The more I hear people complain about modern Assassin’s Creed titles, the more I realize there’s a common thread running through all of them: Ubisoft’s attempt to make Assassin’s Creed everything at once.
The game tries to blend multiple genres without clear direction, resulting in unnecessary bloat. There’s no consistency in its gameplay mechanics. One moment, you’re swimming underwater in search of treasure, looking for the best loot; the next, you’re being hunted by an army of mercenaries in the game’s lukewarm attempt at a Nemesis System. Titles like Odyssey and Valhalla lack a clear identity, trying to cater to whatever open-world trend is popular at the time.
In Odyssey, the game was packed with a Destiny 2-like looter experience, with Gold and Purple gear enticing players to keep grinding. Yet, enemies scale to your level, making the grind feel exhausting. At least Valhalla attempted to address these issues with a more toned-down approach to open-world exploration and RPG mechanics.
The RPG (Role Playing Game) system, which is common in other games, is something that I find problematic in recent Assassin’s Creed titles. To put it another way, I don’t think this “choose-your-own-adventure” element fits well within the Assassin’s Creed series.
Why Does Ubisoft Keep Putting RPG Systems in Assassin’s Creed?
Modern AC titles love to push role-playing systems, yet much of the negative feedback I hear stems from how these systems inflate the game into borderline busy work. It’s all about the grind.
The role-playing aspect adds little to the story, especially in Odyssey, where romance options and choices have no impact on the main plot and serve as mere filler. Even the main character is one of two separate people, but only one (Kassandra) is canon, a pointless choice exercise.
If the main character is Kassandra, make me play as Kassandra.
Even in Valhalla, Ubisoft missed the opportunity to add depth to Eivor’s dual-character perspective. The experience of playing both characters and switching between them feels hollow, with little meaningful progression. You were just a character exploring 9th Century England.
It Just Adds to the Bloat
Bloated open worlds are the bane of every casual gamer’s existence. No one wants to complete three fetch quests just to finish one side mission, only to be rewarded with Purple-colored armor that doesn’t even suit their build. That’s essentially what modern Assassin’s Creed titles have become—except for Origins and Mirage.
Where am I going with this? Ubisoft’s obsession with injecting RPG mechanics keeps players invested in aimless build-crafting with little to no impact. Assassin’s Creed isn’t about chasing high DPS numbers (unless you’re attempting a challenge run). It’s about stealth and exploring historical periods.
Linearity Works
One thing modern AC titles forget is that linearity works. The success of Mirage, which targeted the right audience, proves that people want an Assassin’s Creed game without the bloat, role-playing elements, or weird multi-genre mechanics.
A vast game environment can boost a player’s sense of involvement, but it’s crucial to avoid bombarding novice players with too many options, causing confusion due to an excess of markers and symbols on the map.
Ditching RPG mechanics in favor of a more linear approach works. Mirage’s simple equipment menus, armor perks, and strong black box assassination missions hooked me in a way Odyssey’s mediocre RPG mechanics never could.
Hope?
This is precisely why I hope Assassin’s Creed: Shadows ditches the RPG elements and sticks to grounded gameplay. Assassin’s Creed is an open-world action-stealth game that doesn’t need RPG mechanics to be engaging. The series needed an evolution, but embracing RPG mechanics did more harm than good to its waning fanbase.
As Assassin’s Creed Shadow drops this week, we’ll get a chance to see what gamers think about its fresh elements and how it compares to past versions. Here’s hoping it lives up to the hype!
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2025-03-17 18:44