Assassin’s Creed, the popular action RPG franchise from Ubisoft, kicked off its 15th-anniversary celebrations on Tuesday to mark the release of the very first Assassin’s Creed in 2007. The studio is celebrating its biggest franchise with a months-long itinerary that includes heavy discounts on existing games, new DLCs, 60fps support on Assassin’s Creed Origins, and a reveal of “the future of Assassin’s Creed” in September. This has led to speculations of a new game in the series. Assassin’s Creed has come a long way since the first chapter, growing impressively into an all-out RPG franchise now, that pushes players to grind till kingdom come. If Ubisoft indeed decides to go ahead with a new release, here are three things we want from the upcoming game, and three things we don’t.
Up until Assassin’s Creed Origins’ release in 2017, the franchise was all about the growth of a capable warrior into a master assassin. While Origins turned the franchise into Witcher-esque RPG grinder, there are certain elements that kept the franchise fresh for gamers. On the other hand, there are certain gameplay features we simply wish never to see again in the franchise.
Assassin’s Creed: 3 things we want in the new game
More focus on the Assassin’s lore
The earlier Assassin’s Creed games, especially the Ezio trilogy, were steeped with deep Assassin’s lore, which saw everything from Leonardo Da Vinci being a collaborator to exchanging fisticuffs with Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) inside the Sistine Chapel. Players also got to loot ships alongside the legendary pirate Blackbeard in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, and chase Jack the Ripper through foggy London alleys in Assasin’s Creed Syndicate. All the while, gamers got a chance to take a deep dive into Ubisoft’s version of historical events, truly feeling that they are part of the secret Assassin order taking on the vile Templars.
However, in the later games, most notably Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the Assassin’s lore took a backseat. Sure, you still have the secret blade and the Assassin motif on your costumes, but gone are the days when you felt like you truly fought for a secret order taking on a mighty evil organisation.
In the new Assassin’s Creed game, we hope Ubisoft lets us return to the classic lore as part of the main campaign, taking the overall Assassins vs Templars story further ahead.
More naval battles
We simply can’t get enough of naval battles. While Black Flag offered us the perfect setting for such skirmishes, the following games didn’t help much in taking the ship-based gameplay ahead. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey did deliver a memorable naval exploration and battle experience, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla simply reduced ships to a mere means of transport.
We hope the upcoming Assassin’s Creed game lets us get back on the waters, constantly upgrading our vessels to gain an upper hand over much bigger enemy ships, à la Black Flag.
More hidden blade action
The hidden blade is indeed the most iconic weapon in the franchise. However, the recent games reduced the hidden blade as just an optional weapon to take out enemies silently if you want. Back in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, we managed to finish the entire campaign by simply using the hidden blade, countering enemy strikes at just the right time to set off cool kill animations. Plus, there is something oddly satisfying about the slink sound the knife made whenever you unsheathed it.
The hidden blade is the primary weapon of every Assassin. We hope Ubisoft gives it the true honour it deserves.
Assassin’s Creed: 3 things we don’t want in the new game
A little less grinding won’t hurt
Some players swear by the new grinding-focussed gameplay. Some fans, however, miss those days when all you needed to do is rely on your skills to win battles.
From level-blocking targets and missions, to simply dealing a hard hand to novice players, the new Assassin’s Creed games, starting with Origins, pushes the player to grind, and then grind some more. Until and unless you level up, you really won’t get a standing chance if an enemy is way above your current level.
This kind of forceful grinding doesn’t really make sense. Take Ghost of Tsushima for example. Developer Sucker Punch showed that you can let a player take on the entire campaign only relying on their skills. Sure, upgrades and new skills did make the game a lot easier. But, it also posed an intriguing challenge to players who would love nothing more than to take on the entire campaign at a lower level. It’s all about skills, really.
Fewer side quests won’t hurt, either
While the new Assassin’s Creed games are great in their own might, they do have the problem of plenty. Trying to replicate the success of Skyrim and The Witcher, the three latest games — Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla — are chock-a-clock with side quests. While some of the side quests are truly memorable, most of them fail to impress. After all, how many go-there-gather-that missions can you handle at a go?
The older Assassin’s Creed games had noticeably shorter playtimes. However, they also were more memorable, as you tend to follow the story more clearly when there are fewer distractions around. Assassin’s Creed games usually have fascinating main storylines. They just get muddled with just too many side-quest elements to handle.
Bring back the cinematics
In the case of earlier Assassin’s Creed games, cinematics took a center stage. We aren’t just talking about the excellent intros. Every single mission started off with dedicated cinematic cutscenes, truly showcasing the series’ incredible attention to design and detail.
In Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, however, cutscenes were reduced to mannequin-like characters standing at a place and talking to each other, throwing up random body animations that don’t really have much to do with the scene unfolding or even the dialogues at times. This is yet another example of Ubisoft trying to copy The Witcher to the T.
We hope that the new Assassin’s Creed game will bring back those gorgeous cinematics before every mission that didn’t look any less than a Hollywood blockbuster.
It should be noted that Ubisoft hasn’t offered any word on a new game just yet. However, given that the last game in the series, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, was released in 2020, it can be speculated that the franchise will be back with a new chapter after a year’s break.