The Matrixwas quite a successful franchise, with three movies, three video games, animation in the form ofThe Animatrix, and a series of comics and short stories by the name ofThe Matrix Comics. The series is now set to come back with a fourth movie, whose title remains unknown as of yet. Internet star and actorKeanu Reeveswill reprise his role as Neo, opposite Carrie-Ann Moss, who is going to play Trinity once more.
Considering the fourth movie of the saga is very real and likely to release sooner than expected, it is time for a newMatrixvideo game. The previous installments all fell short of the popularity of the movies, withEnter The Matrixbeing the first and most successful, selling for over $162 million.
RELATED:The Matrix Is Basically A Live-Action Remake Of This Classic Anime
What The New Matrix Game Should Do
The Matrixvideo games, as mentioned above, were not quite as successful as the movies were. Part of the reason may be that none of them actually followed the events of the movies, withEnter The Matrixbeing a way to fill potential plot holes ofMatrix Reloaded,The Matrix: Path of Neobeing Neo’s journey that includes scenes from the movies and changes to the plot, and finallyThe MatrixOnline doing its own thing.
The latter was an MMORPG set in theMatrixuniverse, soon after the events of the third and last movie - albeit, at the time. This game had many issues, but at the same time, it did a lot of things right. Namely,The Matrix Onlinecontinued the story of thesurviving characters after Neo’s demise, saving Zion, the Machines, and theMatrixfrom annihilation. The game did so by letting players take control of redpills, people who took Morpheus' red pill, and letting them choose their faction between the Merovingian, Zionites, and the Machines, each with their own motivations, objectives, and tenets.
This choice let players explore the world from different perspectives, while also developing each faction’s story further and beyond the movies. The story is complex, and it follows theassassination of Morpheus, Niobe seeking revenge for it, the rebellion of werewolves and vampires against the Merovingian, and the red-eyed Agents under the control of the General, the Sentinel that fought the war against Zion. The game sees new sub-factions emerging (such as E Pluribus Neo, with the goal of freeing all the bluepills from theMatrix, or the Cypherites, trying to be plugged once more into the virtual world), as well as the truce between Zionites and Machines.
The newMatrixgame could draw inspiration from these events, or maybe mix elements fromThe Matrix Onlineand from theplot of the fourthMatrixmovie. What the game would need to remain relevant, though, is being a bold game that dares to explore the universe ofMatrixmore than it does try to replicate the movies. People have moved on, and so did consoles and the gaming industry as a whole, so it may be time to try and deliver an innovative, yet familiar product.
What A New Matrix Game Should Avoid
A newMatrixgame should avoid at all costs doing filling the same role thatEnter The Matrixdid, however loved or hated the game was. This means that a new game should not be tied with thenewMatrixmovie or set of moviesin a way that makes it play the role of strengthening the plot of the corresponding movie in ways that don’t make a lot of sense, too.
There is plenty of room to improve from the three previous games, and a newMatrixgame should attempt to salvage what was good about them while also adapting to the current market and online community. Mainly, the new game should make an effort to have fully fleshed out gameplay, story, and characters, as these elements were often alternatively lacking in the other installments. A good starting point would be to fully take advantage of thenext-gen consolesand their features, in order to have a seamless game that doesn’t suffer from outdated graphics or in-game mechanics.
