It is hard to imagine “Assassin’s Creed” was born 11 years ago. Feeling old yet? When it was introduced for the first time, this Ubisoft game was considered as unique and new due to the parkour element as well as the plot that incorporated both fiction and a bit of history. “Assassin’s Creed” soon became one of Ubisoft’s flagship and iconic franchises. AC’s popularity was once utilized by annual game releases, but stopped after things started getting a little… stale.
Whether you love or hate the AC franchise, you have to admit that Ubisoft gave us something really unique and have made the open-world concept more popular for other developers. With 20 games released under this AC name, each game definitely has different qualities. For the purpose of this list, we only want to focus on the 10 main games which were released on both console and PC because its unfair to compare big budgeted games with minor spin-offs meant for mobile or games from third-parties.
Here are 10 main “Assassin’s Creed” games from the worst to the best:
10. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
“Revelations” is the finale of Ezio’s trilogy, and gamers began to feel bored of the “Assassin’s Creed” formula starting from this game. “Revelations” did not offer new features or mechanics to make this game worthy to be a sequel. The only new thing that this game offered was a tower-defense mini game, and it was bad and you probably would not want to touch it again after trying 2-3 times.
Constantinople was one of the most boring settings in the series, and the storyline offered was meh. Yes, we got the ending for Ezio and Altair’s journey which had to be admitted was very emotional, but what happened before it was not memorable.
9. Assassin’s Creed
“Assassin’s Creed” was, at that time, praised as one of the most unique game when firearms, racing and hack-and-slash dominated the gaming industry. Unfortunately, with the increasing number of sequels offering new features and mechanics, this first game of the franchise hasn’t aged so well because of how limited it now feels compared to subsequent sequels.
The gameplay is also repetitive and lacks variation. A lot of unexciting moments seemed to be added just to increase the duration of this game. You might have nostalgia for this first game, but nostalgia is not enough when the game becomes outdated as time goes by.
8. Assassin’s Creed III
“Assassin’s Creed III” initially felt like a breath of fresh air with the setting filled with wilderness and a new main character that is not a handsome, white male. The bad part is, these two aspects did not feel finished.
There is actually not much to be done in the wilderness setting and 70% of what you did in this area is run to the city. The character Connor himself turned out to not be as interesting as expected. Connor might be the worst main character that ever existed in the whole franchise. The character is too quiet, full of complaints and always sullen throughout the game.
Gameplay wise, “Assassin’s Creed III” was not bad, but several side missions were definitely boring. There was a good side though, the naval battles that were later perfected in the next game of the franchise.
7. Assassin’s Creed Unity
The bugs, glitches and technical problems that came out at the release of this game were unforgettable and legendary. Besides all those issues, “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” gave a unique twist to the “Assassin’s Creed” formula.
Paris was one of the best settings the franchise to date. Not only because of the bigger buildings, but also because of the building architecture, atmosphere and overall design that were really well-done. Although the gameplay was the same with previous titles, it was also infused with new features to make the game feel different from other games. This game also has a co-op feature that was great to use with friends. Unfortunately, the feature was discontinued in the next games.
The character and story were okay, and the only biggest complain that I have for this game was the online service and separate mobile application gimmick that were probably optional, but in the end had to be acquired to access some side activities in the main game.
6. Assassin’s Creed Rogue
“Rogue” was initially just an expansion for “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” with a different character, but it was not bad at all. “Rogue” offered a distinct experience where you do not play as an assassin, but as a templar. With this role, you are not committing murder to your targets, you are the protector that prevents the assassins from killing the target.
Even though the formula was not 100% different, it still gave fans a break from the usual formula that was starting to feel boring and less innovative. Cormac was one of the most complex characters Ubisoft ever made for the franchise after Ezio. The longer you played, the more you realized this character is more than just the cold blooded killer you thought he was in the beginning of the game.
In the end, “Rogue” turned out to be the hidden gem of the franchise and it was ironic to see that this game had a lower budget than “Unity” that was released at the same time as this game.
5. Assassin’s Creed Origins
“Origins” is the most distinctive game in the franchise. Yes, you can still climb walls and assassinate, but all aspects from combat and progression system to navigation were are different from the previous formula. The desert setting might sound boring especially for a game that is known for climbing high walls, but “Origins” has the most immersive and atmospheric world for an “Assassin’s Creed” game so far.
The early phases of the game felt really slow, as well as the combat that felt like a weird mix of “The Witcher 3” and “Dark Souls”, but once you got used to them, “Origins” ended up feeling like a new beginning for “Assassin’s Creed,” and one fans should be excited for once again.
4. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
“Syndicate” was a return to the old formula after several years of experiments with new elements. “Syndicate” was more focused on complex level designs that made every assassination mission exciting to play, but unfortunately without offering a lot of variation.
“Syndicate” had two main protagonists, Evie and Jacob Fyre, both had their own personalities and the right chemistry, making players want to know more about the two characters. London was beautiful and fun to explore, and the ziplines made exploration much quicker and reduced some of the boring and tedious exploration of some of the previous instalments of the franchise.
3. Assassin’s Creed II
If the first “Assassin’s Creed” was the foundation of the franchise, then “Assassin’s Creed II” was the building. “Assassin’s Creed II” perfected the open-world formula that was shown in the first game. Every aspect of the game was finely developed to create a fantastic and addictive gaming experience.
AC II also presented Ezio, the most iconic and well-liked AC character. The settings of Florence, Venice and other cities became a fantastic world to explore due to the beauty and design matched with Ezio’s parkour capabilities.
2. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
“Black Flag” can be categorized as the most uniquely different game in the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. Ubisoft took a gamble with AC:BF with all of the new elements hoping that it would be the most distinctive “Assassin’s Creed” game… and they succeeded!
“Black Flag” was more focused on being a pirate than anything else, which meant players traveled using ships, took part in naval battles and searched for treasures instead of killing templars. The graphics were beautiful and still hold up today, and the pirating gameplay and exploration was just really, really fun.
“Black Flag” is to the AC franchise as “Wind Walker” is to the Zelda franchise.. Both did not follow the usual formula of the franchises and focused on naval exploration. They were fun and it is what matters in a game.
1. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
If the first “Assassin’s Creed” is the foundation and “Assassin’s Creed II” is the building, then “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” is a building with painted walls, completed furniture with a family living within. When the game was first announced, fans were pessimistic. “Brotherhood” was released one year after “Assassin’s Creed II”. Fans were worried this game would only be a cash grab or just an expansion. Although it is true ACB felt like an expansion from “Assassin’s Creed II”, Brotherhood offered a way better storyline and gameplay.
The gameplay was basically the same as before, but with new and exciting side activities from recruiting assassins, deepened base renovation, taking over enemies’ bases and a more aggressive and faster combat system. “Brotherhood’s” storyline offered a complex character development for Ezio as well as a story that kept fans on the edge waiting to see what would happen. “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” was the peak of the franchise, and this game is the best game Ubisoft have released from the “Assassin’s Creed” collection.
Do you agree with the opinion above? If not, which “Assassin’s Creed” game do you think deserves to be mentioned as the best?
Original article by Muhammad Maulana.
