It has been almost 16 years since the first Assassin’s Creed game was released, and we tend to remember it as a game that was focused on stealth, assassinations, and shadows. But as players reminisce, many argue some fans’ memories of the early games aren’t as accurate as they believe.
In a Reddit thread from Sept. 27, a player opened a discussion about Assassin’s Creed games and how they initially weren’t so focused on stealth as we seem to remember.
For example, in the first Assassin’s Creed game, although stealth was prioritized as a favorite way to complete tasks and missions, a lot of gameplay was still based on action and combat. Most players agree, however, that for its time in 2007, AC was really setting an example for stealth games.
The OP also argued combat was the main focus in other releases such as Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Black Flag, and stealth was a relatively small part of the game, as you are required to stealthily assassinate only a small percentage of targets or follow them from a distance (which many players hated).
It wasn’t until recent releases, such as Unity and Syndicate, that stealth was heavily prioritized, with deep stealth mechanics that guide the player toward using stealth. This trend is being continued with Mirage.
Despite these claims that Assassin’s Creed is not what it used to be due to over-focusing on stealth, even while many AC fans feel the opposite, it may be for the best and even what the franchise was supposed to be from the very beginning.
