After ten years, the Assassin's Creed franchise has covered over a thousand years of human history and introduced characters that fans have come to love. But with all of the games released, there has yet to be a title in the main series that visited Asia. While it seems like it may be a daunting task for Ubisoft to conquer, the answer to how it could be done can be found in their most recent game, Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Created by Ubisoft Chengdu, the game follows a young shield-bearer as they battle it out with Gods and creatures from Greek mythology. The story and setting are as sprawling as they are detailed, and its newest DLC looks to expand its lore. Called Myths of the Eastern Realm, the game will follow a new protagonist, named Ku, and his journey as he encounters characters from Chinese mythology.
The DLC served as an impressive template for Ubisoft Chengdu's creators to follow for an Eastern-inspired Assassin's Creed game. Only one game has explored the region and era in the franchise, a side scroller titled Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China. The game received medium to positive reviews and introduced an assassin named Shao Jun. By picking up her story in a full game, the developers could start to implement what has worked in Myths of the Eastern Realm to this franchise.
Assassin's Creed has focused heavily on mythology with its most recent trilogy. Assassin's Creed Odyssey had the protagonist fight off beasts of myth in boss battles. Simultaneously, other games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla have created their own version of Asgard. Immortals Fenyx Rising adopted the latter, creating a map set in the worlds of Greek mythology. For Assassin's Creed, the game could borrow from Valhalla and have the player transported to the realms in Eastern mythology where creators can showcase its beauty. Immortals Fenyx Rising's graphics lean more towards the cartoonish side of gaming. The details and colors found in the game created one of the most impressive open worlds in recent years.
Assassin's Creed cannot do the same due to its being grounded in realism, but the mythology segments in Assassin's Creed Valhalla provide a different solution. While maintaining its realism, the title could also keep the stranger elements of mythology and create something that looks plausible and beautiful but is still otherworldly. The mythological creatures found in the game could be handled with the same approach as well. For example, in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Medusa was still a massive half-reptilian, half-human with snakes in her hair. However, there was a degree of realism that fit the world and her design. The same could be done with creatures like dragons, only with more vibrant colors.
The task may seem difficult, but Ubisoft Chengdu has been working on Assassin's Creed since the first game released in 2007. Ubisoft's many other Asia-based companies could also be a perfect fit as they can maintain the game's cultural authenticity, no matter which culture is represented. Immortals Fenyx Rising's strategy of venturing to new mythological worlds in the East could be a great culture for Assassin's Creed to explore as well.