We Need More Original Game Settings & Characters Like Maui the Shapeshifter’s

Video games are more popular than they’ve ever been, with literally dozens of new games coming out every day. At the same time, it’s getting harder and harder to tell one battle royale or action RPG from another, with the biggest names in the industry content to churn out yet another sequel or imitation. If it wasn’t for indie developers, it sometimes feels like all we’d be playing is the latest Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed.

And so, developer Play on Worlds’ latest game is a breath of fresh air. Revealed at the Future Games Show at Gamescom, Maui the Shapeshifter sees you playing as the titular demigod Maui. Wielding his legendary magic fish hook and utilizing his shapeshifting powers, you’ll work to save the wildlife of a Polynesian island from a force of corruption — OK, so the plot isn’t quite as unique as the setting, but the point still stands. How often do you get to play as a Polynesian demigod. Heck, how often do you get to play as anything other than a knight/soldier/waifu in a castle/warzone/post-apocalypse?

It’s worth noting that the dearth of unique settings isn’t an equally large issue in every genre, or at all levels of the industry. Narrative games in particular are seem more willing to try new things (see: dinosaurs in high school). Metroidvanias on the other hand, tend to fall into one of a handful of Soulslike settings more often than not — which is why Play on Worlds’ games are so noteworthy. AA and AAA publishers and developers, for obvious reasons, are more likely to trend towards copy and pasting old ideas rather than try new things.

All that said, I’m certain many of you already have a list of games that don’t fall into the usual categories, and honestly I’d love to hear about them in the comments. But with a few notable AA exceptions, and some indie games, I think it’s still fair to say that the average game setting is fairly bereft of new ideas. It’s not really surprising, especially given how much of a business video games have become. People want to protect investments, and if you put money into a game that treads well-worn, popular ground, naturally your investment is going to be safer.

But games are also art, and as such ought to break new ground whenever and wherever possible. The developers over at Play on World’s have shown how easy it can be, with both their latest title and with their last one — a fantastical reimagining of A Christmas Carol. How often do you see games based on Dickens books, or even just based on books? It seems like an obvious thing to do, but almost no one is doing it.

There are literally thousands of stories from different cultures, whether they be from oral traditions, novels, plays, and so on. While licensing isn’t always the easiest thing — and often end up as lazy cash grabs — plenty of stories can be “borrowed” or serve as inspiration for story and setting, without being copied wholesale. My list of book settings I’d like to see used for video games is very, very long, and perhaps best left for its own article. So here’s hoping developers continue to look outside of whatever video game titles sold best last year when it comes to ideas for settings and characters.

Got a book setting you think would make for a great video game, or a favorite character you want to some day play as? Let us know in the comments!