Because Assassin’s Creed has lost its DNA

 with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and exploded with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

With the following, I will try to put my thoughts on the series in order and be able to explain why so many people believe that Assassin’s Creed is going through a period of identity crisis.

Lost roots of the series

I think many will agree with me that the release of an Assassin’s Creed title on an annual basis has led to a saturation. Ubisoft had to make drastic changes to the series in order to quench the thirst of its friends, but I do not think anyone expected how drastic these changes would be.

Today, Assassin’s Creed titles are full of microtransactions, power levels, superpowers, monsters and RPG mechanics. The need for stealth approaches to the target and the action adventure roots of the series have been forgotten, in favor of a general open world of 80 hours, with a character where the enemies require many blows from each weapon to die.

From Origins onwards, the series has mutated into a wicked parody of The Witcher 3. Ubisoft executives want so much to emulate the success of CD Projekt RED, that they do not care if their choices undermine everything they built time to time.

Another point where the series has mutated is in the change of images that come to mind when we hear the words "Assassin's Creed". If we ask a younger friend of the series what he thinks when he hears these two words, he is more likely to answer "naval battles, Vikings, Spartan mercenaries, attack numbers" etc.

If we ask an older person like myself, the first image will be the Altair and Ezio figures, with poplar hoods running from roof to roof and climbing imposing buildings. Mix with the world in an organic way and wait for the right opportunity to hit and hide in the shadows again. To visit historical places and cities around the world, while at the same time we feel that, by playing, we make history and we do not see it being built from afar.

To the above we must add the plot itself, which beautifully connected Desmond with Altair, Ezio and Connor. A narrative that analyzes the hypocrisy of dogma and philosophy between order and chaos.

What do we have in the last titles? We have mythological quests that bring us to new realms and against mythical beasts. Something that, to me, does not fit in at all with an Assassin’s Creed title. I did not buy an Assassin’s Creed to see Ezio fighting a huge wolf.

From Accra, Venice and London

Assassin’s Creed titles are based on a simple condition. A condition that allows players to move freely in a dense, urban environment. When I think of the various cities, such as Accra, Florence, Venice, Istanbul, Havana and Paris, that Ubisoft chose to represent through the titles of the series, these settings provided me with exactly the above condition.

The pure bliss and joy that is created within us as we run over these roofs, without interruption, fuels a significant part of the overall imagination. A visit to such a city could be a trip we would have liked but never made. An imagination that is further enhanced by the incredible musical carpet that has been created for the title. The melodies of Jesper Kyd are still ringing.

Compared to the new entries in the series, we can only feel that something is missing. There was a hidden depth in the older parkour system of the series with each tower or building looking like a small puzzle. I still remember the Duomo di Firenze, where we really had to explore and interact with the environment, instead of being magically able to go everywhere without consequences.