Death, taxes, and Assassin’s Creed. For nearly two decades, Ubisoft has shown fans amazing historic time periods throughout the franchise, everywhere from Renaissance Rome to Ancient Egypt. Players have talked about all of life’s beautiful wonders with Perikles or become a master flyter after raiding a British settlement with your Viking brethren.
Although the events of Assassin’s Creed are purely fictional (sorry, Leonardo Da Vinci definitely was not a secret assassin), all of the locations accurately depicted their respective time periods. Even though video games are viewed as entertainment, games like Assassin’s Creed prove that some games can be a bit more than that. Visiting historic landmarks and simply experiencing being in these different time periods is like interactive history lessons. With a dozen games in its main franchise and 17 other spin-off titles, there’s not a lot of places where or when Assassin’s Creed hasn’t been. While each game presents its own unique setting, some offer tremendous amounts of detail and a truly immersive environment to get lost in.
10 Assassin’s Creed Chronicles - China 1526, India 1841, Russia 1918
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles was a trilogy sub-series of the main games released independently from 2015-2016. Each game embraced a more eloquent art design as if the scenery was painted right on, similar to Okami. Other than the change in art design, the games were a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer, which was a major adjustment from the third-person action-adventure structure of the main titles.
Of the three locations, 1841 India and 1918 Russia stand out as two heavily detailed and immersive environments. Traversing through India with its vibrant colors and lush foliage were beautiful sights. Russia, on the other hand, was dark and cold. The black and white buildings made the city look bleak and unforgiving. While the art style for Chronicles is perfect for a platformer, it would be intriguing to experience these two settings with a main title’s scope in place.
9 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - Viking Invasion Of Britain, 872 AD
The most recent game followed the exploits of Eivor and their Viking brethren conquering Britain in 872 AD. The swampy, foggy, bland climate wasn’t a great follow-up to the extremely dynamic environment in Odyssey, but still, Valhalla has its moments. Exploring the leafy, green English countryside and riding through the early morning misty fog looking for the next settlement to pillage could be therapeutic at times.
Valhalla really comes to life in Asgard. Switching over to Odin, the godly scenery is truly one to behold. It’s interesting to compare any similarities between Valhalla’s interpretation of Asgard to Santa Monica’s crown jewel God of War.
8 Assassin’s Creed Unity - French Revolution, 1789
Roaming the cobbled stone streets of Paris during the French Revolution and admiring the French architecture made Unity a beautiful game to play. Walking the hallowed halls of the palace, scaling buildings throughout the city, and feel truly immersed in the city’s struggle.
Seeing angry mobs of people fighting against guards in the streets is a constant reminder of chaos ravaging Paris. And of course, it wouldn’t be a true French Revolution interpretation without a cameo from the lovely Marie Antoinette. The true cherry on top of an impressively immersive experience.
7 Assassin’s Creed - Third Crusade, 1191
The one that started it all, Assassin’s Creed breathed its first life during the Third Crusade in 1191. The Third Crusade was the time when Western Christianity was sweeping its influence across the world, violently if necessary. The Holy Land was the main target during the Third Crusade, located close to modern-day Israel.
Incorporating religion even in the smallest of ways should always be handled with care, and warping the fictional war story between the Templars and Assassin’s with the Third Crusade was crafted expertly. Looking at all the time periods this franchise has visited, choosing the Third Crusade was the perfect place to start.
6 Assassin’s Creed 3 - American Revolution, 1754
Learning about America’s history starts at a young age. Since grade school, the history of the Revolutionary War and how the 13 colonies separated from Great Britain in a pursuit to be their own United States. The never-ending battle between the Templars and Assassins was at the center of the country’s birth.
Visiting the 18th century Boston and New York felt like jumping straight into a history book. The third installment of the franchise does an amazing job creating an atmosphere that enriches the whole gaming experience.
5 Assassin’s Creed Origins - Ancient Egypt, 49 BC
Traveling through the vast lands of Egypt brought an odd perspective into view. Ancient Egypt is a beautifully empty setting with sand as far as the eye can see. Each of the villages visited by Bayek is bustling with people trading, towering palm trees to provide shade over the refreshing oasis, and of course the amazing sights of the majestic pyramids.
Climbing to the top and gazes out into the horizon is the reason why photo mode exists. While at some points the environment might seem empty, there’s certainly a diamond to be found in the rough of Assassin’s Creed Origins.
4 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate - London, 1868
One of the most critically acclaimed of the franchise, Syndicate creates an authentic setting of Victorian-era London. Taking place in the late 1860s, this puts Syndicate right near the end of the Industrial Revolution and it shows. Exploring through various factories and seeing the smog fill-up the darkened sky only adds to the accurate approach in showcasing this past time. Syndicate’s interpretation of Victorian London caught the attention of a real historian of the time period and offered their comments on the virtual environment.
3 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag - Caribbean, 1715
Remember watching Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time and only thinking about sailing the seven seas from that point on? Well, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag answered our prayers of living out the pirate fantasy and it only took 10 years!
Set in 1715, Black Flag shows us what life was like during the Golden Age of Piracy. Sailing through the Caribbean, searching for some buried treasure, and singing sea shanties all night long. Black Flag was the first Assassin’s Creed game to feature sailing as a major game mechanic, which helped deliver an amazing experience.
2 Assassin’s Creed 2 - Italy, 1476
The sequel to the original Assassin’s Creed jumped to the height of the Renaissance. While it’s incredible strolling through Italy and soaking in the beauty of it all, it’s who Ezio interacts with that’s to get excited about. The famous Leonardo Da Vinci helps Ezio often throughout the game and being able to interact with someone like that, even knowing it’s fake still adds value to the experience. It would be more off-putting if historical figures like Da Vinci weren’t included, because fans know they should be there according to history. Embedding historical figures in the game’s plot establish the credibility of the setting being used.
1 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - Greece, 431 BC
Quite possibly the most beautiful Assassin’s Creed to look at, Odyssey reigns supreme as the best time period in the franchise. Apologies to the French and American Revolutions, but nothing tops the Peloponnesian War and Greek Mythology. The war between Athens and Sparta raged for nearly three decades, a perfect war to weave the Templars and Assassins. Sailing never felt better and exploring the various cities was simply magnificent.
Even though Valhalla is the most recent title, Odyssey straight-up looks like the best Assassin’s Creed game. And similar to Assassin’s Creed 2, the philosophers Perikles and Sokrates are major allies to the player. Ultimately, Odyssey exceeds expectations in creating a world beaming with life and is, without a doubt, the best time period of the franchise.
NEXT: 10 Perfect Historical Periods For the Next Assassin’s Creed
