"Assassin's Creed 2 and 3: The Pinnacle of Series Writing"

One of the most unforgettable moments in the Assassin's Creed series occurs early in Assassin's Creed 3, when Haytham Kenway has seemingly gathered a group of assassins in the New World. The twist? Players are led to believe they're following assassins, yet Haytham's use of a hidden blade, his charismatic nature akin to Ezio Auditore, and his heroic actions—such as freeing Native Americans and confronting British redcoats—serve to mislead. It's only when he utters the iconic phrase, "May the Father of Understanding guide us," that the truth unfolds: Haytham is a Templar.

This surprising narrative twist showcases the pinnacle of Assassin's Creed's storytelling potential. The original game introduced a novel concept of identifying, understanding, and eliminating targets but lacked depth in character development for both the protagonist Altaïr and his targets. Assassin's Creed 2 improved with the charismatic Ezio, yet still fell short in developing his adversaries, notably Cesare Borgia in the spinoff Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. It was not until Assassin's Creed 3, set during the American Revolution, that Ubisoft dedicated equal attention to developing the hunted as the hunter. This approach created a seamless narrative flow and achieved a harmonious balance between gameplay and story, a feat yet to be replicated in subsequent titles.

While the current RPG-focused era of the series has been well-received, many fans and critics argue that Assassin's Creed has been in decline. The reasons behind this perceived downfall are debated. Some criticize the increasingly fantastical elements, like battling gods such as Anubis and Fenrir, while others question Ubisoft's inclusion of diverse romance options or the use of real historical figures like Yasuke, the African samurai, in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yet, I believe the true cause of this decline lies in the series' gradual shift away from character-driven storytelling, now overshadowed by expansive sandbox elements.

Over the years, Assassin's Creed has evolved its core action-adventure formula to incorporate RPG elements, including dialogue choices, XP systems, loot boxes, microtransactions, and gear customization. However, as the games have grown in size, they've often felt more hollow, not only in their repetitive side missions but also in their storytelling. While a game like Assassin's Creed Odyssey offers more content than Assassin's Creed 2, much of it feels less polished and immersive. The expanded scripts to accommodate various player choices can dilute character development, contrasting with the more focused narratives of the earlier action-adventure titles.

For example, Assassin's Creed Odyssey's broader scope often results in interactions that feel mechanical, breaking the immersion that the series once excelled at. This is a stark contrast to the Xbox 360/PS3 era, which I consider to have some of the best writing in gaming. Memorable moments like Ezio's defiant speech after defeating Savonarola or Haytham's poignant final words to his son, Connor, showcase the depth of character that the series once boasted:

"Don't think I have any intention of caressing your cheek and saying I was wrong. I will not weep and wonder what might have been. I'm sure you understand. Still, I'm proud of you in a way. You have shown great conviction. Strength. Courage. All noble qualities. I should have killed you long ago."

The narrative quality has also shifted in other ways. Where modern games often simplify the conflict to Assassins as good and Templars as bad, earlier games delved deeper into the moral ambiguities between the two factions. In Assassin's Creed 3, each Templar's dying words challenge Connor's beliefs, with characters like William Johnson suggesting the Templars could have prevented the Native American genocide, and Thomas Hickey questioning the Assassins' idealism. Haytham himself challenges Connor's faith in George Washington, hinting at the potential tyranny of the new nation, a suspicion confirmed when it's revealed Washington ordered the burning of Connor's village. By the game's end, these complexities leave players with more questions than answers, strengthening the narrative.

Reflecting on the series' history, it's clear why the track "Ezio's Family" from Assassin's Creed 2, composed by Jesper Kyd, became the series' iconic theme. The PS3-era games, particularly Assassin's Creed 2 and 3, were fundamentally driven by character narratives, with "Ezio's Family" evoking Ezio's personal loss rather than the game's setting. While I appreciate the expansive worlds and graphical advancements in the current Assassin's Creed games, I hope the franchise might one day return to the focused, character-centric stories that originally captivated me. However, in today's gaming landscape dominated by vast sandboxes and live service ambitions, such a return might not align with current market trends.