more, as there wasn’t even the potential for interesting character development for the protagonist. In so many games, fromUnchartedtoGod of WartoMass Effect, it’s character that drives story, not the other way around. Who they are and what they do is the most important plot thread, and without some kind of consistent personality at its heart, there’s no chance for a bland story to feel interesting solely because of who is at the center of it.The story inUncharted, for example, isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but it works as well as it does because specifically seeing Nathan Drake go through a journey makes it worth the ride.
Watch Dogs: Legionis a snapshot of a franchise in flux. The IP could still do well, but as gaming shifts to a more character-heavy narrative medium, theUbisoft propertycan’t abandon a consistent main character. It was a neat idea that ultimately fell flat and probably should not be replicated in the future. On the contrary,Watch Dogshas to lean further into character-driven storytelling, and instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, it should find new ways to make players care about who they are controlling.
Watch Dogs Legionis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
