If there is one series that has come a long way since its inception, it’s Assassin’s Creed. Who might have imagined in 2007 that the license would grow to such an extent over the years, becoming one of Ubisoft’s biggest hens with golden eggs. However, if the series includes incredible games, the lemon has been squeezed a little too often and we were also able to have a few episodes which are at the bottom of the basket. A good opportunity to come back to this long prolific license and see with you which are the best and worst Assassin’s Creed games.
Image credit: Ubisoft
19- Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles
We know it too little, but there is a prequel to the first Assassin’s Creed and the story of Altaïr on Nintendo DS. And that might not be a big loss because the game is a disaster through and through. The story is wobbly and uninteresting, in addition to having tried to make a 3D game in a fighting game that uses the mechanics of its big brother on console, but by simplifying them. The result is a title that is not at all interesting to play.
18- Assassin’s Creed 2 : Discovery
Discovery was never meant to be a great Assassin’s Creed game and that’s perhaps what leads it to be one of the worst games in the franchise. It’s a simple 2D platform game where you play as Ezio, while he performs some assassination missions for various clients. The game is very short, in addition to being very repetitive and it brings nothing to the universe of the license.
17- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles : Russia
The initial idea was good, that of placing the context during the 20th century in Russia. Except that the achievement is once once more quite disappointing, because in addition to being a simple copy paste of the two previous Assassin’s Creed Chronicles, the game is very repetitive. We are, so to speak, obliged to follow the path of infiltration and kill our enemies from a distance with a rifle, otherwise we will quickly find ourselves with large spikes of difficulty which are sometimes insurmountable.
16- Assassin’s Creed : Bloodline
Even if we can’t really consider it a bad episode, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodline mainly suffers from a big lack of ambition and the medium on which it was released. The PSP was rather restricted in its controls when it comes to an action game. It must be said that the idea of replaying Altair was something to delight fans, but the controls really lacked precision and it was difficult to get out right following Assassin’s Creed II.
15- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles : India
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India tries to follow in the footsteps of China, but sometimes a little too much because you quickly have the feeling of playing the same game. However, the concern with this opus is that the player is too quickly penalized when he tries to do something other than infiltration, the freedom of the first opus is almost absent here. Added to this are missions with sometimes poorly thought out objectives, which makes the experience frustrating.
14- Assassin’s Creed : Unity
With Assassin’s Creed: Unity, we started with a good intention, since the context of the French Revolution is conducive to many fictional interpretations, with the possibility of including a beautiful panel of historical characters. Except that the game completely missed this vocation, coming out in an unfinished form, with bugs and technical problems all over the place.
13- Assassin’s Creed III
Besides being late and full of bugs, Assassin’s Creed III was disappointing in many ways. It must be said that arriving following the Ezio trilogy was not easy, but it was also the false promises during his promotion that tainted the game. There were good ideas, especially around craftsmanship, but the game is weighed down by soft phases of infiltration, as well as a story of revenge that is not very credible.
12- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles : China
The inspiration behind games like Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China is to be found in Mark of the Ninja, from which we take several action and infiltration mechanics. Without being a pale copy, because the game of Climax Studios still manages to offer its own vision of the license. It’s not perfect and there would be things to criticize, but this first installment was a little bit of freshness in the series.
11- Assassin’s Creed Rogue
The particularity of Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is to make us play an Assassin who has become a Templar, in the guise of Shay Patrick Cormac. It is more or less a prologue to Assassin’s Creed: Unity, which is not necessarily a guarantee of quality. It is one of the games of the license that were not appreciated enough, in a period when the series was slowly going around in circles.
10- Assassin’s Creed : Liberation
Considered a spin-off of Assassin’s Creed II, Liberation is an episode that still tries to bring new things. In addition to this time playing a heroine, we can enjoy a really interesting story that gives a new perspective on the conflict between the assassins and the Templars. The world to explore is a little reduced, but there are some good ideas for staging and infiltration, which makes it a game a bit apart in the franchise.
9- Assassin’s Creed : Syndicate
Often presented as an ugly duckling, Syndicate is the latest installment in a formula that was completely washed out. Still, it’s technically not the worst of the series, and it’s saved by its Victorian-era setting, giving us the chance to wander around the city of London. The duo of Evie and Jacob Frye is really interesting and brings a little fresh wind, even if we do not escape the great repetitiveness of the game.
8- Assassin’s Creed
Even if it is largely exceeded by the games which followed, the first Assassin’s Creed an essential element of the franchise, in particular by laying the foundations of what will make its fame. With hindsight and even at the time, the missions were very repetitive, but the narrative and the visual of the game that were put in place quickly made us understand all the potential that its use of the open world might hold.
7- Assassin’s Creed : Revelations
Even though it’s technically only the fourth installment in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is often criticized for being too similar to Brotherhood. In fact, the only real novelty is a very forgettable Tower Defense mini-game and the context in the city of Constantinople is just as much. It’s still a more than solid game for Assassin’s Creed fans, however, who fancy following Ezio’s story trilogy.
6- Assassin’s Creed : Black Flag
Although the basics remain similar to what has been done before, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag brings a fresh approach to the open world by giving players the ability to roam the seas. Exploration is there, as well as strategy during naval combat which brings an epic dimension to the series. Thinking of yourself as a pirate has rarely been so enjoyable.
5- Assassin’s Creed : Origins
By placing the action in Egypt, the Assassin’s Creed license was completely redesigned as its open-world approach began to seriously falter over the games. By keeping the infiltration mechanics that made the license famous, while incorporating new role-playing mechanics, it’s really a renewal for the series which has managed to find a new audience.
4- Assassin’s Creed : Valhalla
It’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is the worthy successor to Odyssey. This is not an episode that will greatly upset what has been put in place by the two previous opuses, but by bringing the context to the Viking era it is nevertheless enough to make us want to play it. Going through Eivor’s adventures in this gigantic world is a real pleasure for the eyes.
3- Assassin’s Creed : Brotherhood
Without being of the same ilk as Assassin’s Creed II in terms of the scenario, Brotherhood takes up the basics of its elder while adding enough novelties to be qualified as being a very good sequel. The story focuses once once more on Ezio, but also on other characters and the big surprise was undoubtedly its excellent multiplayer mode. An episode that will introduce us to a new facet of the franchise.
2- Assassin’s Creed : Odyssey
Although Assassin’s Creed: Origins paved the way to renew the series, it was Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey that really enhanced the new formula with an even richer open world, as well as much more advanced customization options. The many secondary quests, in addition to all the activities available and the exploration of this world immersed in the time of Ancient Greece, make it one of the best games of the license.
1- Assassin’s Creed II
It’s hard to imagine what the Assassin’s Creed franchise would have been like without its second installment. The appearance of Ezio Auditore brings new mechanics and completely sublimates the first episode. Wandering through Renaissance Italy and discovering incredible landscapes was a real thrill for many players, but it is above all its gripping story and its main character that make it an unforgettable game.