Between the first entry in the Assassin’s Creed series and most recent release, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, a lot has changed for these games. Now, with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla about to release later this year, there’s plenty of talk about what the newest game might change again, what they’ll keep in the newer games, and if they’ll bring back any aspects of the older games.
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When it comes to the newer games that have taken on a more RPG style, many fans are divided on whether the changes are good or bad. Here are 5 changes that were great to see, and 5 things that could’ve been left out.
10 Worst: Skill Trees
In older Assassin’s Creed games, any skills that existed were taught to players early as more of a tutorial on how to get around and take out different enemies, with stealth always having a heavy emphasis. Now, in the newer games, there are a lot more skills that players can spend points on that help more with melee combat.
This would be great if the series wasn’t about being an assassin who is supposed to be stealthy and quiet. In previous games, if players ever had to fight enemies head-on, it was usually because they hadn’t been stealthy enough, and it was almost always seen as a mistake. Now, players have a choice to either sneak around or throw caution to the wind, which doesn’t match the tone of Assassin’s Creed.
9 Best: Larger Maps
It’s exciting to jump into any new area in any Assassin’s Creed game, but the maps have been more open as the series has gone on. There are a lot more places to explore, which pairs with new quests to find, new loot to get, and even just new secrets to discover in areas that have great designs.
While it can feel helpful to have a smaller area to work with in the older games so players can stay focused on their current goal, it’s nice to have a chance to run around and find new things to do sometimes in the newer games. Not to mention that it’s also just easier to get around in general when you’ve got your trusty horse.
8 Worst: Eagle Vision
The older Assassin’s Creed games used Eagle Vision in a way that was almost more like Witcher Senses in The Witcher 3. It was used to detect enemies, reveal secrets, and otherwise help players be more aware of their surroundings. Still, Eagle Vision was framed more as the main character using heightened senses to help with stealth.
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In the newer Assassin’s Creed games, Eagle Vision seems more literal, as characters like Bayek and Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey have bird companions that they can use to detect enemies and special targets from the sky. It doesn’t always make as much sense as the Eagle Vision in older games that’s tied more to the main characters than their connection to a bird. It’s also not always the most reliable way to mark targets in newer games.
7 Best: Character Customization
While players could change their appearance in older Assassin’s Creed games, the change would usually mean players would change a whole outfit instead of changing individual pieces of it. Some older games let players gain bonuses from certain outfits while others didn’t.
In newer games, players can customize every piece of armor that they wear, which they can choose based on either appearance or abilities. Players can even put engravings on their gear to give them extra effects. Newer games also let players apply the appearance of one piece of armor to another so players can look a certain way without having to choose between appearance and effects.
6 Worst: Health-Based Combat
Newer games have much more emphasis on health levels of both the player and their enemies, which can create more problems than the older games did. In older games, players would be able to sneak up behind any enemy and perform an assassination with no issues.
However, in newer games, players will only deplete the enemy’s health slightly when trying to perform an assassination on a bigger enemy. The same goes for enemies that might be a higher level than the player. Not only is this annoying, but highlighting health levels also can imply that players can be less stealthy and focus more on hand-to-hand combat than in older games as long as they don’t lose too much health, which isn’t an “assassin” method in most cases.
5 Best: Better Naval Battles
Naval battles got to shine in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which fit with the setting and the character. In Assassin’s Creed Origins, players didn’t really have their own boat. They would occasionally get to control naval battles on bigger ships, but this was only for certain missions.
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In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players get to control their own ship, choose their crew, and customize their ship, taking all the things that fans liked in Black Flag and polishing it up. It’s fun to sail around discovering locations on the large map, as well as looting ships and gaining new boat gear.
4 Worst: Leveling System
Older Assassin’s Creed games didn’t have a leveling system but still accomplished the same goals as a leveling system would. Players could get past highly skilled enemies in older games by trying different fighting techniques that would focus on an opponent’s weaknesses until they were defeated.
Now, in the newer games, players can hardly even approach an enemy that’s too far out of their level or else they’re sure to die. Not only that, but it makes it feel like players have to grind more in the games to use certain gear that they want, which isn’t usually what players want from an Assassin’s Creed game.
3 Best: Drastically Different Time Periods
For older titles, the timeline of events between each game is fairly close together, with usually a couple hundred years separating two games in the timeline.
In the case of newer titles, Assassin’s Creed Origins was seen a huge jump in time for the series, as it starts in 49 BC and the next game in the timeline, the first Assassin’s Creed, doesn’t occur until 1191. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is supposed to fill that gap as it takes place in 873 AD, but even that is still a fairly big gap between Valhalla and Origins. This gives players a fresh look at Assassin’s Creed from past perspectives and gives it a break from time periods that might’ve felt too similar to some fans.
2 Worst: Dialogue Options
Many great games these days have dialogue options that allow players to choose how the story unfolds. However, since older games in the Assassin’s Creed series didn’t have this option like the newer games do, it can potentially make the canon story harder to determine.
The older games all had definitive storylines with characters that had clear personalities each time. No matter what, players were all going to experience the same story, which would make it easier to discuss. Now, with dialogue choices, it’s harder to tell what should happen in the canon. Some things might not matter for the overall story, like if players romance someone in Odyssey or not. Others, like which family members live or die in Odyssey would be harder to canonize since there are so many options for what can happen based on the player’s choices.
1 Best: Traveling
Sure, it can be fun to run around on rooftops, sneak through city streets, or explore new areas on foot. However, newer games make traveling even more fun and customizable.
Players can travel even faster by using their trusty steed, which they can now choose new skins by either earning or purchasing. In Assassin’s Creed Origins, fans can even choose whether they ride on a horse or a camel. Plus, encouraging travel by ship allows players to explore even more wide-open spaces with beautiful landscapes and potential fights at sea. It’s always exciting to see new areas and unexpected encounters when traveling by horse or ship, instead of just running around like players are forced to do in most older games.
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