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

One of the most memorable moments in the entire Assassin's Creed series occurs early in Assassin's Creed 3, when Haytham Kenway has seemingly gathered a group of assassins in the New World. At first glance, players might mistake them for assassins due to Haytham's use of a hidden blade, his charisma reminiscent of Ezio Auditore, and his heroic actions such as freeing Native Americans from prison and confronting British redcoats. However, the revelation comes when Haytham utters the phrase, "May the Father of Understanding guide us," making it clear that players have been following the series' antagonists, the Templars.

This twist exemplifies the full potential of Assassin's Creed. The original game introduced the concept of finding, understanding, and eliminating targets but lacked depth in its storytelling, with both protagonist Altaïr and his targets lacking personality. Assassin's Creed 2 improved with the more charismatic Ezio, yet the antagonists, like Cesare Borgia in the spinoff Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, remained underdeveloped. It wasn't until Assassin's Creed 3, set during the American Revolution, that Ubisoft invested equally in developing both the hunter and the hunted. This approach created a seamless narrative flow from setup to payoff, striking a balance between gameplay and story that has yet to be replicated.

While the current RPG-focused era of Assassin's Creed has been well-received, many fans and critics argue that the series is declining. Debates about the reasons vary, from increasingly fantastical elements like battling gods such as Anubis and Fenrir, to the introduction of diverse romance options or the inclusion of real historical figures like the African samurai Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yet, I believe the real issue lies in the series' shift away from character-driven storytelling, which has become diluted within its expansive sandbox worlds.

Over time, Assassin's Creed has integrated numerous RPG and live service elements, such as dialogue trees, XP-based leveling, loot boxes, microtransaction DLC, and gear customization. However, as the games have grown larger, they've felt increasingly hollow, not just in repetitive side-missions but in their storytelling. Although Assassin's Creed Odyssey offers more content than Assassin's Creed 2, much of it feels less polished and immersive. The extended scripts designed to accommodate multiple player choices often lack the depth and polish of the more focused narratives from the action-adventure era, which allowed for well-defined characters.

As a result, the newer games struggle to maintain the immersion that characterized the earlier entries, where characters felt like complex historical figures rather than mere digital constructs. This contrast is evident in the Xbox 360/PS3 era, which delivered some of gaming's finest writing, from Ezio's passionate speech after defeating Savonarola to Haytham's poignant soliloquy upon his death at the hands of 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 narrative quality has also declined in other aspects. Modern games tend to simplify the conflict to Assassins being good and Templars being evil, whereas earlier games blurred these lines. In Assassin's Creed 3, each Templar's final words challenge Connor's (and the player's) beliefs. William Johnson suggests the Templars could have prevented the Native American genocide, Thomas Hickey deems the Assassins' mission unrealistic, and Benjamin Church argues that perspective shapes reality, with the British viewing themselves as victims. Haytham even questions Connor's trust in George Washington, predicting the new nation's despotism—a prediction reinforced when it's revealed that Washington, not Charles Lee, ordered the burning of Connor's village. By the game's end, the player is left with more questions than answers, making for a richer narrative experience.

Reflecting on the franchise's history, the enduring popularity of Jesper Kyd's "Ezio's Family" from Assassin's Creed 2, which became the series' theme, underscores the importance of character-driven storytelling. The PS3-era games, especially Assassin's Creed 2 and 3, were deeply focused on character development, with "Ezio's Family" evoking Ezio's personal loss rather than merely the Renaissance setting. While I appreciate the expansive worlds and advanced graphics of the current Assassin's Creed games, I hope the series will return to its roots with more focused, character-centric stories. However, in an industry increasingly dominated by vast open worlds and live service models, such a return may not align with current market trends.