How well does the very first Assassin’s Creed game from 2007 hold up in 2024? Is it as good as an old-timer would remember? After a nostalgic revisit to this iconic game, I have formed a few conclusions. In this article, we’ll briefly discuss various aspects of this game and how it has aged.
I will separate this article into a few categories, like combat, parkour, and atmosphere. While I would recommend reading through the entire article if you’re really interested in the game, you can scroll through the post to jump to sections that you want to read.
The Plot and Mission Design
Let’s first discuss the plot and the mission design of Assassin’s Creed. While the story wasn’t anything too impressive, it had its moments and laid the foundation for the sequels and the lore of the franchise. I won’t get into too much detail about the story. What I want to focus on in this section is the mission design, which I believe is one of the weakest parts of this game.
An exceedingly repetitive game, Assassin’s Creed tasks the player with investigating a certain target and planning their assassination. By pickpocketing, eavesdropping, and intimidating certain individuals, you learn more about your target and uncover certain ways that make the mission easier.
At first, these investigations felt immersive to me, and it completely made sense for an assassin to first learn about his target well. But because the mission structure is exactly the same throughout the entire game, it gets boring too fast.
But the settings of these missions themselves were quite impressive and memorable. Let’s discuss that aspect of the game.
The Atmosphere and the Setting
Assassin’s Creed was set in the Holy Land at the time of The Third Crusade. As Altair, you can explore the lands and visit cities like Acre, Jerusalem, Damascus, and more. Each of these cities featured a unique color palette that may or may not be to the liking of every player.
Many of these regions are gloomy and dark, and the atmosphere resembles the chaos and destruction the land was going through at the time. Personally, I found the lighting and the atmosphere of the game to be perfect, and it’s one of the reasons why I like the game, even today.
In each of these cities, you can freely explore various districts and undertake certain side missions that will later be rewarding. For example, by saving citizens in distress, you would befriend their kin and they might help you escape after assassinating a target.
While these side objectives are repetitive as well, they are a welcome addition to the game. And of course, there are the usual collectibles scattered throughout the map and the viewpoints to synchronize.
These cities have their own set of enemies as well. It’s up to you to fight them head-on or stick to the shadows.
The Stealth and the Combat
Assassin’s Creed introduced impressive social stealth mechanics to the franchise. Unlike other stealth games, you would hide in plain sight as an assassin. Among crowds of people and hiding places in the towns, it was not difficult to confuse any pursuers.
These social stealth mechanics proved very useful after assassinating a target. After a city-wide chase ensues after you’ve assassinated your target, you would run through the streets and seek hiding places. Unlike the guards chasing you, you are very agile and can dash through the dense crowds with ease, and hide within them with a similar degree of skill.
For the assassination itself, you were encouraged to take a stealth approach. By either approaching targets amidst waves of civilians or preying on them from above, you could use your hidden blade to deliver a single killing blow to any enemy. This hidden blade could only be used when you were hidden, and it was very limited in combat. I found slowly and methodically eliminating guards and reaching your target stealthily to be very engaging.
Assassin’s Creed’s combat was very impressive for its time. Even today, it remains one of the most brutal combat systems in the franchise.
Armed with a sword and a short blade, you can basically eliminate almost any enemy with a few well-timed and placed hits. Or you could observe their attacks and deliver a critical and deadly counterattack.
The combat system is cinematic and extremely satisfying. The game truly shows off the skills of an assassin and how they are unique in their combat prowess.
The Parkour
Another aspect of Assassin’s Creed’s gameplay that has held up beautifully is the parkour and overall movement system. You could climb almost any building with impressive agility and using various objects in the environments, you could free-run through the rooftops or the streets.
There are a variety of moves you can execute with certain button presses that allow you to jump and leap in various directions. This helps to confuse and slow down your pursuers.
The parkour is one of the most fun parts of this game, and it’s amazing how well it has held up after all these years. It still feels fluid and incredibly smooth throughout.
Many players still prefer the parkour of the first Assassin’s Creed games to the parkour of ones like Unity. In my opinion, the original Assassin’s Creed game’s parkour is far superior to the movement and climbing systems of newer AC games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla.
Conclusion
It’s safe to say that the original Assassin’s Creed has indeed held up impressively well after all these years. While it’s lacking in aspects like mission design, various revolutionary features of the game like the cinematic and violent combat and the smooth parkour truly make this game a classic.
