Pixel Sundays: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Finally Fulfills Fans’ Greatest Wish
What is the Assassin’s Creed series?
The Assassin’s Creed games always deal with events in the past. You enter an Animus and can experience the experiences of historical figures through DNA from past times. In a total of 13 main games and countless spin-offs, you can play through various eras and characters. In all the games, you’ll encounter heaps of enemies that you must defeat either in open combat or through stealth. Additionally, you have the opportunity to climb buildings and much more in the world to reach new locations.
Assassin’s Creed games
There are a total of 13 games in the main series. But soon the 14th game will be released. Many of these games also have several DLCs that expand the game with additional content or skins. Assassin’s Creed started it all in 2007. This game was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. You’ll learn more about the main series story shortly. But in addition to the main series, many games have DLCs that expand the story. Thus, the games were often fully utilized.
But it wasn’t just PC or console games that were developed. As early as 2008, Ubisoft attempted a mobile game, which was also released for the Nintendo DS. The game is called Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles and was developed by Gameloft. However, this game could only achieve a 58% Metacritic score and wasn’t incredibly popular among players.
Then in 2009, the game Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery was released for iOS and Nintendo DS. Later came Assassin’s Creed Pirates in 2013. This was released for Android, iOS, and was even playable in the browser on PC. The last home game in the series was Assassin’s Creed Rebellion in 2018. But let’s move on to the main series now.
Story of Assassin’s Creed
In this section, you’ll learn about the story of the Assassin’s Creed games. If you don’t want to learn anything about the story of the Assassin’s Creed games, just click here to skip all spoilers.
You play as Desmond Miles, who is kidnapped by Abstergo Industries and placed into an Animus. Here you can experience the experiences of one of your ancestors through DNA. Abstergo wants to find out about your ancestor Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Specifically, they want details about Pieces of Eden, which they can use to influence people. In this game, you play as an assassin during the Third Crusade in 1191, where you must prevent a conspiracy by the Templar Order. When your ancestor finds the Piece of Eden, you return to the present.
Story of Assassin’s Creed II
The next game in the main series is Assassin’s Creed 2, which was released in 2009 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Later, ports were also released for PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, and much later even for the Switch.
The story of this game picks up directly after the predecessor. After returning from the past, you can escape from Abstergo and reach an Assassin hideout. There, you enter an improved Animus and experience the life of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He lived in late 15th century Florence. Your father and brothers are captured and hanged.
Then you flow to your uncle, who trains you as an assassin. After your training, you commit many assassinations to find out the reason for your father’s death. Through the Pope personally, you later find out that he had to die because of the Piece of Eden. This apple is a secret key to a chamber with a hidden power.
But of course, you get the apple and find the chamber. There, the Roman goddess Minerva awaits you and warns you of an impending catastrophe. But then you unfortunately have to leave your Animus, as the secret hideout was found by the Templars. During your escape, you come to an Abstergo warehouse. There, you have to defeat the security personnel in a fight, and then you can flee to a new hideout.
Story of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
This game also ties in storywise with its predecessor. It was released in 2010 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. You flee with your comrades to the villa of Ezio’s uncle. There, you enter Ezio’s memories again. In the memory, the villa is attacked by an army of the Pope. In this battle, Ezio is severely wounded, and unfortunately, his uncle dies. But even worse, the Piece of Eden falls into the enemy’s hands. Now Ezio naturally wants to search for the piece and goes to Rome.
There, he meets the underground faction led by Assassins. Ezio naturally allies with them. After eliminating some high military officials, you find the piece in the Vatican. Then there is a time jump a few years forward. The time jump takes you to the Battle of Viana, where you manage to push the leader of the troops and murderer of your uncle off the city wall. Afterwards, Ezio returns to Rome and hides the Piece of Eden under the Colosseum. Then Desmond immediately travels to Rome and can find the Piece of Eden under the Colosseum there.
Story of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations also ties in with its predecessor. Revelations was released in 2011 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. But let’s get back to the story. After all the events, Desmond’s brain is overloaded, and he has to be put into a coma. Using the Animus poses a risk of mixing real and former memories. To prevent this, Desmond must return to the Animus to find the synchronization nodes in both Ezio and Altaïr. Only then can Desmond awaken from his coma.
The memories continue. You return to Enzio, who is now 52 years old. He learns about five keys that can open the door to an underground library. Thus begins the search for the 5 keys. He finds one directly, and for the others, he has to travel to Constantinople. Ezio manages to collect all five keys, but they are quickly taken from him by the Ottoman Crown Prince Ahmed. You follow Ahmed, who is later killed by his brother and true heir. After that, you get all the keys back and enter the underground library. There you find Altair’s skeleton and the Apple of Eden. It ends with Ezio laying down his weapon and speaking directly to Desmond. This allows him to awaken from his coma.
Story of Assassin’s Creed III
Assassin’s Creed III is the last game in which you play as Desmond, but all games after still have connections to each other to some extent, but more on that later. Assassin’s Creed III was released in 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U. In 2019, a port was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch, and a remastered version was also released for PC. But now back to Desmond’s story.
The world is on the brink of destruction as it will soon be hit by an extreme solar flare. But of course, Desmond can stop this. To do this, he must search for answers in the Temple of the First Civilization. Upon reaching the temple, Juno informs you that you need a key to open the gate. Then you pass out and wake up again in an Animus. The temple wants to show you something, so you become Haytham Kenway, remember that name for later. Kenway is an Englishman who emigrates to America to find a treasure vault.
In America, Haytham meets the Native American Kaniehtí:io. She shows him the temple after Haytham frees her. But as expected, the treasure vault is locked, and to open it, you need the Apple of Eden. During the journey, the two fall in love, and Kaniehtí:io has a child with Kenway. The son, named Ratonhnhaké:ton, is raised by his mother alone, and you continue playing as him. When Ratonhnhaké:ton is about 10 years old, Charles Lee burns down the village. He is also the person who possesses the key to the temple. Unfortunately, your mother dies in the fire, so you want to train as an Assassin.
To have a better chance of survival, you change your name to Connor. But your training as an Assassin is not free. In return, you are supposed to rebuild an old village. By rebuilding the village, you also get a boat that you can sail across the sea. But Lee is closely friends with your father, so you would have to kill him to get to Lee. You can’t do that and reconcile with your father, defeating a common enemy together. But then your paths separate again. This happens because Haytham hides from Connor that his village is under attack.
Later, during an attack on a fort, you meet your father again and have to kill him. But Lee is said to be in this fort as well, so you continue to search for him until you find him later in a tavern and finally defeat him. After that, you take the key to the temple from him.
During this time, Desmond had to travel to new places three times to find new Pieces of Eden to open the door. At the end of the story, Juno reveals that you must sacrifice yourself to save the world, and you ultimately do. Thus ends Desmond’s life, but the world does not end.
The Next Assassin’s Creed Games
Now that Desmond is dead, in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, you play as a research analyst for Abstergo Entertainment. With this, you experience the life of Edward Kenway, and notice something? It’s Kenway again. So, you play as the father of Haytham Kenway, a pirate in the 18th century. The Golden Age of Piracy. This game was released in 2013 for PS3 and Xbox One. A bit later in the same year, it was also released for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Wii U.
Then in 2014, Assassin’s Creed Rogue was released for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. In 2018, a remastered version was released for PS4 and Xbox One. This game concludes the Kenway saga, and for the first time in this game, you play as a Templar. The game takes place shortly after the time of its predecessor and is promoted as the “darkest chapter of the Assassin’s Creed series”.
In the same year 2014, Assassin’s Creed Unity was also released. This was the first Assassin’s Creed to be released only for the new console generation. It was released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The story takes place temporally after Rogue and you play in Paris and Versailles during the time of the French Revolution. You play as the Assassin Arno Victor Dorian. Unlike the predecessors, Unity plays only on land and returns more to the classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay.
In 2015, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was released. This game is set in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. It was the first Assassin’s Creed in which it was possible to choose between two different characters, each with different abilities. However, unlike the predecessors, this game does not have a multiplayer mode.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, released in 2018, did many things differently. The game was released for PS4, PC, and Xbox One. In 2019, it was even available on Google Stadia. Odyssey is set in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War, though it has been historically altered. This game no longer features the typical hidden blade but instead the Spear of Leonidas as a melee weapon. Additionally, it is possible to choose between a male and female character, and the non-selected character plays a significant role in the story. There are now significantly more role-playing elements, such as multiple dialogue options and multiple endings. It is also possible to engage in romantic relationships with NPCs.
The next Assassin’s Creed takes us to the Vikings. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released in 2020 and was released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. This game is set in the 9th century, and you play as a Viking. The game takes place in many different locations, including Norway, England, and even America. It has retained many of the RPG elements from its predecessor. Through the DLCs, you can also play in Ireland and France.
The latest Assassin’s Creed game already released is Assassin’s Creed Mirage. This game was released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Mirage returns a bit more to the roots of the older games. The map becomes smaller, with fewer open-world elements. To be more precise, everything now takes place in just one city, specifically in 9th century Baghdad during the height of Islam. You play as Basim, a character introduced in Valhalla, who rises from a street thief to an assassin.
Development of Gameplay Mechanics
The evolution of gameplay mechanics has seen significant changes throughout the series. It all began with the assassin in a small town in the first installment. As Desmond, you played through a fully cohesive story over four games. While this overarching narrative is absent in the new Assassin’s Creed games, it doesn’t necessarily mean something negative, as many players mainly engage with the game for its time spent in the Animus.
One of the crucial parts of the Assassin’s Creed series is climbing. In all games, you can climb walls to reach rooftops and eliminate your enemies from above. Climbing is iconic for Assassin’s Creed, and it’s likely to remain a staple in all upcoming games.
Since Assassin’s Creed III, a ship has been introduced, allowing you to sail across seas. This system has been further developed, enabling you to board other ships for loot or liberate enemy forts. This trend continues up to Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
The game world has continuously expanded, turning the game into a vast open-world experience, especially in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. However, Ubisoft aimed to change this with Mirage, returning to a more focused setting with just one city for exploration.
Not only did the city become smaller, but the core essence of being an assassin also became somewhat diluted over time. While it was always possible to silently eliminate enemies from the shadows, large-scale battles became more frequent, deviating from the stealthy nature of assassins. Mirage aims to reintroduce this aspect, emphasizing stealth once again.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers the scenario that fans have desired for a long time: a game set in Japan. Shadows is set to release in November this year. In this game, you can choose between two characters: the samurai Yasuke, whom we’ll discuss further shortly, or the shinobi-assassin Naoe. As Yasuke, you rely more on strength and direct combat, whereas as Naoe, you must fight covertly. Your goal is to liberate Japan from its oppressors. However, in this game, you’re not bound to one character; you can switch between them to adapt to different situations.
Now, let’s address a point that bothered many fans in the trailer: the “black samurai Yasuke.” Yes, Yasuke is of African descent and a samurai. While people typically think of an Asian samurai, the Afro-Japanese samurai Yasuke.
What can we expect from Assassin’s Creed Shadows? The trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, but based on the story, it’s likely to be another open-world experience akin to Valhalla or Odyssey. Features such as sailing and climbing are expected to return, along with all the standard functionalities of the game. Additionally, we can anticipate a beautiful rendition of feudal Japan.
What’s Coming in the Future?
The next release is Assassin’s Creed Shadows in November, but that’s not all. There’s also Assassin’s Creed Infinity. Infinity isn’t a new game but rather an Assassin’s Creed hub where you can switch between your games and take on extra in-game challenges.
In September 2022, another announcement was made: Assassin’s Creed: Codename Witch. This game will likely delve into the witch hunts of the 1600s, set in the Holy Roman Empire. Marc-Alexis Côté, the head of the AC franchise at Ubisoft Quebec, stated that Codename Witch would be “a whole different kind of Assassin’s Creed.”
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By 
Kilian
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Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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Comments (1)
But does it really? Is this really what fans have been waiting for all these years? The like/dislike ratio disagrees with that assessment. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Ubisoft has finally gone the deep end straight into ruin.