Assassin's Creed 2 and 3: The Pinnacle of Series Writing

One of the most unforgettable moments in the entire Assassin’s Creed series unfolds at the beginning of Assassin’s Creed 3, when Haytham Kenway completes his mission to assemble a team in the New World. Initially, players might mistake these allies for assassins. Haytham, equipped with a hidden blade and possessing the same charm as the beloved Ezio Auditore, has up to this point played the role of a hero, liberating Native Americans from captivity and clashing with arrogant British redcoats. The revelation comes when he utters the phrase, "May the Father of Understanding guide us," making it clear that we’ve been following the Templars, the sworn enemies of the Assassins.

This twist showcases the true potential of the Assassin’s Creed series. The first game introduced an engaging premise of finding, understanding, and eliminating targets, yet it lacked depth in storytelling, with both Altaïr and his targets lacking personality. Assassin’s Creed 2 improved upon this by introducing the iconic Ezio, though his adversaries, like Cesare Borgia in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, were underdeveloped. It was not until Assassin’s Creed 3, set during the American Revolution, that Ubisoft gave equal attention to both the hunters and the hunted. This approach created a seamless narrative flow and struck a perfect balance between gameplay and story that has yet to be matched.

Despite the success of the current RPG-focused era of the series, there's a consensus among players and critics that Assassin’s Creed is experiencing a decline. Various reasons are debated, such as the increasingly fantastical settings involving gods like Anubis and Fenrir, the addition of diverse romance options, and the controversial use of historical figures like Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, I believe the root of this decline lies in the shift away from character-driven narratives, which have become overshadowed by expansive open-world elements.

Over the years, the series has evolved from its original action-adventure roots by incorporating RPG elements like dialogue trees, XP-based leveling, loot boxes, microtransactions, and gear customization. As the games have grown larger, they've also started to feel more hollow, not just in terms of repetitive side missions but also in their storytelling.

For instance, while Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offers more content than Assassin’s Creed 2, much of it feels less polished and less immersive. The flexibility to choose your character’s actions and dialogue, intended to enhance immersion, often results in scripts that feel stretched too thin across multiple scenarios, lacking the focused, screenplay-like quality of the earlier games. The action-adventure era allowed for well-defined characters, unlike the current games where protagonists must adapt to player whims, which can dilute character development.

This shift has led to a sense of interacting with generic NPCs rather than complex historical figures. In contrast, the Xbox 360/PS3 era of the series delivered some of the most compelling writing in gaming, from Ezio's passionate "Do not follow me, or anyone else!" speech to Haytham’s poignant last words to his son Connor:

"Don't think I have any intention of caressing your cheek and saying I was wrong. I will not weep and wonder what might have been. I'm sure you understand. Still, I'm proud of you in a way. You have shown great conviction. Strength. Courage. All noble qualities. I should have killed you long ago."

The storytelling has also lost its nuance. Modern games often simplify the conflict to Assassins being good and Templars bad, whereas earlier entries explored the gray areas between the two factions. In Assassin’s Creed 3, each Templar Connor defeats challenges his beliefs. William Johnson suggests Templars could have prevented the Native American genocide. Thomas Hickey criticizes the Assassins' idealism, and Benjamin Church argues that perspective defines morality, pointing out the British view themselves as victims. Haytham challenges Connor's trust in George Washington, hinting at the future despotic nature of the new nation, a claim validated when it's revealed that Washington, not Charles Lee, ordered the burning of Connor’s village. By the game's end, players are left with more questions than answers, enriching the narrative.

Reflecting on the series’ history, the track "Ezio’s Family" from Assassin’s Creed 2, composed by Jesper Kyd, became the series' theme because it resonated deeply with players. The PS3-era games, especially Assassin’s Creed 2 and 3, were fundamentally character-driven, with "Ezio’s Family" evoking Ezio's personal loss rather than just the Renaissance setting. While I appreciate the vast world-building and graphical advancements in the newer Assassin’s Creed games, I hope the franchise will return to its roots, delivering focused, character-centric stories. However, in today’s market, dominated by expansive open worlds and games with live service ambitions, such a return might not be considered "good business."