Robin Bhuyan
The Assassin’s Creed series is one of the most brilliant, popular and successful stealth games ever. The franchise has been a monumental success over the years, with each game being unique in its own way. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows scheduled for release on 20th March 2025, controversy had already arisen many months before its release. The inclusion of a “black” samurai has sparked heated debates in social media and online gaming communities. While some defend it as being historically accurate, others accuse Ubisoft of pushing a “woke” agenda. The debate centers around whether this inclusion is a creative decision based on history or a forced attempt to check off diversity boxes. While the game has garnered excitement due to its potential and Japanese samurai setting, many people have also stated that they are no longer excited to play the game.
However, this controversy is just the latest chapter in a series of mixed reactions that always followed the Assassin’s Creed franchise. For every major success, there’s a flaw that drags down the experience. Let’s take a look at the worst thing about each Assassin’s Creed game starting from the first game back in 2007.
Assassin’s Creed 1
The first Assassin’s Creed game laid the foundation for the series, but the gameplay quickly became repetitive. Missions like eavesdropping, pickpocketing, and interrogating all felt like filler, and with only a few weapons at your disposal (the hidden blade and throwing knife), the gameplay felt limited compared to later entries. Additionally, the game’s difficulty can feel higher than what players would expect from a typical Assassin’s Creed game, making it a tough starting point. Despite this, the game was way ahead of its time, and its final boss fight is still considered the best in the series till date.
Assassin’s Creed 2
While AC 2 is often hailed as one of the best in the franchise, it had its drawbacks. The inability to replay missions was a major downside for many, as players couldn’t revisit their favourite moments or experiment the same mission again using different approaches. And if you wanted to do so, you will have to play all over again! The combat system, while improved over the original, could feel complicated, especially for players unfamiliar with its counter-based mechanics. It relied heavily on counters and unless you use the throwing knives or the smoke bombs, it was hard to engage with the enemies, unless you have a lot of time to spare.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Many consider AC Brotherhood as the best entry in the franchise, but even Brotherhood had one or two major flaws: it was set in a single city—Rome. While Rome is beautifully designed and expansive, it felt restrictive after the varied locations of Assassin’s Creed 2. The city was so large that getting from point A to point B became a chore, despite the game having a “fast travel” mechanic.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Revelations was another brilliant entry to franchise, continuing the story of both Ezio and Altair from Assassins Creed 1 and Assassins Creed 2. However, the tower defense missions introduced in Revelations were widely considered a distraction from the core gameplay. They felt like an unnecessary mini game that didn’t fit well with the rest of the game’s mechanics. Rather than adding depth, they slowed down the experience and broke the immersion, making them a weak point in an otherwise solid game.
Assassin’s Creed 3
Assassin’s Creed 3 introduced Haytham Kenway, but soon we learn that Haytham is actually a Templar, and the main protagonist is Haytham’s son Connor. Unfortunately, Connor was poorly written, and many found him difficult to connect with. His emotional depth was minimal, and his stoic nature made him feel one-dimensional. Set during the American Revolutionary War, the game had a lot of potential, but it felt lifeless at times. Additionally, the death of Desmond in this installment left the modern-day storyline feeling directionless, despite the intrigue that the series had built up in previous games. Many players had hoped that they would eventually get a full game where they could play as Desmond, and this is where the game disappointed.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Black Flag is hugely praised for its naval gameplay, and its interesting pirate character Edward Kenway, grandfather of Connor and father of Haytham. Despite the game being considered a fan favorite, it suffered from too many tailing missions, which required you to follow NPCs without being seen. These missions became tedious quickly and were among the most repetitive elements of the game. Additionally, though the cities were far smaller, the lack of horseback riding felt like a step backward, as you would need to walk and run wherever you go.
Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Assassin’s Creed Rogue faced criticism for its weak story, which didn’t resonate with fans. The decision to shift the protagonist, Shay, to the Templars felt forced, and his motivations lacked clarity. The gameplay felt repetitive, as the game just reuses mechanics from Black Flag without adding anything new. The game felt like a filler entry or a DLC of Black Flag rather than a meaningful continuation of the series. Plus, it suffers from the same flaws of Black Flag.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Unity is another fan favorite due to its lead character Arno, and the story being set during the French Revolution. The game introduced a more refined combat system and stunning visuals, but the story was underwhelming, without much significant emotional impact. It also suffered from a problematic launch, with numerous bugs and performance issues that marred the experience. These issues made it a frustrating title for many at the time of its release, despite the promise it showed.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate had a promising setting in Victorian London, and it received mixed reception. One of the most annoying aspects of the game is the inclusion of horse-drawn carriages. Instead of allowing players to freely ride horses, they were forced to deal with these slow and cumbersome vehicles. This disrupted the game’s pacing, and it felt like a downgrade from the fluidity of previous entries. Additionally, the concept of gang warfare, while intriguing, felt out of place in the Assassin’s Creed universe, making the gameplay seem disconnected from the core Assassin’s Creed identity. I mean- when you are already part of the Assassin brotherhood, why would you want to start another gang of your own?
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Origins brought an exciting RPG twist to the series, but the forced levelling system became a point of frustration for many players. You had to constantly level up again and again by doing side quests, to stay on track with the main story, making it feel more like a grind than an enjoyable journey. Additionally, the limited screen time of Aya, who was a strong character in her own right, left fans disappointed. Despite this, the game was visually stunning, and offers us an unique and interesting story.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
While Odyssey introduced a massive world and improved RPG elements, the lack of traditional Assassin’s Creed mechanics such as stealth and assassination led to a game that felt disconnected from the series’ roots. Yes, it was a brilliant game set in ancient Greece, with many interesting missions and boss fights, but the game felt hugely disconnected from its Assassins Creed roots. The forced RPG elements, like levelling up to stay on track with the story, was tedious, like Origins. Despite this, if you want to play an RPG game set in Ancient Greece, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey would be the best choice.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Valhalla continued the RPG trend, and while it was an enjoyable experience at first, many players found the levelling grind to be excessive. The game was filled with side quests and repetitive content, and its massive length made it feel overstretched. Many players also complained that though most of the games in the franchise sticked mostly to realism and were based on history, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla blurs the lines between fantasy and history. While the Viking setting was appealing for many, the sheer amount of content became overwhelming at times.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Mirage promised to be a return to the roots of Assassin’s Creed, but the story and the protagonist, both were kind of weak. It has some similarities to the first Assassin’s Creed game, but the game hardly has any memorable characters. While the focus on stealth was appreciated, the teleportation system made the gameplay far too easy and unrealistic. The game’s mechanics felt overly simplified, taking away the challenge that earlier titles had provided. Despite this, the game does have some fun and interesting missions such as the missions revolving around Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!
Will Assassins Creed Shadows be a massive failure like many players are predicting, or is Ubisoft working upon improving the game? Maybe they are, which is why the game is being delayed again and again. Only time will tell.