Summary
TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise has had two distinct phases in its lifetime, with the first being its annual set of action-adventure games, and the second being the recent series of action-RPGs. While both phases stand out immediately to long-time fans oftheAssassin’s Creedfranchise, they do still share some big similarities when it comes to general settings, themes, narratives, and some core gameplay mechanics. While Ubisoft is currently trying to diversify theAssassin’s Creedbrand even more, major titles likeAssassin’s Creed Redwill still share a lot of the series' underlying DNA.
The entry that’s finally giving fans their wish of a Japanese setting,Assassin’s Creed Red– as it’s currently known – will be the next mainline action-RPG in the franchise, following closely in the footsteps ofOrigins,Odyssey, andValhalla. Though little has been currently confirmed about the game, it has been leaked thatAssassin’s Creed Redwill let players take control of two protagonists, something that the series has had a bit of a mixed history with.
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For the longest time, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise focused each of its entries on one specific protagonist, giving gamers some of the most beloved video game characters of all time in the process.Altair, Ezio, Edward, Arno, and even Connorin more recent years have all been revered as some of the series' most compelling characters, with each of their games putting them solely in the spotlight, centering each plot point, action set piece, and side character around them. But with the release ofAssassin’s Creed Syndicatein 2015, that all changed.
For the first time in series history – excluding the modern counterparts like Desmond – players would get to control two Assassin protagonists inAssassin’s Creed Syndicate. Calledthe Frye twins, Jacob and Eviehad very distinct demeanors, but they weren’t necessarily the most well-received protagonists in the franchise. While Evie’s calm nature and focus on stealth made her a solid central protagonist forSyndicate, Jacob’s more reckless approach in both the plot and combat wasn’t many fans' cup of tea. Thankfully, though, aside from story missions,Syndicateallowed players to choose who they controlled during open-world exploration and a good portion of side missions, letting fans choose the playstyle and character they preferred.
ThoughAssassin’s Creed Originswould bring the focus back to just one protagonist,Assassin’s Creed Odysseybrought back this concept of dual protagonists, albeit in a very different way toSyndicate. WhileSyndicateswapped its protagonists regularly throughout the campaign,Odysseyasked players to choose a protagonist from the get-go, setting the narrative in stone for both characters from that point forward, making the non-chosen character an antagonist.Assassin’s Creed Valhallaalso gave players a choice, though it only affected the gender of the character, as opposed to giving players a completely different person to control. BothOdysseyandValhalla’s protagonist choices were a little controversial on launch, with the choice seemingly making little difference in the actual narrative.
Assassin’s Creed Red Needs to Handle its Dual Protagonists Carefully
According to some recent rumors from back in February and March of this year,Assassin’s Creed Redmight feature two distinct protagonists, one being a Shinobi, and one being a Samurai. From the details given in the leak, it seems as though it would make more sense forRedto follow inSyndicate’s footsteps thanOdysseyorValhalla, as the two alleged protagonists apparently have very different backgrounds and skills.
Rather than just appearing as a choice at the start of the game,Assassin’s Creed Redshould have these characters coexist during the game, letting players swap between them during the story and exploration. However, it also needs to make sure that both of these characters feel truly distinct and compelling, which can be difficult for a sprawling open-world RPG to achieve with just one protagonist let alone two.
Assassin’s Creed Redis in development.
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