Assassin’s Creed’s Original Game Is Most Deserving Of An AC Remaster

Among Assassin’s Creed games, the first one is perhaps one of the most overlooked, despite being the origin of the series and arguably the most thematically coherent. There is some explanation behind this – the product shipped nearly 14 years ago, and most gamers typically consider later sequels like Assassin’s Creed II or Assassin’s Creed Syndicate to be superior. The original deserves a remaster, though, for a variety of reasons.

Without touching deeply on the series’ modern/sci-fi backdrop – which so far hasn’t resolved itself in a satisfying way – AC1 players assume the role of Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, a member of the Assassins, or Hashashin. While that was a real Muslim sect blamed for the deaths of numerous Arab and Christian leaders during the era of the Crusades, in the game’s fiction, they’re mostly concerned with a Knights Templar conspiracy involving objects called the Pieces of Eden. The conflict goes on to form Assassin’s Creed’s raison d’être, at least for a while.

Perhaps the best reason for revisiting the game is that, unlike many entries such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the first Assassin’s Creed actually focuses on stealth and assassination. Open combat is usually a last resort – the emphasis is on using parkour or “social stealth,” like blending into a crowd, to approach a target undetected. While this didn’t always work as designed, it was immensely satisfying when it did. The Assassin’s Creed series has gradually veered more toward mass violence and instant gratification, which certainly have their merits, but returning to stealth would provide a nice breather from the series’ current format.

How An Assassin’s Creed Remaster Might Happen

With modern graphics and some gameplay tweaks, Assassin’s Creed could easily be transformed into one of the best games in the series. It would mostly be a matter of improving AI to be both fairer and sharper, as well as balancing some mission content: Tailing and eavesdropping, for example, can sometimes be Assassin’s Creed‘s least entertaining (or forgiving) activities. Some added variety in tasks would be nice, though that might involve venturing into remake or reboot budgets. Either way, it would be good to see Assassin’s Creed get a conflict-free Discovery Tour mode, considering the effort put into recreating places like ancient Jerusalem.

Ubisoft could be too preoccupied with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC and the next game in the series to work on an Assassin’s Creed remaster. However, so it’s not inconceivable that instead of another spinoff like AC Chronicles: Russia, it could devote a studio or two to polishing a product that helped make it the global behemoth it is today.

About The Author

Roger Fingas
(307 Articles Published)

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Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Roger now lives with his family in Austin, Texas. He has years of experience in tech writing, and his gaming specialties include FPS and VR games on the PC.

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