Hail Macbethis an upcomingindie gamethat will take players through the story of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.The Tragedie of Macbeth, often referred to simply asMacbeth -orThe Scottish Playby superstitious thespians - is commonly taught in schools, and has been adapted for film many times. While this isn’t the first timeMacbethhas inspired a video game (the indie gameLilibeat it to the punch),Hail Macbethwill be the first attempt to fully deliver the play’s narrative through an interactive medium.
As a former English and Special Education teacher,I have actually taughtMacbethbefore, and I honestly wish something likeHail Macbethexisted when I had. Based on what I’ve seen of the game so far, I think it will do a great job getting younger audiences interested in the story ofMacbeth. If done well, I think the game could be a powerful educational tool. That said, I’ve also seen how poorly adapting classics as video games can be done, and I hopeHail Macbethdoesn’t fall into the same trap.
Hail Macbeth Will Let You Experience One Of Shakespeare’s Most Famous Plays
Hail Macbeth Is A Faithful Retelling Of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Hail Macbethis the brain child of Paolo Sacerdoti, an Italian theater director turned game designer. The game is a third-person experience set in the 1990s in an alternate universe where skyscrapers look like castles, and characters still speak like they did in Shakespeare’s original play. You will take on the role of the play’s witches, who have been reimagined as an unseen force that can alter Macbeth’s perception of reality and help guide his actions.
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Based on what has been revealed about the gameplay so far,Hail Macbethsounds similar to something like one of Telltale Games' choice-based visual novels. While the setting is new,the text ofMacbethhas been preserved in the game, so it will be close to watching a version of the play. I’m imagining it will be similar to Baz Luhrmann’sRomeo + Juliet, which modernized the play’s setting while retaining its original dialogue. To me, this seems like the perfect way to capture new audiences' interest inHail Macbeth’s source material.
An Interactive Version Of Macbeth Is A Perfect Way To Capture New Audiences
Playing Hail Macbeth Could Be More Fun Than Simply Reading The Play
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good book, but if I had been given a choice between reading or playing video games when I was younger, I would always have chosen video games. This is doubly true if the book in question was assigned reading for school, whichMacbethtypically is.Hail Macbethis exactly the kind of thing I would have wanted as an alternativewhen I was first tasked with reading the play.
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Being able to interact with the story would have kept me invested in what was happening. I would have tried harder to understand the language instead of simply skipping over passages when knowing what was being said was an integral part of the gameplay experience. I could also seebringingMacbethto a new medium as a great way to widen its appeal, even for those who don’t play the game themselves.
Hail Macbethcould potentially reach more audiences through things like Let’s Plays and Twitch streams. I know I used to watchstreams of Soulsborne gamesbefore I got the hang of them myself, and I could see some players being attracted to a stream ofHail Macbethfor similar reasons. Whether someone wants the old-timey language explained to them, or they just want help doing their homework and would prefer to watch the game, I thinkHail Macbethis a great way to attract modern audiences to the classic story.
Video Games Adapting Classic Literature Could Be A Powerful Educational Tool
Students Could Be More Interested In A Sleek Visual Presentation Than A Book
From my experience,Macbethis a story that students find very interesting once they get into it. My co-teacher during my first year taught the play alongside Machiavelli’sThe Prince, and our students showed a lot of interest in the themes of ambition and what people were willing to do to gain power. The main barrier for students showing interest inMacbethwas typically the language and just getting them to actually do assigned reading outside of school.
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Video game adaptations of classic literature, especially something likeHail Macbethwhich retains the original text, seem likethe perfect way to capture students' interest. Pulling up a Let’s Play or even booting up the game themselves if possible would give teachers a new way to get students excited about the book they were about to read. IfHail Macbethdoes well, I would love to see more classic narratives given the same treatment.
Games also don’t have to be as faithful to their source material asHail Macbethto interest students in history. When I worked as a staff advisor for a Scholastic Bowl team, I remember students discussing Ancient Greece, and usingAssassin’s Creed Odyssey’s historical figuresas a reference point. I thinksomething likeHail Macbethcould potentially be a huge step forward for incorporating games into the classroomto fuel engagement. However, I’ve also seen this idea done very poorly, so execution will be key.
Hopefully, Hail Macbeth Doesn’t Make The Same Mistake As Dante’s Inferno
Dante’s Inferno Was A Far From Faithful Adaptation Of The Divine Comedy
If my interest in aMacbethvideo game hasn’t clued you in already, I was a huge nerd in high school. At the time, I was really interested in Dante’sTheDivine Comedy, ironically inspired by my enjoyment oftheDevil May Cryseries, which led me to discover the epic poem its characters were named after. Around the same time,the first part ofThe Divine Comedywas adapted into a video game:Dante’s Inferno.
Dante’s Infernowas a hack-and-slash action game that reveled in violence and sexuality. While there was some attention paid to the source material, it was very clearly not the focus of the game.Dante’s Infernowas also certainly not the type of game that could be used in the classroom, nor would it have been a fair substitute for reading the poem.
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I have faith thatHail Macbethwill do a better job capturing its source material. Retaining its original language will be a great way for audiences to hear the rhythmic qualities of Shakespeare’s language, which can sometimes be lost when simply reading the text. It’s also anindietitle made by a theater director, not an attempt to make a AAA action game. Hopefully,Hail Macbethcan prove its concept can work, and help create a new genre of classical adaptations.
