How AC Rogue and Unity Flipped Series Standards 10 Years Ago

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As a seasoned Assassin’s Creed player with over a decade of gaming under my belt, I must say that the games like Rogue and Unity hold a special place in my heart. Having played through countless hours of these action-adventure titles, I can confidently assert that these two games, despite their flaws, are some of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in the series.

Approximately a decade ago, during the initial phase of the eighth generation of video game consoles, Ubisoft introduced two significant titles – “Assassin’s Creed Rogue” and “Assassin’s Creed Unity”. These games were the seventh and eighth major releases in the Assassin’s Creed series. During this time, the franchise was already seven years old, and these games marked crucial milestones for it. “Unity” was Ubisoft’s first significant step to leverage the capabilities of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while “Rogue” served as a farewell tribute to the original platforms – PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – on which the series initially launched. In these games, “Assassin’s Creed Rogue” and “Assassin’s Creed Unity”, Ubisoft presented diverse viewpoints of the ongoing battle between Assassins and Templars, both in historical and contemporary settings, while also refining the series’ groundbreaking gameplay.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Unity’s Narrative Explained

By 2014, the majority of Assassin’s Creed gamers had grown accustomed to the series’ recurring storyline elements. Typically, the Assassins were portrayed as heroes, while the Templars were depicted as cunning antagonists striving to take away people’s liberties. However, Ubisoft Sofia aimed to subvert this pattern in the last Assassin’s Creed game of the seventh generation.

In the game Rogue, I step into the shoes of an anonymous Abstergo Entertainment staff member, tasked with re-living the experiences of 18th-century Assassin Shay Cormac to revive Abstergo’s systems. As Cormac, I bear witness and actively participate in the downfall of the Colonial Brotherhood, led by a young Achilles Davenport. This Brotherhood met its demise due to the relentless pursuit of Precursor artifacts by the Mentor, which ultimately resulted in the death of countless innocents. Eventually, Cormac finds himself siding with the Templars in an attempt to thwart Davenport’s actions.

In essence, Rogue functioned as a connector between the tales of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry, and Assassin’s Creed 3, while also setting up the storyline for Unity. At the conclusion of Rogue, Cormac ventures to the Palace of Versailles, France in 1776, with a mission to seize a Precursor Box and eliminate Charles Dorian, an Assassin. This tragic event leaves Arno Dorian an orphan. Although Cormac doesn’t appear in Unity, his actions form the backdrop for its introduction, as Arno discovers his father’s lifeless body and is subsequently raised by Templar Grand Master François de la Serre along with his daughter Élise. It is hinted that Cormac and the Templars established the foundations for the French Revolution of 1789.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Unity’s Narrative Innovations

In their portrayals, both the games “Rogue” and “Unity” highlight unconventional perspectives of the Assassin-Templar conflict, demonstrating that both factions could exhibit villainous behaviors. For instance, Templars like François and George Monro were depicted as compassionate and selfless characters, whereas Assassins such as Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, and Pierre Bellec were portrayed as arrogant figures.

These games expanded the universe of Assassin’s Creed, portraying the Assassin-Templar conflict as shades of gray rather than strictly black and white. While Rogue unveiled the behind-the-scenes operations of Abstergo and demonstrated how contemporary individuals are enlisted into the Templar Order, Unity lacked a modern-day narrative altogether.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Unity’s Gameplay Explained

In essence, the game Rogue closely resembled Black Flag in its gameplay mechanics. Notably, it was set during the Seven Years’ War, which meant that players continued to navigate on a ship, predominantly in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The chilly environment of the game necessitated the inclusion of upgradeable ice-breaker rams for Cormac’s vessel, the Morrigan, to break through glaciers and ice, and inflict greater damage upon colliding with other ships. Furthermore, Sofia incorporated the multiplayer circle radar mechanism from Assassin’s Creed to signal when Cormac was near a concealed Assassin. Among his many useful weapons, an air rifle stood out, enabling players to swiftly and quietly discharge poison and sleep darts, firecrackers, and grenades without alerting their target.

The first game developed using the AnvilNext 2.0 engine, titled “Unity,” marked a significant shift in gameplay from its predecessor, “Black Flag.” Instead of exploring vast Caribbean islands, “Unity” is set within the confined streets of 18th-century Paris. With this urban backdrop, Ubisoft Montreal refined “Unity’s” parkour mechanics, making city navigation more fluid yet demanding skill than ever before. It could be argued that no other “Assassin’s Creed” game has surpassed the parkour of “Unity” since then.

In the initial installment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, teamwork was first introduced as a key feature. This enabled as many as four players to collaborate on specific missions within the urban landscape, thereby enhancing their abilities, upgrading skills, and improving equipment.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Unity’s Gameplay Contrast

From my perspective as an avid gamer, when I jumped into the role of a Templar in Rogue, it felt quite similar to playing Edward Kenway in many aspects. Yet, it’s essential to note that Rogue was not equipped with the multiplayer features that Assassin’s Creed Unity offered at its launch. Contrastingly, Unity showcased more sophisticated parkour and combat mechanics, which provided a captivating challenge for experienced players, even though it faced numerous bugs and glitches upon its initial release.

In 2018, Assassin’s Creed Rogue was upgraded to run on eighth-generation consoles, and it was also included in the Assassin’s Creed: Rebel Collection for the Nintendo Switch in 2019. On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed Unity has yet to receive a remastered version.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Unity’s Legacy and Impact

In a storytelling sense, both “Rogue” and “Unity” are frequently viewed as distinctive trials within the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. The fact that players could control an Assassin turned Templar was intriguing for many, but the brevity of “Rogue” and its limited connection to “Unity’s” narrative left some feeling let down. Similarly, Arno’s character, with his resemblance to Ezio and Romeo & Juliet-style romance with Élise, was generally well-received. However, the villain of “Unity,” François-Thomas Germain, was perceived as less compelling compared to past complex adversaries like Haytham Kenway. At that point in time, the annual releases and repetitive gameplay mechanics prevalent across most “Assassin’s Creed” games might have started to feel monotonous, potentially contributing to the creation of RPG-style entries such as “Assassin’s Creed Origins”.

In spite of certain challenges, games like Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Assassin’s Creed Unity are frequently regarded as among the franchise’s finest. The stunning visuals in Unity, particularly its accurate depiction of landmarks such as the Notre-Dame cathedral, continue to draw players back even a decade later. Similarly, the intricate storyline and deeper themes in Rogue often leave both new and longtime players questioning who are the real heroes within the world of Assassin’s Creed. After several RPG-style Assassin’s Creed titles such as Odyssey and Valhalla, games like Rogue and Unity serve as a nostalgic reminder of the original principles and traditions of Assassin’s Creed from 2007—with all its flaws included.

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2024-11-12 00:36