Assassin's Creed, please remember how silly you used to be

Assassin's Creed Shadows is special to me, in the sense I don't usually sit through whole games I'm not especially enjoying just for more opportunities to watch storms and gales, orange leaves whipped up by horse footfall, and flashes of illumination from distant lightning. It is a game that transforms weather from the subject of idle small talk to excited big talk. When I remember the game, I will remember galloping on horseback toward destinations that part of me wishes didn't exist, so I could keep on galloping forever. These moments of beautiful, sombre realism made the whole game worth it for me, but they come at a cost I didn't realise until I decided to make the most of my Ubisoft+ Month and play Assassin's Creed Syndicate. I'm not made of fifteen quids, after all. I've played about five hours now, and while sometimes struck by how many great improvements the series has had over the years, there's something Syndicate has that Shadows doesn't: charm. A goofy charisma that I feel was present in Odyssey, but that Shadows trades out for ambitions toward a gravitas that just never came together for me. Read more

Apr 2, 2025 - 15:12

Assassin's Creed, please remember how silly you used to be

Assassin's Creed Shadows is special to me, in the sense I don't usually sit through whole games I'm not especially enjoying just for more opportunities to watch storms and gales, orange leaves whipped up by horse footfall, and flashes of illumination from distant lightning. It is a game that transforms weather from the subject of idle small talk to excited big talk. When I remember the game, I will remember galloping on horseback toward destinations that part of me wishes didn't exist, so I could keep on galloping forever.

These moments of beautiful, sombre realism made the whole game worth it for me, but they come at a cost I didn't realise until I decided to make the most of my Ubisoft+ Month and play Assassin's Creed Syndicate. I'm not made of fifteen quids, after all. I've played about five hours now, and while sometimes struck by how many great improvements the series has had over the years, there's something Syndicate has that Shadows doesn't: charm. A goofy charisma that I feel was present in Odyssey, but that Shadows trades out for ambitions toward a gravitas that just never came together for me.