Its been over a year since we've seen a full-on console version of "Assassin's Creed," and the Michael Fassbender live-action film apparently didn't tide us over well enough. On one hand, that means most gamers have almost forgotten about the franchise. On the other, Ubisoft has had plenty of time to put the finishing touches on whatever they have planned for the eventual "Assassin's Creed Empire" release date.
Some might say the series has been slowly going downhill since "Brotherhood," which itself was almost, but not quite, equal to "AC2." The act of climbing towers, trees, and cliffs, obsessively collecting things across a massive map, and hiding around corners waiting to strike all started getting old after we'd done it about 100 times.
Only those who enjoyed those things probably stuck around and gave "Syndicate" a try after "Unity" launched with more bugs than an exterminator's waste bin.
What's new in 'Empire'?
Not much is known about what is now the seventh major installment of the "Assassin's Creed" franchise, which is probably a good thing. Back when Ubisoft gave us all kinds of information about their latest project, the end project often ended up being subpar for most. "Black Flag" was the last one which pleasantly surprised us, giving us the chance to play as a pirate, rubbing elbows with the great ones of that time. It wasn't until we realized Edward Kenway wasn't an assassin until almost the end of the game that some felt cheated.
According to a source close to the developers, "Empire" is supposedly set in ancient Egypt, a time of pharaohs, pyramids, tombs, and such. It may be a challenge for the developers to not remind us almost entirely of "Mad Max" by Warner Bros. Games with miles of dunes and rock formations.
We could see the return of massive caverns to climb and explore
One of the greatest ideas in "Assassin's Creed II" was the existence of the tombs, cavernous structures which hid seals and unlocked the ultimate armor for Ezio. No game in the series has done that since, though "Black Flag" tried with its underwater wreckage points.
Unfortunately, they failed to break the curse of the hated water level which often permeates exploration games.
A Reddit Q&A session a while back asked gamers what they wanted to see as the basis for "Empire"'s economy, so it seems they are trying to get everything right in our eyes. This could mean no more needing to be online to earn from our efforts like "Black Flag" forced on us.
There is allegedly even talk of getting another trilogy going with one character, with Egypt, Greece, and Rome being the key locations. If so, we could probably see a minor connection to Ezio in them, possibly just through an outspoken Auditore ancestor. It's possible that we'll see the events which led to the deaths of the assassins whose seals Ezio collected in his early years.
Not much is known for now, and a lot is up for speculation.
What do you think will be in "Assassin's Creed Empire"?
