Assassin’s Creed is probably one of the most popular franchises in modern gaming. This series has spanned over 13 mainline entries and a handful of spinoffs in 13 years. With the release of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla today, we thought it was a good time to look back to the past and see how all the entries stack up against one another. For this list, we will not be covering spinoffs that didn’t release on all major platforms.
13.) Assassin’s Creed
Originally known as Prince Of Persia: Assassins, Assassin’s Creed released on all major platforms in 2007. Unanimously praised for its visuals and innovative gameplay mechanics, Assassin’s Creed quickly became a household name in gaming.
In Assassin’s Creed, you play as Desmond Miles, who lives the memories of his assassin ancestor through a device called the Animus. Through this machine, you travel back in time to the 12th century where you play as Altair, fighting Templars and trying to get hold of an ancient artifact, the Apple Of Eden. The social stealth and parkour systems of the game made it one of the most impressive titles of the time. Having a gigantic open world to explore at one’s disposal didn’t hurt either.
Going back to it today, the game feels pretty bland and repetitive in comparison to the games that came after it. Players who plan to play through the entirety of the series should definitely play this first as going back to this game is almost impossible if you pick up any other Assassin’s Creed games first.
12.) Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Released in 2018, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey sees you take control of either Kassandra or Alexios. Set in Greece during the time of the Peloponnesian War, the game takes you on a quest to break the order of the tyrants that rule these lands. For Odyssey, Ubisoft decided to tell a story that is more Sparta than Assassin’s Creed.
This entry in the franchise is considered divisive among fans because of the change from an action-adventure open-world to a full-blown RPG. As evident from the rankings, these changes didn’t fare well with us as we sill prefer the more stealth and action-adventure focused entries of the series.
11.) Assassin’s Creed Origins
Assassin’s Creed Origins was the first major rework of the series since Black Flag. Released in 2017, Origins saw a shift from the standard open-world template to a pseudo RPG. The game was widely praised due to a more robust combat system along with meaningful side content.
Assassin’s Creed Origins is set in Ancient Egypt. You play as Bayek, a Medjay on a revenge quest to kill a cult that murdered his son, Khemu. Origins have a beautiful and expansive open-world with a plethora of things to do and collect. The only reason this game is ranked above Odyssey is that this game deserves some respect for trying out something new with the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
10.) Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the latest entry in the long-running franchise. This is Ubisoft’s take on the Vikings era. Set in ancient Britain, you play as a Viking Eivor, on a quest to find a settlement in a hostile land. It closely follows the template of Origins and Odyssey while trying to downplay some RPG elements. This game features the biggest Assassin’s Creed map to date and features a load of quests and collectables.
It is definitely an improvement over Oddysey in many ways. That being said, it is still an RPG rather than an action-adventure stealth game that long time fans like us had been hoping for.
9.) Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Brotherhood continues where the second game left off. After returning from battle, Ezio is thrust headfirst into a quest to restore the Assassin order and defeat the Borgia family. With Brotherhood, Ubisoft decided to give fans what they wanted, more of Assassin’s Creed 2 and for the most part, it works.
Ubisoft didn’t alter the gameplay too much with this entry. They added a Brotherhood system which allows you to recruit Assassins to your guild. A unique multiplayer mode was also added to the game.
8.) Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Ubisoft’s take on Industrial London sees you take control of the Frye twins, Jacob and Evie, on a quest to free London from the clutches of the Templars. While not the most innovative or best story in the series, it does take a little more light-hearted approach to the otherwise pretty serious conflicts between these two factions.
The gameplay didn’t change much from Unity except for the addition of the grapple hook and a tweaked combat system.
7.) Assassin’s Creed 3
Released in 2012, Assassin’s Creed 3 follows the story of Connor as he fights Templar resistance during the American Revolution. This game served as a new start for the storyline by giving us a new cast of characters while simultaneously serving as a finale to Desmond’s story.
The gameplay was overhauled with a more fluid and forgiving parkour system. Trees and house interiors were also added to the climbing system to give the player more routes while traversing the world. The combat also received some changes which made it a lot more dynamic and engaging.
Despite a pretty stretched prologue chapter and a lot of glitches in the launch version, Assassin’s Creed 3 remains a solid major entry in the franchise.
6.) Assassin’s Creed Liberations HD
Originally a PS Vita exclusive, Liberations found its way to the major consoles and PC under the name of Assassin’s Creed Liberations HD. This spinoff entry sees players assuming the role of Aveline De Grandpre, a lady assassin on a mission to free slaves and defeat Templar resistance in New Orleans.
Liberations have gameplay mechanics similar to that of Assassin’s Creed 3. An outfit change system does provide a fresh take on the otherwise pretty simplistic social stealth elements. While not the most innovative or revolutionary game, Liberations deserves a playthrough from every Assassin’s Creed fan out there.
5.) Assassin’s Creed Rogue
A swan song to the 7th generation of consoles, Assassin’s Creed Rogue is the last AC game to come out on the Xbox 360 and the PS3. It follows the story of Shay Cormac, an assassin turned templar on a quest to kill members of the Brotherhood.
It innovates the series by showing the opposite side of the power struggle. The gameplay remains almost identical to Black Flag with a much lesser focus on the naval combat side of things.
4.) Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Serving as a closure to the Ezio trilogy, Assassin’s Creed Revelations remains a really great entry in the franchise. The opening sequence of the game showing a weary and homesick Ezio sets the mood for the perilous journey ahead.
Ezio goes on his final adventure to find the library of Altair, to find the true meaning of this power struggle. This quest requires him to find a total of 5 keys spread across the Templar infested Ottoman Empire. The game retains most of the good stuff from Brotherhood while adding a hook blade to shake traversal by a little bit.
3.) Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag
Assassin’s Creed 4 is without a doubt one of the best Assassin’s Creed games to date. Released in 2013, the game sees you play as Edward Kenway, a privateer turned pirate looking for treasures across the Caribbean seas.
The game takes you on a quest to find The Observatory, a hidden facility rumoured to house a great treasure. The moment to moment gameplay is just as engaging as the story and characters itself. The naval combat provides a fresh new gameplay aspect to a series suffering from fatigue.
Edward and his band of pirates are charming and likeable, The game balances out its whacky tone with interesting story arcs to keep the player engaged at all times. The tailing missions can be cumbersome but are worth enduring to see the final chapters of the game. Black Flag remains an unforgettable journey and earns its rightful place among one of the best open-world games on the market.
2.) Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin’s Creed Unity marked the start of the next generation of games. Released in 2014 exclusively for the eighth generations of consoles, the game was a technical marvel for the power of these consoles and still is one of the most impressive games of this generation. Set in France during the French Revolution, you play as Arno, a charming young man involved in the struggle between the Assassins and Templars.
The world is as massive as it is intricately detailed. The gameplay also evolved with better parkour and a cover system. The assassination missions were also improved greatly with the addition of multiple routes and methods to complete the objective at hand.
The game did have a rocky start at launch with texture pop-in issues and low framerates, but it has been patched since. Try it now, you will be surprised.
1.) Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2 is the best game that this long-running franchise has to offer. It does so much right and addresses almost every complaint with the original game. Ezio Auditore remains one of the most likeable protagonists to date and his tale of revenge is an unforgettable one.
The game is set in Renaissance Italy which is a lot more colourful and diverse than the first game’s Masyaf. Iconic figures like Leonardo Da Vinci made the journey a lot more memorable. The gameplay also received a major overhaul with the addition of better combat and faster parkour.
Assassin’s Creed 2 is the definitive Assassin’s Creed experience and ought to be experienced by veterans and newcomers alike.
This wraps up the list for now. What do you like the most about Assassin’s Creed games? Tell us down in the comments and for more video games news and features, stay tuned to The Profaned Otaku.
