Most Assassin’s Creed fans can agree on which games are the best in the series – but which could use some more love? Ubisoft has released a whopping 13 entries in the franchise over the last 16 years, and that doesn’t count spinoff games like Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation or the Chronicles line. There are bound to be some great experiences that didn’t quite get the same attention as the others. So, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage officially in the hands of the public, we thought we’d take the opportunity to show some underrated entries a bit of attention. It was hard to narrow down a solid list, so you should definitely check out these titles if you ever get the chance.
5. Assassin’s Creed Rogue
You’d be forgiven for forgetting about the fantastic Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’s little brother, Assassin’s Creed Rogue. To start, the game was marketed and released as an experience created almost exclusively to appease players on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 while the primary entry, Assassin’s Creed Unity, shipped exclusively to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Worse yet, Rogue never pretended to be interested in pushing boundaries, as its gameplay essentially boils down to being little more than a Black Flag clone. Ubisoft very transparently only needed this game to bridge the gap between console generations, but that doesn’t mean that it should be completely swept away.
While Rogue copies more than it should from Black Flag, Ubisoft could have picked a worse game to pull from. Naval combat, for example, is still a strong spice to the series’ otherwise straightforward third-person, stealth-action formula. There’s also Shay Cormac, who breaks tradition by telling a story about an assassin-turned-Templar. He’s by no means everyone’s cup of tea, but his development does add some nuance to the Creed, which is often two-dimensionally painted as a league of good guys. In general, Rogue is considered to have one of the stronger stories in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which is more than enough to make it an experience worth seeking out.
4. Assassin’s Creed 3
How do you follow up games like Assassin’s Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations? In 2012, Ubisoft’s answer was actually fairly exciting: a game set during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Assassin’s Creed 3’s primary protagonist, Connor, wasn’t quite as charismatic as Ezio, and with an astoundingly long, boring intro, many felt let down by what the game had to offer. Those who braved the mundane, however, were rewarded with the most freeing game Ubisoft had crafted yet.
Assassin’s Creed 3 brings together early American history and fuses it with the wilderness, as it allows players to interact with wildlife while finally venturing outside city streets. Don’t worry, there is still rich detail to be found in cities like New York and Boston, but the franchise’s third numbered game feels like it was more interested in experimenting than it was playing it safe. To make the package even more worthwhile, Assassin’s Creed 3 served as the series’ introduction to naval combat, a feature that has been adopted in almost every entry since.
3. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate had the unfortunate job of launching only one year after Assassin’s Creed Unity, a game that nearly killed player interest in the series. With a bad taste still in their mouths, fans either went in expecting a lackluster experience – or they didn’t pick up the game at all. In reality, Syndicate is an entry that managed to successfully reimagine London during the Second Industrial Revolution. Virtual London is caked in atmosphere, too, making the dual protagonist story of Jacob and Evie Frye one of the easiest to get sucked into. Syndicate was also, until recently, the last of the stealth-focused entries in the series, effectively making it the culmination of nearly a decade of sneaking gameplay innovation.
2. Assassin’s Creed Unity
Few games in the history of the industry received the backlash that Assassin’s Creed Unity did when it first launched in 2015. The sad part is that, at the time of its release, Ubisoft kind of deserved the heat it was getting. Unity caught flack for its widespread glitches, including one, notorious visual hiccup that removed the faces of some characters. Many, perhaps justifiably, called the project unfinished, making it one of the most poorly received Assassin’s Creed titles to date.
The worst part is that, beneath its rugged surface, was an Assassin’s Creed experience that raised the bar for its parkour gameplay. This entry also introduced true cooperative play, letting players join with friends to free run around the streets of late 1700s Paris. Ubisoft gave players a beautifully realized version of France that was, maybe, a bit too ambitious for its own good. On the bright side, those who give Unity a shot today will find most of its issues fixed, making it one of the franchise’s most precious hidden gems.
1. Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed 2 served as a major jumping-off point for the franchise, so naturally, people love to write off the game that really started it all. Is Altair’s journey as exciting as Ezio’s? No. Is the Holy Land somewhat dull? Absolutely. Assassin’s Creed 1 is by no means a perfect game, but it is undeniably a sturdy foundation for what came after.
While admittedly clunky, this first entry’s puppeteer control system is quite novel, especially considering it pairs well as an extension of the in-game virtual reality chamber, the Animus. As for Altair, the first game’s stoic lead doesn’t have the charisma of characters like Kassandra or the Frye twins, but if you revisit his story today, you might find that he actually fits well into the world Ubisoft created for him. Assassin’s Creed 1’s stone-cold vibe definitely isn’t for everyone, and it’s almost nothing like what later games offer. However, it’s these same qualities that help it stand out after all these years. Sure, the original Assassin’s Creed doesn’t hold up spectacularly well as a standalone experience, but it’s a fascinating video game with influence that can still be felt today.
Which Assassin’s Creed games do you think are the most underrated? Be sure to leave your take on the Ubisoft franchise in the comment section below.
If you’re looking for more on the franchise, check out our ranking of the best Assassin’s Creed games.
