Treyarch’s Dave Anthony has revealed that the developer made a conscious decision with its latest Call of Duty title to give the game’s protagonist a voice and personality in an effort to build a "connection" between the player and hero Alex Mason.
Past Call of Duty titles have traditionally featured a silent, faceless protagonist though with CoD: Black Ops, Mason will be featured prominently in the narrative from the get-go, with the opening scenes depicting him being tortured at the hands of his foes.
“It was a very deliberate choice,” said Anthony, during a chinwag with the AP.
“We want the player to immediately be able to relate to him. The first scene is very tense for the character. We thought that if the player himself was feeling what the character was going through right at the start of the game, it would really create a connection with the character.”
It’s all about a crafting a bigger emotional connection with the lead role, said Anthony, who also revealed that Mason’s on-going relationships with other characters will play an integral part in the game’s story.
“The emotional focus that we’ve given Mason is more than we’ve ever done before for a character in a Call of Duty game,” he said.
“As you go through the story, you will see how Mason’s relationships with the other characters in the game change as you go back and forth from the interrogation room. You will actually realize how it all comes together.”