King Alfred the Evil?
Let’s stick with the story’s depiction of good vs. evil and quickly touch on the early portrayal of Alfred, King of Wessex, who appears to be one of Valhalla’s main antagonists.
Of course, every story needs a bad guy, but it would be a gross butchering of historical accuracy to depict Alfred as such. Remembered as a pious and devout Christian who was fondly loved by his people, the idea of him as some evil Saxon overlord is a little silly. He was defending his land from foreign invaders, after all.
But surely this isn’t the direction Ubisoft will take the story?
In an interview with Gamespot, narrative director Darby McDevitt has explained Alfred shouldn’t be considered the central antagonist in the game.
So perhaps, again, the way he’s depicted in the trailer merely serves to present a basic good vs. bad story that’s easy to digest for now but will actually feature much more depth in the actual game? I sure hope so.
