Pars Ludum: The Creed Relations: Part II

History In Your Console

Last part I talked about how Assassin’s Creed series had a compelling hypothesis as it’s background.

Read Part I here: The Creed Relations Part I

That is not the only interesting part about these video games. It is not even the most interesting part. If you talk to great authors, directors or script writers, they will tell you about the extensive research they do before they publish their projects. It has been seen that the more research they do, the more interesting the series is. Video games generally follow the same pattern. Through extensive research, the designers of Ubisoft have copied the housing style, the city plan style, even the architecture and road designs perfectly.

From the first game till the most recent, they have already copied the styles of:

The Assassin World

Most impressive of these were Italy and France in the respective times. They not only portrayed the cities and buildings perfectly, but also the people and their livelihood. From the begging streets of lower Paris to the free thinking people of Florence to the feared pirates ruling the seven seas, every aspect of the time periods have been portrayed perfectly.

The city wasn’t the only thing they used from history. Two other things were used directly from history. Historical events and a bunch of famous people.

The first game was entirely based on the crusades. It was not only based, but was intricately linked with each of the events happening during the war. As is known now, most of the war happened behind the scenes. An assassination here, a robbery there. These events were linked to the bigger picture. However the game did not use much of the historical characters that were important to the time, mainly because nobody stood out. The story in itself was pretty repetitive till the end, which held a really great plot twist. This game featured a Master Assassin called Altair Ibn La-Ahad. The assassins held a neutral position during the war. The game showed cities like Masyaf, Acre and Damascus.

Altair in AC I

The second part of this series has 3 sub-divisions: Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed Revelations. All three features Ezio Auditore da Firenze as the protagonist. The first part is based in different parts of Italy: Florence, Tuscany and Venice. The second part is based in Rome. Both these portray Italy during late Renaissance. The third is based in Istanbul during the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. It shows Ezio’s journey from joining the assassins to becoming their Il-Mentore (The Mentor). It mainly deals with the ascension of the Borgia family to the position of Pope. The entire series was cast during a time of peace (military-wise). The Ezio story arc is widely accepted as the best Creed game throughout the series and the best games of it’s time. This storyline featured characters like Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicolo Machiavelli, Rodrigo Borgia, Cesare Borgia, Lorenzo de Medici, Stefano de Medici, to name but a few. The story made them side with the Assassin’s or the Templars. None were kept neutral. Da Vinci especially was shown a lot. So were his gadgets and methods. Seemingly, Ezio was the first one to use Da Vinci’s flying machine. Revelations takes us to Istanbul where we see Ezio trace the story of Altair after he gets the piece of Eden, and enlightens him to the real meaning of his life and journey.

Ezio in AC II

Ezio and his band in AC Brotherhood

Ezio and Altair in Revelations

The third part was simply called Assassin’s Creed III. It was based during the American Revolution. This game, unlike it’s predecessor, kept most of the characters neutral. It showed people like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lee, and many other historical figures critical to the revolution. Seemingly, the assassins supported the revolution, while the Templars were using the British to gain unlimited access to the American soil. The cities of Boston and New York were portrayed with the highest amount of details. The story in itself was intricately linked to the revolution. George Washington and his exploits were followed pretty closely. The protagonist of the story is a Native Indian by the name Ratonhnhaké:ton who takes the name Connor Kenway after his father Haytham Kenway. This story shows an Assassin born to a Templar, and explores the gray area of which faction’s ways are correct.

AC III Connor Kenway in Boston

The fourth part was Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It was based during the Golden Age, when fearsome pirates sailed the seven seas and no cargo was safe from their hands. It had cities like Havana, Kingston, Havana and a ton of other locations. The Caribbean was built to reflect the time to the smallest details, including the ships and weaponry. It also contained a few Mayan ruins to explore. The game showed fearsome pirates like Blackbeard (Edward Thatch), Rackham, Anne Bonny and Charles Vane. Most were neutral tending to side with the Assassins. The protagonist of this story is a pirate named Edward Kenway, grandfather of Connor and father of Haytham.

Edward Kenway, his ship The Jackdaw sailing the Caribbean

The fifth part was Assassin’s Creed V: Unity. It was based during the French Revolution, and unlike the other Revolution story, it was only partially linked to the events of the actual revolution. Showing characters like Francois-Thomas Germain and Napoleon Bonaparte as critical characters and ultimately revealing Germain as the main antagonist in the story, the game also shows the hunger stricken pot-belly and the upper society of Paris. It was portrayed in such a way, that one can truly feel the need for the revolution. The main protagonist of this game is Arno Victor Dorian, son of an assassin, adopted by the Templar grand-master after his father’s assassination.

AC Unity Paris view from a View Point

The sixth part is set to be out this October and will be based in London. The game will be called Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Waiting to see how they portray London during the gang war time.