If you’ve played an Assassin’s Creed game recently, you know what every game has been like since 2017 with the soft reboot that was Origins. With the exception of Mirage, which was a smaller, more stealth-focused game akin to the series’ roots, every mainline AC game since Syndicate has had pretty much the same template, just with different settings and characters.
It has that iconic (derogatory) Ubisoft open world full of pointless stuff to do, faithfully recreated landmarks, and a melding of real world history and fiction. Ostensibly, it’s about members of the Order of Assassins and the Templars, and is split between two timelines: in the modern timeline, ex-Abstergo employee Layla Hassan is hunting down alien artifacts and trying to save the world by exploring the past through these Assassins by lying down in an Animus for hours and hours a day.
Modern Assassin’s Creed Is Barely Recognisable
That modern timeline, though, has largely fallen to the wayside in recent years. The first five games, which featured Desmond Miles as their modern day protagonist, had a pretty big focus on what was happening outside the Animus, with the present-day story framing everything you did in the historical portion. The parallel stories were in conversation with each other, with revelations (sorry) in the Animus influencing what happened outside.
That’s not what the games look like now – quite frankly, nobody cares about Layla Hassan or what’s happening in the real world. The focus has shifted drastically to a focus on the historical settings and what goes on in them, and the modern day timeline is peripheral at best, largely because the game was restructured so that quests were received in the historical timeline and weren’t directed by what the modern day’s protagonist’s needed to know.
I couldn’t for the life of me tell you what’s happening in AC’s modern canon in the last few games, despite having played many of them. Like, it’s got something to do with the Isu, weird ecological changes, and weird technology, I guess. It’s not really the point of Assassin’s Creed anymore, even though it used to play such a big part in its identity and structure. That’s a shame, because the series was far more interesting when both timelines actually played against each other in an attempt to say something meaningful.
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A New Era For Assassin’s Creed…?
According to franchise boss Marc-Alexis Coté, Ubisoft has finally recognised that this was a misstep, and wants to correct it, starting with the recently delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Specifically, Coté said, “By drawing meaningful contrast between past and present, we aim to restore the balance that was once the hallmark of the franchise.” He added that the new formula will have the modern day timeline attempting to look at contemporary issues through the lens of the past by exploring themes like memory, identity, and autonomy.
I’m always quick to rag on Assassin’s Creed and Ubisoft more generally, because the recent additions to the series are open world nightmares that have damaged triple-A design beyond measure and the company continually insists on making NFT games that nobody wants, but this is the best possible outcome. If executed well, this means that AC will stop wasting its parallel timeline structure by relegating it to brief excursions into Layla’s surroundings where she fiddles with magical items, and actually make it say something.
It’s perhaps – no, definitely – too optimistic to say that this could mean Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be using its delay into 2025 to expand on its modern narrative in a major way. It’s definitely naive for me to hope that Shadows will address, in some small way, how the racist reactionary backlash to its announcement and the continued harassment of its developers reflect antiquated attitudes in the history that it reinterprets and reenacts.
And yet, cynical as I am, I continue to hope. The original AC games were a huge part of my childhood, largely because I loved Ezio, but also partly because its framing opened my mind to the possibilities of games as a medium. It’s squandered that potential for nearly a decade, but recognising that mistake is the first step to rectifying it. Now we can only wait and see if Ubisoft pulls this off, or if this is just another reason to be disappointed.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.