So we all know by now that Assassin’s Creed: Unity is on the way to next-gen consoles, and that it’s set in France during the time of the French Revolution. Previously of course, we’ve explored the Caribbean in ACIV, Revolutionary America in ACIII, Italy during the Ezio trilogy, and the Middle East in the original game.
But what of other settings? We already know that publisher Ubisoft polled fans at the start of last year, asking them what they would like to see as settings for future games. Here’s our pick of 5 locations we’d like to see in the future.
5. Victorian London
London is vast. It’s also a city steeped in history with some gorgeous architecture, and no period of the city’s life would be better suited to the series than the Victorian era. Charles Dickens, Jack the Ripper and, of course, Queen Victoria herself are just some of the notable figures from that era, and the emergence of true democracy and the Industrial Revolution would make for an interesting backdrop to the ongoing war between the Assassins and the Templars. What if Jack the Ripper was really a member of the Assassin’s Order, and his victims were Templar agents? What if Queen Victoria was a Templar? The mind boggles with the possibilities. In addition, we’d love to be given the chance to scale Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament - because what are government buildings for, if not for climbing over?
4. Imperial Rome
Assassin’s Creed has been to Italy before, of course - but that was the Renaissance era. Another period of the country’s history that would be perfectly suited to the machinations and conspiracies so loved by the series would be the Roman Empire, a time famously steeped in bloodshed and skullduggery. Was Nero a Templar, fiddling while Rome burned? Was Brutus an Assassin, dispatching another Templar agent? And what about Caligula? Plenty has been written about the Roman Empire of the years, and of course in games it’s been explored a fair bit as well; but we’d love to see Ubisoft’s take on the period, if only so we can clamber up the Amphitheater one more time.
3. Nazi Germany
Don’t groan - we know that World War II has been done to death in games, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an interesting setting. An Assassin’s Creed game set during the time of the Third Reich could start in the early 30′s and move through the whole period of war-time. Cabaret, Kristallnacht, the ghettoisation of the Jews - these are all things that could be interpreted (hopefully sensitively) by Ubisoft. Plus, Hitler has already been placed into the series’ lore - as a Templar, of course.
Berlin is a city full of wonderful architecture, and while such a setting might find the game at the mercy of the German censorship board - who famously dislike the portrayal of swastikas and Nazis in games - it could result in a very interesting adventure.
2. The Russian Revolution
Rasputin. Need we go on? The infamous Mad Monk is just begging for the Assassin’s Creed treatment. A self-proclaimed mystic, adviser to the Tsarina and a man who undoubtedly played a large part in the Revolution of 1917, Rasputin is another historical figure that has already been mentioned in the series - cast as a Templar agent assigned to infiltrate the Royal family and cement the order’s control over the Tsar. Plus, we’d love to spend time clambering over the distinctive rooftops of St Basil’s Cathedral.
1. Feudal Japan
The Edo period of Japan is well established in videogame history, being the era of the country where the land was dominated by Shogun, and surely every gamer worth his salt knows about the Samurai. An Assassin’s Creed game set in this era could bring an interesting change of pace - Japan’s architecture would be a wonderful departure for a series traditionally set in the Western world, while the code of the Samurai could make for interesting source material. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has previously said they have no intention to explore the era or the country; but that doesn’t make us want them to do so any less.
Dale Morgan
@spamdangled
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