Breakdown - Assassin's Creed: Historical Fiction At Its Finest

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and in terms of the genre of historical fiction, one gaming franchise has been among the most popular franchise to tackle historical fiction. That franchise is, of course, Assassin's Creed.  Released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the original Assassin's Creed was revolutionary in it's storytelling and gameplay mechanics, and in each new iteration of the franchise, the concept just keeps on evolving in bolder new directions. Although, some aspects of a few of the games are a bit off-putting, such as the inclusion of micro transactions. 

          Now, what's interesting about the origins of the creation of Assassin's Creed is that it started initially as a planned entry in another prominent Ubisoft franchise, Prince of Persia. Originally, what eventually became Assassin's Creed was pitched as a game called Prince of Persia: Assassin, where players would take control of an assassin, whose job it is to protect the titular Prince in a journey across the land of Persia. Unfortunately, Ubisoft wasn't too keen on producing a Prince of Persia game where players don't play as the Prince himself, so the concept of Prince of Persia: Assassin would be reworked, with Persia being switched to the Holy Land during the Third Crusade, and thus we got Assassin's Creed.

       So, the concept of the Assassin's Creed series is that, for many centuries, there have been two factions in a never-ending war of ideologies: the Templar Order, who seek to maintain peace through absolute control, and the Assassins Brotherhood, who believe that free will and freedom for all is the true key to peace. The Assassins, in the game universe, got their start as a brotherhood called the Hidden Ones, which was formed by Bayek in the times of Ptolemaic Egypt during the events of Assassin's Creed Origins, while the Templars got their start as the Order of the Ancients. In modern times, both the Assassins and the Templars exist, with the latter being in the form of the worldwide corporation Abstergo Industries, whose many arms include Abstergo Entertainment and the Abstergo Foundation.

            In addition, the Templars and Assassins are also fighting over relics known as Pieces of Eden, many of which are designed as orbs called Apples of Eden. Now, these relics were designed by a precursor race called the Isu, also referred to as the First Civilization. Taking the names of the various gods from multiple mythologies, like Odin, Loki, Freyja, Poseidon, Juno, Minerva, Jupiter (or Tinia as he's called in the games), and so forth, the Isu were an advanced race that not only created the Pieces of Eden, but also created the human race as a slave labor force. That is, until, the first act of disobedience: the theft of an Apple of Eden by two humans - Adam and Eve. This act led to a civil war, and while the Isu we're technologically superior, humans had the advantage of numbers. The war ended when the world, ultimately, ended, as a massive solar flare event caused a massive catastrophe that reduced the human population greatly, and all but wiped out the Isu. What few of them remained worked with the remaining humans to restore the world, until it eventually became how we know it today. 

           Another faction, tied with the Isu to a certain extent, is the Instruments of the First Will, who sought to restore one of the Isu, Juno, to physical form after her energy was released from imprisonment during the events of Assassin's Creed III, when Desmond Miles used an Isu pedestal to protect the world in a massive Aurora Borealis to defend it from an oncoming catastrophic solar flare. Unfortunately, the Aurora Borealis had an unfortunate side effect of gradually increasing the world's radiation levels to an almost lethal level, which was seen during Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Anyway, the Instruments of the First Will were introduced during Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, where we meet two versions of the Sage (a human with the genetics and memories of the Isu Aita, Juno's husband): Bartholomew Roberts during the Golden Age of Piracy, and John Standish, head of I.T. at Abstergo Entertainment. 

         The gameplay mechanics of Assassin's Creed truly set the series apart from other games. For instance, the game focuses a lot on things like stealth, but also a lot of parkour and free running. Also, players can scale up the sides of buildings in order to get to a rooftop. Combat mechanics involve a mix of weapons, with the series' signature weapon being the Hidden Blade, which is attached to the wrist. And, of course, each Assassin in the franchise has weapons unique to the era and who that individual is. For instance, Assassin's Creed III protagonist Connor uses a mix of weapons, including guns, a bow and arrows, rope darts, and his signature tomahawk, all in addition to the Hidden Blade. 

        However, the real bread and butter of Assassin's Creed is in the historical settings, which are witnessed through the use of a device called the Animus. The Animus uses an individual's DNA to access genetic memories, thus allowing that individual to relive the memories of their ancestors from across time. Among the eras and locations visited in the games include the Holy Land during the Third Crusade (Assassin's Creed), Renaissance-era Italy (Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood), Constantinople during the Ottoman Civil War (Assassin's Creed Revelations), Colonial America during both the French and Indian War AND the American Revolution (Assassin's Creed III), France during the French Revolution (Assassin's Creed Unity), Victorian London (Assassin's Creed Syndicate), Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War (Assassin's Creed Odyssey), Ptolemaic Egypt (Assassin's Creed Origins), the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag), and Europe during the Viking Expansion (Assassin's Creed Valhalla). We also see other areas of Colonial America such as late-eighteenth century French Louisiana (Assassin's Creed III: Liberation) and again during the French and Indian War (Assassin's Creed Rogue). 

       And, of course, there's an entire line-up of protagonists, some more iconic than others, but I'm running down the list of all of them. And, no, I don't mean modern day protagonists like Desmond Miles and Layla Hassan, or even the Abstergo researchers or the Helix Player. No, I'm talking about the historical protagonists, whom are as follows: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (Assassin's Creed), Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations), Ratonhnhaké:ton/Connor (Assassin's Creed III) Aveline de Grandpé (Assassin's Creed III: Liberation), Edward Kenway (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag) Shay Patrick Cormac (Assassin's Creed Rogue), Arno Dorian (Assassin's Creed Unity) Jacob and Evie Frye (Assassin's Creed Syndicate), Bayek (Assassin's Creed Origins), Alexios and Kassandra (Assassin's Creed Odyssey), and Sigurd and Eivor (Assassin's Creed Valhalla). 

       With each era, the creative team at Ubisoft goes to great lengths to faithfully recreate the architecture of whichever locations the games are set in. And, when needed, they also added new mechanics and gameplay features for traversal in areas that may not have been densely populated by architecture. For instance, in Assassin's Creed III, a new form of free running was crafted so that players could traverse through the trees with ease. This new form of free running, which fans have affectionately called tree running, was made for easier traversal across the Wild Frontier of Colonial America. In addition, famous landmarks and locations are also brilliantly recreated in each era. Assassin's Creed III, for instance, has several famous locations from that time period, such as the Boston Harbor, the North Bridge at Concord, Valley Forge, and several other historically important locations across Boston, New York, and the towns throughout the Frontier. Similarly, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag showcases locations like Havana, Kingston, Port Royal, Nassau, and the Mayan ruins at Tulum, as well as several islands, coves, and fishing villages. 

       And, of course, we couldn't have these locations and eras of history without historical figures to help flesh out these eras. Some notable examples include the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli in Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood, Karl Marx and Charles Dickens in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Cleopatra in Assassin's Creed Origins, and so on. My two favorite games of the series, Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag probably boast the most amount of historical figures from their respective time periods. In Black Flag, for example, game protagonist Edward Kenway interacts with many pirates and famous individuals from the era, such as Laureano Torres, Woodes Rogers, Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Blackbeard, and Bartholomew Roberts aka Black Bart. Similarly, in Assassin's Creed III, Edward's grandson Connor would interact with some of the most famous individuals in American history. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Israel Putnam, John Parker, George Washington, the list goes on. Not to mention, Connor participated in several historical events both leading to and during the American Revolution, like the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Monmouth, and so on. Heck, we even see a cutscene where Connor witnesses the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

        But, that's not to say that all the historical figures were friends or allies in the games, as in Black Flag, the aforementioned Torres and Rogers were both Templars, and in Assassin's Creed III, the Templars included the likes of Charles Lee, Benjamin Church, Thomas Hickey, John Pitcairn, and William Johnson. Heck, Assassin's Creed II saw Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI as the Templar Grand Master, and main antagonist of the game. His son, Cesare Borgia, would serve as antagonist of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. 

        Now, what makes me enjoy the historical aspect of Assassin's Creed so much is that, in addition to exploring eras not often referenced in terms of the history books, it also gives a deeper look into certain eras and figures in noted history. For example, and again going back to Assassin's Creed III, Ubisoft goes deep and shows a wider, morally gray look at the American Revolution from both sides of the conflict: the Patriots and the British Loyalists. It shows that those who fought for the British Crown weren't so morally apprehensible, nor were the Sons of Liberty and the Continental Army the absolute bastions of liberty and freedom that American history makes them out to be. Everyone has a shade of gray about them, and Ubisoft brought that to the forefront and really opened up my eyes to history in a way that is pretty unique. 

        And, of I'm being honest, the Assassin's Creed franchise boasts a very impressive voice cast. Nolan North as Desmond, Kristen Bell as Lucy, Philip Proctor as Vidic, Philip Shahbaz as Altaïr, Eliza Schneider as Rebecca, Danny Wallace as Shaun, Roger Craig Smith as Ezio, John de Lancie as William, Noah Watts as Connor, Adrian Hough as Haytham, Robin Atkin Downes as George Washington, Kevin R. McNally as Robert Faulkner, Mark Lindsay Chapman as Samuel Adams, Matt Ryan as Edward Kenway, Ralph Ineson as Charles Vane, Mark Bonnar as Blackbeard, Sarah Greene as Anne Bonny, Oliver Milburn as Bartholomew Roberts, the list goes on. Seriously, I gotta give massive credit to the casting department at Ubisoft, because they assembled some fantastic actors for the voice cast throughout the series' run. 

        Unfortunately, I do have to admit that I have only really played a small handful of the Assassin's Creed games and completed their stories. The games in the series I have played are as follows: Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed III, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. And I think that these are the Assassin's Creed games that should be played. Not that I have an issue with any of the other games in the series, but it's a mix of either lack of interest in them, or issues with the gameplay mechanics of a few of them. 

         All in all, I can say that the games in the Assassin's Creed series that I've played all gave me tons of hours of entertainment and are a set of games that I love going back and replaying every so often. Even though some games are better and more liked than others, Assassin's Creed is still a phenomenal game franchise that I, and many others, love returning to the world of. 

         Alrighty guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time. Oh, and before anyone asks, I have every intention of reviewing the 2016 live-action Assassin's Creed movie with Michael Fassbender. But, it probably won't be until at least November. So, keep an eye out for it around then.

         And, never forget the Creed: "Where others blindly follow the truth, remember: nothing is true. Where others are limited by morality or law, remember: everything is permitted. We work in the Dark to serve the Light. We are Assassins. Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted."