Shadows of Assassin’s Creed was somewhat overshadowed by its many controversies and poor decisions, angering fans and detracting from what could have been a fairly enjoyable entry in the series. It’s set to implement a number of features that fans have been requesting for a long time, such as an increased focus on stealth, as well as the option to use drawn weapons – or drawn katanas, in this case. However, perhaps one of the biggest changes added is to the modern sequences.
The head of Assassin’s Creed Ubisoft recently confirmed that the modern sequels will be revised, improving them so that they better reflect the quality of the previous Desmond games. This is frankly significant news for fans of the series, as modern sequels have been a low point for some time. Details on how this will change have been provided, including how everything will integrate with the new Assassin’s Creed Infinite axle. Finally, looks like one of ACs biggest problems will be solved.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is changing the modern approach
It’s making it a more integral part
It has been clear for a long time that the modern sequences in Assassin’s Creed they just aren’t working. They feel like a slog, often interrupt fun historical gameplay, and offer little value, especially when compared to the more compelling central narrative. Well, apparently fans aren’t the only ones who believe this, as Assassin’s Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Coté spoke at a BAFTA event (via Eurogamer) about how poorly modern sequels have been treated lately.
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Coté discussed how, once Desmond’s story was completed, “the modern plot struggled to find its balance“largely thanks to the lack of a compelling protagonist and the constant repetition of the same stories from previous entries. However, now that Shadows of Assassin’s Creed is changing landscape, the folks at Ubisoft have identified an opportunity to fix the problems of modern history. It is important to highlight that the modern storyline will be much more integral, but perhaps not in the way some fans may be thinking.
The fact that Coté and the team at Ubisoft identified the modern story as a weakness speaks to the potential for it to improve, as since Desmond’s departure it has been a somewhat disappointing feature.
Coté explained that, rather than obfuscating the historical aspects of a Assassin’s Creed game, “modern narrative will serve to improve [it].” It will be a better parallel to the adventure that takes place in the main plotas well as at least hopefully giving players a reason to care. The fact that Coté and the Ubisoft team identified it as a weak point speaks to the potential for improvement, as since Desmond’s departure it has been a somewhat disappointing feature.
The modern story of Assassin’s Creed has never lived up to Desmond
Desmond was easily the best in modern day Assassin’s Creed protagonists, having the most interesting and dynamic narrative with the other characters. His sections of each game were genuinely fascinating to experience and were what made Assassin’s Creed such a unique concept from the start. When Desmond’s arc came to an end, Ubisoft had the opportunity to tell a different story using the same structure.but, unfortunately, it chose to tell exactly the same story. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag lacked a cohesive modern story, and the introduction of Layla Hassan in Origins didn’t help.
It’s not that Layla Hassan couldn’t be as interesting as Desmond. It’s just that it wasn’t as well developed and repeated Desmond’s quest to hunt for Isu artifacts. She wasn’t so much her own character as she was a poor substitute for a much more interesting lead. This meant that modern plots were quite rote and as boring as they were predictable. As Coté identified in his talk, modern sequels have become secondary to the main plotwhat didn’t really work when the whole point was that modern people used their past to solve problems in the future.
This change took the focus away from what has always been at the heart of the franchise: exploring our history. As this approach became repetitive, both players and critics felt that the modern storyline became a secondary concern, more of a side quest, rather than an integral part of the overall experience.
Players were able to ignore these more boring sequences, which was perhaps also part of the solution. The longer the series went on, the easier it was for players to tune out during the modern sequels.to the point where its existence is questioned. They should have been as good as the main story, but Ubisoft could never figure out how. That is, apparently, until now, while the new plan to integrate everything completely into the Assassin’s Creed Infinite looks ready to fix that.
Assassin’s Creed Infinity can be good or bad
It has potential, but the past has a way of repeating itself
Assassin’s Creed Infinite is positioning itself as the center of all things Assassin’s Creed. All the future B.C games – from Shadows of Assassin’s Creed onwards – will be released exclusively from it. However, more importantly, modern narrative content will take place exclusively within Infinity. While Ubisoft has yet to share exactly what this looks like, it will no doubt appeal to those who are exhausted by modern content. What Ubisoft has confirmed is how it intends to improve the modern storyline.
While Assassin’s Creed the historical content is fascinating, it was the duality of its historical and modern stories that made it such a compelling story in the first place.
Coté explained that the new storyline will “explore deeper themes of memory, identity and autonomy“and also how the past can inform the present. Just like the original games, this will expand further into explorations of”freedom versus control, the power of knowledge, and the tension between individuality and conformity.” All of this will begin with Shadows of Assassin’s Creed and its unique dual protagonists. How this will play out remains to be seen, but This seems to be a much more comprehensive and interesting direction than the hesitant approach that has been taken so far.
None of this is particularly new to science fiction or Assassin’s Creedbut it looks quite attractive. If it’s supported by a well-rounded protagonist, as well as some exciting sequences that are just as fun to play as the main content, then it’s not hard to see fans becoming increasingly interested in it again. It would be a huge victory for Assassin’s Creed for, although its historical content is fascinating, it was the duality of its modern and historical stories that made it such a compelling story in the first place.
Whether or not Assassin’s Creed Infinite takes off in the way Ubisoft hopes, it’s clear it intends to head in the right direction. Taking responsibility for the shortcomings of modern post-Desmond stories, as well as the many controversies with Shadows of Assassin’s Creed It’s great and shows that Ubisoft, although perhaps slower than other publishers, is learning from its mistakes. Time will tell how Shadows of Assassin’s Creed will end, but its fresh approach to modern storytelling is a huge win for fans and newcomers alike.
Source: Eurogamer, milokan411/YouTube
- Franchise
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Assassin’s Creed
- Released
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February 14, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Ubisoft Québec
- Engine
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AnvilNext
- CERS
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Mature 17+ // Blood and violence, intense violence, language
- X|S Optimized
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Yes