Assassin’s Creed’s Struggle To Preserve Its Essence In Modern Iterations

Assassin’s Creed has deliberately done well in providing a franchise that has held its ground for decades. But as time has passed, Ubisoft seems to have taken neglectful steps that contradict the startling experience on which Assassin’s Creed was once based on.

Despite being the largest and best-selling franchise, Assassin’s Creed has failed to consistently endure the long-time reputation it earned from its fanbase.

Off-The-Track Narratives

Throughout the long and abiding recognition of Assassin’s Creed from their well-written story aspect, the game now appears to be falling off track. We all remember the series for its storyline, which set its course in the world based on historical events.

The world setting was inspirational in the older titles that would reflect the narrative adroitly. Assassin’s Creed 3 is explicitly based on the French Revolution, and the story revolves around the canonical events of that time.

The assassins used to be a third-party cult that interfered with state affairs to benefit ordinary people. However, in the later arrival of the series, we see a concept that entirely differs from the standard that was set.

In my opinion, Assassin’s Creed Unity was the last advent that upholds the value of narrative that the series was known to deliver.

In the later arrivals, the narrative shifts toward a more fantasy approach and unreal events. The story scheme and assassins’ motives were modified, delivering a poor-quality show.

The Assassin’s Creed series was well-known for blending fictional concepts with real-world scenarios. The concealment of such delusions was complimentary because they would never intertwine with actual events and still impact the story.

However, this concept was flawed in the later titles, such as Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, as the story followed a non-canon direction. Furthermore, we no longer see the assassin’s perception in the storyline.

Modifications In Gameplay That Only Led To Downgrading

Assassin’s Creed once presented gameplay features that were impressive and innovative. The game was ideal for stealthy tactics and would punish the players for opposing the stealthier approach.

Now, if we are to look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the concept of stealth is absent, and the gameplay design contrasts with the whole assassins’ logic.

What frustrates me more is that the iconic Hidden Blade had its features revoked from the gameplay of later arrivals. What was once meant to be essential gear and the weapon of choice for the assassins no longer holds its worth anywhere in the story or the gameplay.

In terms of gameplay enhancement, we see changes that only degrade with time. Parkour was gratifying to the level that it was a leading feature of the open world in the game.

In the first Assassin’s Creed, realism was present in the gameplay to equalize the fun and logic. Altair would appear to struggle to hold on to ledges and to make leaps when climbing a rough surface. All in all, the concept of realism is in good coordination with the game design as it appears more logical.

However, the parkour dynamics became increasingly rough with each new title release. By the time of Assassin’s Creed Unity, I did not find the climbing mechanics amusing. It would appear that Arno Dorian (the protagonist in Unity) would latch onto an even surface without needing an obstacle.

The hoping mechanic was used to make climbing faster, which killed the point of realism and made the climbing look less interesting.

Assassin’s Creed was meant to be an exemplary stealth adventure game, but it is now an ARPG with simplified mechanics. The later arrivals completely desolate the series’ essence.

The Trite Of Ubisoft With Assassin’s Creed Title

Ubisoft does not lack innovative ideas for designing open-world games. If we are to specifically talk about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the game itself is not as bad as an RPG. The game has successfully become the most-sold Ubisoft game, which ensures the potential of engaging and innovative game design.

However, using the Assassin’s Creed title without applying any concept of that title is certainly a deplorable approach and distressing for the series’ reputation.

The world of Spartans, Egyptians, and Vikings infused with fantasized themes would have been an astounding concept for a fresh series. But now I believe Ubisoft will release any open-world RPG with a unique gameplay design, only to name it Assassin’s Creed.

The title now appears overused, and it’s obvious that Ubisoft has no direction with it. Rather than keeping the game as innovative as it was, the new arrivals seem to consist of features used by other RPGs simply because Ubisoft believes that’s the only way of keeping their title relevant.