TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise is a fantastic example of storytelling that can be done anywhere or anytime. Using the framing device of a modern story featuring assassins and templars digging through history and memories of ancestors, theAssassin’s Creedgames have managed to use settings ranging from Ancient Egypt to Revolutionary America.
All kinds of horrors and wars occur in the different time periods the games are set in. But despite this, some places and times genuinely seem like they would be nice to live in. Others seem absolutely dreadful, filled with regular people living difficult lives for one reason or another.
The majority of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise is about fighting in the shadows to protect the light. There are whole games where it seems relatively pleasant to be simply living in the worlds where the Assassin and Templar factions run about in their own battles. But inOdyssey, the ravages of war seem to be taking a toll on the entire population.
The war between city-states is the oldest time period anAssassin’s Creedgame has been set in so far, so while it is enjoyable to explore as atruly great Spartan warrior character, life there at that time would be brief and filled with hardships, especially with the many difficulties involved in Spartan society, such as being exiled for stopping an elder from killing your infant sibling.
The newest entry in theAssassin’s Creedfranchiselooked to both honor the older games before the current RPG-focused ones and tie intoAssassin’s Creed Valhallaand the overarching story going on in the series. Players took on the role of Basim Ibn Ishaq during the Islamic Golden Age, which was unfortunately not as great a time as it sounds.
Mirageis primarily set during the “Anarchy At Samarra” which occurred from 861-870 and saw the violent Abbasid Caliphate in a period of instability that saw four caliphs replaced by violence. Living in Baghdad at that time would have been a truly terrifying experience, either as one of the ruling class or as a simple commoner.
Many of the time periods involved inAssassin’s Creedgames saw strife, perhaps none more so than Britain in the 9th Century.Assassin’s Creed Valhallais set during the Viking invasion of the British Isles, which brings about a lot of strife across the country. Eivor and her clan come into conflict with a number of different territories as well as other Vikings throughout the game.
Therefore, the idea of being a normal person trying to live there at the time is quite terrifying. Britain at that time was hard enough without the Vikings tearing across the land and the constant upheaval as territory changed hands many times in a huge game that has stayed alive for an extended period of timedue to a great modding community.
The very firstAssassin’s Creedgame had players take control of the legendary Altair, as he attempted to regain honor following a botched mission against the Templars. To do so, his master, Al Mualim, sends him to assassinate nine different Templar agents. Throughout the game, players can see that not only are the general populace suffering during this crusade of King Richard I, but players such as Altair are sometimes making it worse.
Al Mualim adds to the sufferance that regular people living in the Holy Lands were suffering at the time by using the Apple of Eden to enthrall the entire population of Masyaf, which would make living there at the time, particularly unpleasing. Though theseries has produced many of the best Ubisoft games, this first entry had a truly bizarre story and setting.
One of the most interesting time periods theAssassin’s Creedfranchise has explored, the setting ofAssassin’s Creed 3was a truly difficult place in human history. Set during another war, in this case, the American Revolution, there was plenty of conflict and tragedy faced by regular people throughout the game at different points in the war.
It was worst of all for those that Connor cared about. The Native American population was ravaged brutally during this period of timeby some vicious characters, living there and then, as a Native American, seeing their tribes shoved forcefully from their homes or wiped out entirely. The horrors of this time period are many, and they affected everyone in society.
The worst time periods to imagine living in are usually those of great upheaval. Memorable events often result in the people of that time being under great strain and having hard, tragic lives. The French Revolution featured inAssassin’s Creed Unitywas just such a time, filled with change and strife as the French people rose up, and the country suffered greatly for a time,leading to the rise of Napoleon.
As if this wasn’t enough, the ages-old conflict between the Assassins and Templars added to the game brings more issues to the table for other people. The civil unrest and conflict are plenty of problems enough without assassinations and added oppression mixed in.
ThoughAssassin’s Creed Syndicateprimarily takes place in London during the Industrial Revolution around 1868, there is one side mission that brings players further forward, as close to modern-day as players have ever gotten in the series besides the framing stories that are set in the modern day.
Themission takes place during World War I, one of the most horrible times to live in all human history. While the Templar control over London in 1868 is bad for the city, it is nothing compared to what it looked like during wartime. This brutal period in human history is definitely a horrible time to live in.
