Assassin's Creed Shadows: TOWCB Spoiler-Free Review Review Share 18 Mar 2025 Written By: Edited By: TOWCB Team Colum Blackett Back To Database Banner by Frame Hold Photography. Thanks to Ubisoft for providing a code for the purposes of this review Contributions by: Colum Blackett Taylor McKay UbiCypher Aaron Young Frame Hold Photography Turið Torkilsdóttir ''Japan is a land of danger. Navigating it will take some thought and skill, as enemies lurk in the shadows. It’s a truly immersive experience.'' Described by one developer as ‘Ubisoft’s suicide note’, Assassin’s Creed Shadows could be the single most important game that Ubisoft has ever released, as the fate of the company may ride on its success. It’s a game that media outlets have pitched as a ‘make or break’ title for Ubisoft after a difficult financial year, so does Assassin’s Creed Shadows do enough to turn the tide? Early on in the marketing campaign, the development team dubbed it ‘the ultimate Assassin’s Creed game’, a bold statement considering the success of former releases. In this review, we will outline its strengths and weaknesses, dissecting it bit by bit to rate it not just as a video game but as an entry into the Assassin’s Creed universe, with the full weight of history and lore that came before stacked against it. After 2018’s Odyssey, Ubisoft Quebec moved on to 2020’s Immortals Fenyx Rising while envisioning their next AC in pre production. Full production began in 2021 leading Shadows to have the longest development cycle since the 2007 original, leading to a reinvention and re-evaluation of the core mechanics of AC. The game was also delayed twice, which massively increased expectations, but also gave the development more time to polish and finalise, something which is clear in the finished product. Shadows massively delivers on the majority of core Assassin's Creed pillars, and provides an engaging narrative which serves as a major cornerstone for the game's triumph. Promotional image for Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) Narrative and Story 1579 Feudal Japan Our story begins in the Iga province of Japan in 1579 with a young woman named Naoe, training as Shinobi to protect Iga from Oda Nobunaga, who is conquering Japan into one united unit under the Shogun and Iga wants to remain independent. leading the game to open during Oda’s invasion in 1581. The game is set during a time where Portuguese influence was growing across Japan, and deals were being struck to increase the freedom of trading and movement for the Church. In return, Nobunaga gets a a new weapon in his arsenal, in the form of gunpowder called Toppo. This makes him and his forces a deadly adversary as they seek to conquer under one banner. Dual protagonists return in Assassin's Creed Shadows, connecting two personal stories into a shared arc which aligns at connected intervals, forming an engaging and interwoven narrative that drives the player forward. The game uses history to weave together a powerful story, in a way that has never been done before in the series. The attack on Iga event is seen from both perspectives, something which is new to the franchise, acting as a major lifechanging event for both Yasuke and Naoe. The connected story, which provides 9 main targets (the Shinbakufu), is incredibly satisfying. They can be completed in numerous ways, taking the original idea of a 'sandbox assassination' to another level. Both characters are incredibly driven in their pursuits and put themselves in danger to achieve their goals for the people of Japan. There are personal quests for each character, which demonstrate their personality in different ways. Many of the quests are calm and don't require combat, giving the players a glimpse at the humanity of each protagonist. They are both very likeable for various reasons: Naoe ‘’The life of an Assassin is pain’’ (Ezio Auditore) Naoe is the embodiment of this, and channels it, using her pain as motivation to strike against her enemies. She has to live with pain caused by her enemies, suffering a tragic backstory, as many Assassin's Creed characters do. It is used as motivation that fuels her. Anger turned into calculated risk. She is incredibly intelligent for her age considering her youth, and not rash when hitting back in response. She was trained as a Shinobi by her father for two years prior to the start of the game, giving her a great grasp of parkour and a sense of righteousness. As she is a native Japanese she has a clear understanding of the culture and world making her feel very part of the world. Although things are very different in her village compared to the rest of Japan, she is able to blend into society by keeping her true thoughts and motivations for only her most trusted allies. The flashbacks to Naoe’s past are excellent. They do interrupt the flow of the main campaign but they are used to further the audience's connection to her, making her history, a clear part of her future. She looks both backwards and forwards at the same time. Yasuke Yasuke is an outsider in a foreign land, possibly Mozambique in Southeastern Africa, who gains the interest of Oda Nobunaga, who sees his potential from the offset. Initially known as ‘Diogo’, a slave captured by the Portuguese, he takes back control of his situation by learning the language and customs of Japan. He is a stranger in a strange land. He is immediately an outsider, not only due to his skin colour but also his height as he is taller (6 foot) than the Japanese in general (average is 5 ft 4 inches) so they see him as giant. He has to fight for his place among the Samurai and Nobunaga’s presence as well as forging a name for himself. But once a samurai he has interactivity in the world as NPCs will bow to him when walking around the world and he will be acknowledged by other Samurai making him feel part of the world He is a tank, as when you control him he feels very heavy and slow to move: think of Eivor but with more physicality. The ‘One man army’ storms across Japan, making an impact, but there is also a more human and softer side to Yasuke that makes him likeable and caring about the plights of others. He begins his journey as a victim, but rises well above his expected station by becoming a respected warrior for Oda Nobunaga, winning battles and helping to unite Japan. He does not let power go to his head, but uses his new position to help people on a more personal level. Think of the homestead activities or world events in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but with more opportunities to help and gain reward and status for doing so. Joint story The Joint story involves both Naoe and Yasuke hunting down the remaining members of the Shinbakafu as they each have a personal stake in seeing the order ended. They will each go through a personal journey and grow and develop and thus learn to work together with their skill sets. The story is engaging and aligns itself more with Origins than the previous few entries. Shadows is a slow burner, and requires a bit of patience. It is well worth it though once the game opens up and Ubisoft does what it knows best. With the possibility of 60+hours to complete the main storyline, players will haver plenty of time to get to know both Yasuke and Naoe. Both the main characters are very strong in their own right. We believe that Naoe is the most compelling and we wouldn't be surprised if she is able to match Kassandra as a fan favourite. That being said, Yaskue has his own playstyle and mystery so you constantly debate switching between the two, opening up more possibilities. Throughout the main storyline, multiple minor characters catch the attention of the audience early on in the game, with their stories slowly developing as you progress. It's nice to see the calmer moments which contrast against the violence, and bring depth to the world. We feel that players will be drawn to the main storyline and a higher number of players than usual will complete the game, as it is incredibly interesting and connects at numerous intersections that provides both satisfaction and at points, emotion. Naoe and Yasuke The World The world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is incredibly beautiful and full of opportunities. The dynamic weather cycle adds depth to exploration, and also makes it possible to notice the passage of time. Shadows introduces the first fully next gen open world Assassin’s Creed game, built for the latest platforms, pushing technology to be the best it can be. Vibrant colours contrast against the dark night, adding a layer of beauty to a land of war and politics. The weather can massively impact decisions for players, as a windy day can turn into a storm, making it easier to attack, whilst a sunny afternoon makes the chances of being spotted more likely. You can also feel the wind in the game, as trees and nature respond to it. There is a distinct balance of violence and beauty, contrasting between conflict and slower moments such as art, eating, celebrating, ordinary everyday actions that make the world feel more authentic to the period. The new method of synchronization encourages players to unfog the map for themselves, highlighting points of interest rather than revealing everything at once. This leads to more exploration, and takes players deeper into the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Japan is full of opportunities, and provides an atmospheric sense of uncovering the next secret, creating a rewarding journey for players. Throughout the world players will uncover: Shinto shrines, which provide some temporary bonus. Praying at temples, Kodas (Samuari training). Kofun, Shadows’ equivalent to tomb puzzles that reward a piece of gear. Kuji-Kiri (meditation areas that do trigger some flashbacks for Naoe). Sumi-E (Allows Naoe and Yasuke to exercise their drawing skill and draw paintings of animals that can be added to the hideout as pets and decorate buildings with. Horse archery practice Renga-shi (collaborative poetry). Outside of all these, players will also discover white orbs that appear in certain locations and these are the codex entries, similar to how they appeared in 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage. If you wish to find all of them, as they do not appear on the map, you will have to find them. This action and design decision encourages exploration so you may find several each time you play. Although the scenery is visually appealing, Japan is also a land of danger. Navigating it will take some thought and skill, as enemies lurk in the shadows. It’s a truly immersive experience. Animals in the game are peaceful, and are to be admired, not hunted like in previous games or the Far Cry series. The danger comes from enemies scattered across the land, posing a threat in restricted areas. The best way to proceed is by building a network of spies and scouts who can provide intel when deployed correctly, or assist players when called upon. Just like in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the scouts patrol nearby and eliminate threats from stealth positions. The world of Assassin's Creed Shadows is incredibly detailed and beautiful, and we can't wait to see the photo mode captures at launch! Promotional image for Assassin's Creed Shadows Stealth This is by far the most ambitious, care taken, polished and refined stealth since the days of AC1. This is where the game really shines, from allowing you the ability to go prone and the inclusion of an expert mode for hardcore players. The introduction of prone l the team to completely rethink the standard Assassin’s Creed control mapping, which shows the dedication and commitment of the team to revamp this essential core pillar of the series. A s the title of the game implies, stealth is an element which is pivotal to the series. Valhalla did a good job at creating opportunities for stealth, but a lack of tools and an imperfect social stealth system made it difficult to master. Shadows introduces fresh ideas and tools, such as the ability to extinguish lights to operate in the shadows, perform double Hidden Blade assassinations and new tools such as the kukri (throwing knife), bells (to distract enemies), Shuriken, and of course, the return of the classic smoke bomb. Tall grass is new, and can be used to go prone in. It can also be destroyed if detected or hit with a weapon. The useful 'Last detected shadow' once again appears, allowing you to see where enemies lost sight of you allowing you to react. A simple feature is back with the whistle, which can be used to lure enemies away from their guarding positions. You can draw enemies towards a certain death if used correctly. Hiding spots return such as haystack, a coffin, a closet and a chandelier on the roof. Naoe is the master of stealth, but it can be challenging to use it effectively. Time and thought is needed for the player to also become the true stealth master. She is very fast and agile and you can feel the difference when playing as both characters. Something in particular which is incredibly satisfying in the game is the unlockable Shoji door assassination, which takes inspiration from old school Ninja movies. On the other hand, Stealth is challenging for Yasuke, with limited options available. Although he can go prone, it feels like his character is built purely for combat, although we have no doubt some players will master stealth for Yasuke, using the rifle to dispatch enemies from the bushes. You can infiltrate castles and hunt down samurai Dashos, who's death leads to a reward by gaining a mastery point. Clear all of them in a castle to unlock its gear chest. As restricted areas house many enemies, it is rewarding to use stealth to enter and dispatch enemies. Eagle vision is restricted to Naoe only but you can tag enemies with both characters; you can also play as Naoe to tag enemies, then switch to Yasuke and the tags remain. This is because Naoe observes her surroundings differently to Yasuke, due to her training and discipline. It is worth mentioning that social stealth has been removed. Blending, distracting enemies by sending large groups and bench sitting have all gone, but we feel that it is acceptable as Naoe operates in the shadows rather than in plain sight. For her to expose herself too often could lead to increased danger, and she has enough new tools, abilities and kill moves to make stealth both fun, challenging and rewarding. Stealth promo image for Assassin's Creed Shadows Parkour Naoe is lightweight and nimble, moving effortlessly across the rooftops. The revamped parkour system has been fully redeveloped. Gone are the days of every surface being climbable since the days of Origins. This has been replaced with a similar system seen in the Ezio and Kenway games with a definite parkour start and finish alongside path markers like bridges and robes, as well as the “yellow” paint with player guidance. Naoe’s rope can allow her to reach high places but it can’t be used as a rope between buildings. The tree swing assassination encourages parkour, so players will find themselves looking down on opponents frequently throughout the game to get the satisfaction of death from above. Naoe bring the delicate balance of precise manoeuvres, mastered during her time in Iga. She can quickly gain a vantage point and tag enemies or observe surroundings from above. Parkour feels useful again. Enemies no longer frequent high places, as was the case in Mirage and previous games, as parkour is limited to a select number throughout Japan, such as Shinobi. The game does a really good job at taking Naoe from street level to a high place in the blink of an eye, either by using the rope or by climbing structures. Some buildings are still in development, and Naoe can climb up the wooden beams before a roof has been added, also allowing her to enter and loot chests. Parkour has a host of new animations and flips which make it both fun and energetic. It's clear that Ubisoft put a lot of thought and effort into this, as Naoe moves effortlessly. The Parkour up and down functions serve the game well, providing opportunities to move with speed and purpose. Yasuke’s heavy build means that parkour is limited. He can climb on to roofs but not tall buildings making him ineffective in stealthy castle infiltrations. We feel that players will switch to Naoe if they wish to get a parkour experience, as Yasuke's physique makes it difficult to do more than jump from ledge to ledge or climb basic platforms. Overall, we're really impressed with the new parkour system. It doesn't feel sticky, and the player feels like they have full control over movement when freerunning. The animation team did a really great job at updating a system that hasn't really changed in recent Assassin's Creed games. It's great to see that the series still shows such a willingness to adapt and evolve. Naoe throws a smokebomb above her target, using height to her advantage. Combat Combat is a very different experience for Naoe and Yasuke. Combat for Naoe is a mixture of light and heavy attacks, carefully waiting for the opportunity to strike. She is better at waiting for the right opportunity to strike, rather than lashing out in haste. Due to her small size, a heavy attack can do major damage to Naoe. Yasuke has increased health due to his stature and heavy armour. He is lethal in combat due to his huge arsenal of weapons and abilities. In combat, players have the objective of destroying armour before delivering the killing blow, breaking down opponents and catching them off guard. Yasuke tends to block or parry rather than dodge, the favoured approach by Naoe due to her size. Each character has their own arsenal. Naoe has her aforementioned tools alongside a Katana, Tanto, and a Kusarigama, a long range weapon. Yasuke has a more varied arsenal with a Long Katana, a Kanabo, a Naginata, alongside ranged weaponry consisting of a bow and a Teppo (early firearm), exclusive to him is the ability to parry unblockable attacks as well as more health and two more health rations. He can also charge doors, which in missions can allow allies to join the fight. One thing that Naoe can do to even the odds is use silent arrows, which can pierce armour and break down an opponent before she even has to consider close quarters combat. The brutality of combat is immediate, with decapitations common and increased blood. A new series of kill animations will shock players, as Naoe can flip behind a player and slit their throat. Both players can cut an enemies head clean off its shoulders, making it easily the most fierce combat system in an Assassin's Creed game, beating the brutality of Valhalla. Yasuke has many unlockable abilities for combat, all of which make him more deadly when facing enemies. His kick in particular is strong, knocking enemies of all sizes to the ground. Think, Sparta Kick in AC Odyssey without the need for a Piece of Eden powering it. His size is pure muscle and strength, which he channels in combat. Even though Yasuke is a huge man, the enemies he faces are varied in size, so he doesn't always feel overpowered. Smaller foe like Shinobi are much quicker and can surprise with quick reflexes and multiple attacks at once. Learning the best course of action will keep players occupied when choosing the more direct approach. We thoroughly enjoyed combat in Assassin's Creed Shadows, but the majority of our team prefer the stealth approach in AC Title. That being said, both playstyles have their own benefits in AC Shadows that will keep players swapping depending on the situation or quest requirements. Yasuke in combat Modern Day Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces a new present day story which is connected to the Animus Hub platform, the new overarching platform which acts as the home of Assassin’s Creed content. Immediately players are introduced to the ‘Animus Ego’, an incredibly powerful piece of Abstergo marketing which is hacked by an unknown digital entity known as ‘The Guide’, a hologram which provides cryptic digital support. It’s without a doubt the most visual and immersive Animus experience yet, but it would be a mistake to overly praise a modern day Animus experience that strips away gameplay entirely. ‘Welcome to the dark’. From the offset, it’s an engaging Modern Day storyline that calls back to the darker tones layed out in previous titles, channelling the easy vibes that were present during the Clay Kaczmarek glyphs and the Erudito Animus hacking cutscenes in Assassin’s Creed Liberation. The Modern Day air of mystery returns, something which will be a relief for old-school fans of the Assassin’s Creed Initiates platform, as completing activities in-game unlocks information and data that is stored in the Animus Hub database. Plus, the references to Carl Gustav Jung from which the Animus Ego is named after referencing his archetypes from which “The Shadow” is conveniently one of them, and the fact that it is a new type of Animus managed by an AI “Ego” that is able to harness the power of the Bleeding Effect by overloading the user's senses in order to subdue them and render then totally controllable. A new story arc revolving around Tatyana Dane and Joel Eastman in what seems like an “almost apocalyptic world” hunted down by operatives in Marrakech. The name Geoff Eastman also appears and is implied to be somewhat of an “Assassin” archetype as he is apparently the main reason why Joel (his son) is doing what he's doing in Morocco; “To change the world and make a difference”. Through the Animus Hub, you have memories, projects, exchange and vault Memories: Here players will be welcomed to a timeline and are greeted with images of the protagonist from recent Assassin’s Creed titles such as Basim, Kassandra and Eivor, booting up their memories, as the Hub acts as an all-in-one game launcher. Right now only Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla, Mirage, and Shadows are available. Projects : Data streams are corrupted. These quests are tied to the projects tab within the Animus Hub, these act as mini battle passes, and completing these tasks reward helix keys, you can also find them randomly strewn across the world. You can use these Keys at the exchange which replaces Reda’s shops with daily rewards. Exchange: This is Shadow’s version of Reda’s shop from Origins and Valhalla where you can see the deal of the day or gear to spend those hard earned helix keys earned through projects. The Vault: Here you can find text, voice or video files related to the modern day overarching narrative that are unlock through progression of shadow’s story and through levels completed through projects. There's a lot to look forward to in the Modern Day storyline, but it's disappointing to see a lack of playable missions. Shadows is another attempt at making the present day story optional, and running in the background via the Animus Hub. After Valhalla and Mirage helped to establish Basim as a new threat in the Modern Day, it would have been very interesting to learn more about his activities, rather than completing missions to gain intel. After years of stripping away Modern Day Assassination missions, should we even be surprised at this point? Things you missed We have exclusive information from Akim Milne, Director of Cinematography from Ubisoft Quebec who gave a fascinating presentation at the UK Assassin's Creed Shadows Community Launch event, showing the incredible depth of research and thought that went into the game's development. Camera Angles and references The game uses a wide range of camera angles which take inspiration from a number of sources, such as Japanese cinema, anime, Western cartoons and mainstream Western depictions of the East. These reference points can be seen throughout the game and have also appeared in the marketing campaign for Shadows. For example, Crash zooms, which appears in a number of films by Director Quentin Tarantino, famously appearing in the Kill Bill series. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, when an enemy of rank is revealed, the camera zooms in, revealing the true title of enemy. The team really pushed to get Japanese film references into the game, for example callbacks to Seven Samurai (1954), which were even present in early mood boards. When presenting Iga, the team wanted to show that all members of the community were constantly practicing martial arts, as is customary throughout Japanese cinema. More recently, in the film 47 Ronin (2023), an infiltration with grappling hooks takes place in the daytime, and this is something which the development team wished to replicate as players can't change the day and night cycle due to the dynamic weather feature. Another film reference is Naoe's rope dart which draws inspiration from Mortal Kombat when used in combat. Cultural references from a wide range of historical sources have been included in the game. The Hideout represents this, and shows the normality of everyday life, with NPC’s performing everyday tasks such as washing clothes. Due to the notable size differences between Naoe and Yasuke, during cutscenes, low angle lenses were often used to make Naoe feel small in a gigantic world, grounding the camera work and giving perspective against the ever present landscape. Many times throughout cutscenes, over the shoulder camera angles were used to highlight distance, creating a sense of awkwardness. For example, when Naoe meets leaders, the camera angles purposely build tension by showing her as a small figure who is meeting someone of power, raised on a platform. There is an ever growing sense of danger should she say the wrong thing. At times, there is a focus on forefront details as things go on in the background to draw viewers to facial expressions, an intentional artistic decision to highlight emotions, often fear, and show the power dynamic between the one kneeling, and the one standing. For example, a sacrificial beheading scene. It's worth noting that Akim believes that Naoe at times is faking the submissive role, not making direct eye contact, looking away, something which causes tension. Iga is independent and remote, so didn't adhere to social hierarchy. As an Igan shinobi, she has been trained as an equal, but must succumb to the hierarchy and customs of respect that were prevalent in the period, or at least pretend to do so. Eye contact changes throughout the game depending on the relationship Yasuke or Naoe have with the character. This changes depending on the level of formality, as they wish to present themselves correctly. The game presents the historical mandatory distance for addressing a person of power. The intentional awkwardness of being on the floor, giving a full bow, feeling a sense of fear, and no eye contact really comes across in the final product. Some cutscenes aim to be fully immersive, with no talking whatsoever. Lots of cinematic shots in the game also look like paintings. The team really wanted to demonstrate the relationship between ink and blood, often using tones of red when calligraphy is represented to give the sense that war is always looming, and the spill of blood can be caused by the beautiful and peaceful act of ink painting, such as giving an order. The colour grade in the game is intentionally noticeable. The colours in Spring pop, and contrast the darkness of night, which are incredibly dark compared to previous AC titles, making Naoe practically invisible. The hyper saturated colours also mean that the cherry blossom trees stand out in a vivid shade of pink. Completely different light rigs were used for the two protagonists. Naoe has young skin lighter, creating shadows on her face. Yasuke beard, and darker skin complexion natural uses contrast to show colouring, with natural tones of orange and purple to add warmth and naturalise complexion in different lighting. Performance and Animation Focus on cultural gestures, bowing, early animation tests, authentic, came about from research. Minimalist approach was taken. Often in games, gestures exaggerated in approach. The team went back to drawing board and carefully select ones that felt legit to time, before creating their own. Traditional poses, Samurai would sit in Agura pose, proper way of sitting. Correct posture and stances were to feel minimal, and authentic. Mocap is used to capture moves etc, and are then sent to the animation team, who use them to embody scenes they shoot, rather than static storyboards. They are a reference to animation team rather than doing full body mocap like in the past. Performance capture is dots on faces, and records exact performance, but is very expensive, due to it requiring the full film crew, actors and stunt doubles. Combat moments are done this way. The voice actors include Japanese tonality phrasing of sentences. The actor who plays Yasuke would embody character, mentally transform, becoming larger in his posture. When Naoe talks to an ally, she can be herself. This is seen in her eye movement and facial expressions. Naoe weaponises her decision to use eye contact, faking it at times to infiltrate and gain information, pretending to be subservient. Yasuke will full bow at the start of the game, and do less as he gains rank. Bows are a major part of Japanese culture, so a wide variety of bow animations, depending on hierarchy and situation were created. They vary in length, show respect, and have different levels of eye contact too depending on circumstances. Villagers will bow to Yasuke, as Samurai have power and respect. There are situations where player needs to remember which bow is appropriate 700+ cutscenes feature in the game. As there are weather differences, height and body differences, the team had to create every cutscene independently as camera angles can't be shared. Also choices may branch differently, so a lot of time went into creating cutscenes. They had to Test animations in each and every scenario to make sense, ground the scenes and make them immersive regardless of time or day. The Transmog system can vary in depth, ranging from changing the look of a certain weapon to stripping it part by part, creating ultimate version of a weapon Conclusion After an insensitive marketing campaign struggled to drum up hype for the game until late in production, due to questionable marketing practices and lack of research, the game itself is overall a wonderful balance of old and new, bringing together the most complete relationship between the old games and the newer RPG titles, all within a well crafted immersive world. Strengths Voice acting performances and dialogue. Facial expressions and animations are much improved. Music is excellent throughout Atmosphere balances light and dark. Connected narrative, seen from both perspectives. Stealth options. Revamped parkour system. Naoe and Yasuke are both interesting protagonists. Negatives Lack of playable Modern Day The main Templar group feels undeveloped as characters The character not in use doesn't really do anything No hunting and crafting Removal of social stealth OUR Initial SCORE 9/10 OUR Final SCORE 7/10 6 Months Later We realise now that Assassin's Creed Shadows is a game that dips in quality narratively, failing to provide satisfying motives or even an ending to the main game. It actively avoids interacting with established lore, and instead creates an offshoot of the Brotherhood which fails to reclaim it's identity. Shadows has little substance, and we were initially impressed with the demo copy provided by Ubisoft, the full version has very little lore, memorable characters or moments of interest to discuss. Closing Remarks Aaron Comments The opening sections of the game suffer with some flat lighting which makes the game feel a little outdated. However this becomes less frequent once the prologue has been completed. In fact I think the lighting can be quite impressive, especially in darker areas later in the game. I do feel like the skin textures of some characters feel a little off. Naoe especially has less facial details than Eivor or Basim. The Score is fantastic, really complimenting the story. You can feel the Japanese influence. At times there is a Taratino vibe when aspects of the game collide with this quirky soundtrack. The combat is a huge step up from the previous games. There is now a real sense of satisfaction from timing and a smoothness that enables encounters to flow seamlessly. The Animus Hub is a fantastic idea and presents itself very well to the player. I love the fact you can launch the previous RPG AC games from there. The animations of the characters are great and I love that for Shadows both protagonists wear what you currently have on in the game. The menus in the game are very clean and impressive. I like the dark backgrounds as it makes everything seem really professional and easy to read. Codex entries function like they did in Mirage. I actually enjoy this way of learning about the world. It does make me sad that we might not get a Discovery Tour though. I think it would be wise to mention the chromatic aberration. This was a contentious issue with Mirage. Once again it is turned on as default. If you are a virtual photographer it might be worth switching it off from the start. I found it negatively impacted the photo mode. Photo Mode Congratulations to Ubisoft for braving a new Photo Mode. It would have been easy to just copy paste from Mirage. The old PM is so user friendly, albeit a little outdated. You now have a completely different layout for the PM. There are tabs to switch between, similar to what we saw in Star Wars Outlaws. All the parameters in the Photo Mode are slow to adjust. This makes editing a shot a lengthy process, especially when compared to the previous games. The filters are such a cool edition, allowing players to diversify their captures. The red dragon is a particular favorite. I still believe that adding expressions for the characters would have further enhanced this photo mode. Unless you are in combat both Naoe and Yasuke have the same look on their face. With Star Wars Outlaws getting a time of day function, it is pretty disappointing that Shadows misses out. Especially as we can be locked in a season for quite some time. I am really sad that the fog option has been removed. This was such a unique feature to AC photo modes. The only saving grace is that the natural weather in the game produces some very nice fog. The depth of field is now aligned to a real camera. It functions well enough but can be hindered by the slow movement. It is tricker to use than the previous games and may become a barrier for new virtual photographers. With the lack of a bird companion in this game the range is now an issue. I think you can move the camera further than in the previous games but without the height of an eagle those long distance shots will be tricky. The Photo Mode does allow for nicer shots, with less post editing than we are used to. Once again you can post your shots straight to Ubi Connect or upload them to your console. Seeing everyones capture on the world map is always a joy. The frames are more aligned to Odyssey’s PM which I know will delight a few people. Frame Hold Photography’s Comments: Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a visually stunning and immersive game, and I have had so much fun with it during my early access preview. This latest entry into the Assassin’s Creed series truly takes advantage of all the newest tech to provide a gorgeous rendition of Feudal Japan for players to explore. The new dynamic weather and season systems are fantastic. It is incredible how much the world changes as you progress through the seasons and how the environment affects your play. Tall grass that was in one location in the summer is dead by winter, and water that you could once swim through freezes over. Snowstorms and thunderstorms can aid in your stealthy approaches toward camps, castles, and forts, while sunny summer days make it easier for guards to spot you. These elements are playstyles that never had to be considered in previous Assassin’s Creed games, making Shadows all the more unique and impressive. Shadows does not include a bird companion for Naoe or Yasuke. I was a bit upset when I first heard this news since the recon Senu, Ikaros, Synin, and Enkidu provided was extremely useful for tagging enemies, loot, and mission markers. Once I started playing Shadows, I soon understood why a bird companion wouldn’t fit into this game's pace, style, and philosophy. Everything in Shadows encourages players to slow down, calculate their movements, plan attacks, and admire the natural world and its beauties. The new Observe Mechanic better fits into this philosophy since it has players look around their environments, climb to higher places to have better vantage points, and pay attention to more minor details. While the bird companion was a much quicker and instantly gratifying tool, the Observe Mechanic is a new way to immerse players into the world. The combat and stealth systems in Shadows feel great. Combat feels weighty, parrys feel powerful, and abilities change the tides of fights. I’ve been enjoying the three weapon types both Naoe and Yasuke have access to. My favorite for Naoe is the Tanto blade since it’s fast and incorporates hidden-blade combat again! For Yasuke, I have been enjoying the heavy weight of the Kanabo. While slow, this weapon can absolutely decimate enemies. When it comes to stealth, Naoe’s grappling hook makes it easy to scamper up buildings quietly, and the ability for both characters to go prone opens up a host of new stealth opportunities. I have only experienced a fraction of the whole game, but the writing and character development within the first 20 hours have been rich, exciting, and outright shocking at times. Much like the Odyssey, the beginning of Shadows is starting to form a core ensemble of characters, and I am excited to see how they all develop throughout the main story. Lastly, I’d like to comment on the game’s music. The Flight, who composed the soundtrack for Odyssey, also composed the soundtrack for Shadows. The soundtrack weaves traditional Japanese instruments with modern Japanese Rock, creating a diverse range of sonic tones for the game–from peaceful and meditative to action-packed and adrenaline-filled. I love that this mix of styles pays homage to the musical history of Japan. Gentle tracks accompany the player as you explore the vast world, and heart-pumping rock songs set the tone for boss fights and intense game moments. Overall, I am incredibly impressed with what I have experienced so far in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and am excited to continue my playthrough! Taylor's comments The story is an interesting part of shadows. It is very dark and serious in tone, not comedic in any way. The pacing does suffer a little bit as unfortunately the prologue feels a little rushed and chopped up making the beginning feel off. In addition Act 2 also suffers pacing issues due to its non linear structure, think of a procedural case of the week TV show. While Naoe and Yasuke's personal quests let them shine. Some of the antagonists/targets feel underdeveloped as villians. The soundtrack is fantastic but i felt in some scenes it ruined the atmosphere or the music choice didn't fit. The world design impressed me with the variety of biomes as well the Codex entries have to be found by exploring, this encourages the player it really impressed further. This was further illustrated by the ?s really highlighting the culture of Japan with praying at Shinto shrines and meditating, it really makes the world feel that more real. I also appreciate the effort taken to provide Japanese and Portuguese audio as it adds to the historical accuracy. However I found some flaws that gave me concern. Side quests aren't marked for what character leading to tedious character switching. Season timer is not explained and needs more tutorialzation. When a character isn't in use they don't really do anything just sit in the hideout and it makes me upset as they feel more Avatarish than an inhabitant in the world. I feel that the English VO is kind of flat either due to a lack of direction or interpretation. Another thing I noticed is when it snows or rains in the game, their clothes get wet or snow on them but their hair is clear of any such blemish. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author A collection of articles from The Ones Who Came Before team. TOWCB Team

Assassin’s Creed Wishlist: How Ubisoft Can Improve Photo Mode for Mirage Wishlists Share 8 Feb 2023 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Ashlea Blackett Back To Database As the host of TOWCB weekly virtual photography showcase, I thought I would use this platform to talk about the photo mo de tool i n Assassin's Creed Valhalla. I would like to discuss the strengths but also highlight areas for improvement. Virtual Photography has really taken off in the last few years due to the implementation of in-game photo tools that can replicate a real camera. Gamers can now express themselves through this medium, by showcasing their in-game captures on various social media channels. I believe it has become so popular due to its accessibility. Like myself you don't need to have photography experience to take part, just a love for the game. There are many websites that will now provide support to gamers, to get them started on their virtual photography journey. Additionally, many twitter accounts promote people's virtual photography in the form of retweets, showcases and competitions. My skills have improved greatly thanks to the brilliant virtual photography community. Just by being exposed to others photography you get a sense of how to take a great shot. When I look back and compare against my first captures from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in 2020, the difference in quality is night and day. Virtual Photography isn't just a great tool for players, it is also a fantastic way for developers to achieve free advertisements of their game. How many times have you seen an incredible shot from someone online and thought, wow that game looks cool, maybe I will purchase it? The better the photo tools, the more striking images people can produce, increasing the online presence of a game. Assassin's Creed Valhalla's photo mode is the best in the series so far. From Origins onwards Ubisoft has added small changes to improve the way we take shots in game. The English and Norwegian landscapes have lended themselves well to VP, especially with the 4K HDR next gen consoles. The sliders can now be reset easily without having to start from scratch and the ability to create portrait shots is a real winner. This has resulted in Valhalla being praised within the community for the quality of shots that can be produced. One often overlooked feature from Assassin's Creed games i s the ability to share the location of the shot straight onto the map for others to see in their games. This is not only great for inspiration, but also for helping others find items in-game. Below I have asked five members of TOWCB VP Community what they would like to see added to future Assassin's Creed games. Assassin Poses - @ Falconswift87 For me personally Eivor will often cause frustration due to his hunched pose and awkward standing position. After playing Horizon Forbidden West, I could not understand why you would not add poses to photo mode. It creates so many different capture opportunities throughout the game. Given the many outfits that are available in AC games the possibilities could be endle ss. You just have to look on social media to see how iconic some of Aloy's poses have become. Time of Day - @ CreedScholars Scholars of the Creed said they would most like to see a time-of-day function added. There are many games that take advantage of this, but I would say Ghost of Tsushima was one of the best. The ability to fast forward time allows the player to amend lighting in so many ways. A shot taken in the middle of day can look vastly different once the stars come out. Valhalla already has multiple different environments, and they all react so differently depending on the time of day. Range of Free Camera - @ Virtualtourism I wasn't shocked at the answer I received from Jack, with range of the free camera being top of his list. As a VP artist who captures the most breath-taking scenery shots it must be frustrating to only be able to move within a defined box. It is great that Valhalla has the zoom in and out function, but it isn't great for wide angled shots. Most games that I have played do not utilise this, however someone found a way round it for Ghost of Tsushima and the scope of shots is now incredible. Character Models - @ dpruttz VP Dpruttz suggested that locking the character models would be a great addition to Assassin's Creed photo mode. This is something I struggle with at times as well, especially if you're a fan of close-up photography. It's not isolated to Assassin's Creed either, many games have this issue. There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you have found the perfect shot only to move the camera slightly and the character model disappears. I think Marvel's Spider-Man solved this issue as you can get incredibly close to the character. Light Source - @ PodToGo I would say light source would be in my top three requested features. Although if you're lucky with the sun Valhalla can produce some extremely satisfying shots. Marvel's Spider-Man & Gotham Knights takes this to another level. You can edit your shots normally but there is also a separate section that allows you to add custom lighting to your captures. You can add ambient light, rotate where the light comes from and even add a spotlight to the shot with varying intensity and colours. When it comes to photo modes Marvel's Spider-Man must be one of the best out there. Character Changes - @ FrameHoldPhotos Frame Hold agreed with a lot of what has been said above but there was one point I picked up on and that is the option to flip between Eivor and Havi in photo-mode. Although I don't think I have seen this in a game to date, there is the ability to change outfits in Marvel's Spider-man or face paints in Horizon Forbidden West. With the vast amount of armour and weapons in Valhalla the chance to flip between them in photo mode would be excellent. Even if it was just to you Armoury loadouts. 2022 Photo-Modes Two games particularly stood out to me in terms of photo modes in 2022. A Plague Tale Requiem blew me away with its ability to pause a cutscene and then have full movement and editing ability. This lent itself to some unbelievably great shots posted by players. I haven't seen this in any other game I have played. Unfortunately, the rest of the tools in the photo mode are generic, but I must give credit to the developers for pushing boundaries. The buzz for this game on social media has been fantastic and even four months after launch there are plenty of photos posted daily. The second game is God of War Ragnarök. Despite this being my game of the year, its photo mode feels very outdated. Originally the game was launched without it, which isn't uncommon as photo modes can cause spoilers. However, it did mean I and others I know waited a month to start the game. Even once the mode was added it felt very limited compared to the original and not even close to the photo modes of Assassin's Creed or its PlayStation peers. The buzz for God of War in terms of captures just doesn't feel the same as A Plague Tale. Both Gotham Knights and more recently The Last of Us have been running regular photo mode contest. Once again this shows how virtual photography can add so much to the overall experience of a game. In addition to this individuals and communities online create their own hashtags for weekly themes continuing the love of a game. #BeyondTheHorizon - Weekly from @Guerrilla with shot of the week being featured on their social media. #GKPhotoMode – Weekly usually with a more personal theme, once again the favourites are retweeted by the official page. #TLOUPhotoMode – Running alongside the TV series Naughty Dog are challenging gamers to recreate moments from the show. #PhotoModeMonday – Run by @ StefanieMcMaken this tag has a real buzz each week. #ACVPThursday #WolfKissedWednesday #TOWCBWeeklyCapture – All dedicated Assassin’s Creed tags that even without a supported title are thriving with entries each week. #MisthiosMonday still has a ton of shots each week despite it being focused on Odyssey. #HeroTuesday – Run by @VPRetweet team has endless possibilities, and is surely going to explode once Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases. There is even an e-magazine created by @ ThePhotoMode that releases bimonthly. Here you will find a fantastic selection of shots from a host of games and VP artist. I feel like Virtual Photography is a side to gaming that has steadily been growing and now is the perfect time to makes sure you have a decent photo mode attached to any new release. If the Mirage developers do happen to read this I hope they are able to add at least one of the suggestions above to their photo mode. I would implore them not to be too drastic with the changes though as what they have from Valhalla is one of the better modes out there. If I was to suggest one of the above it would likely be poses. As a long time photographer in Valhalla multiple poses/expressions would have brought many more exciting opportunities. After the announcement of Assassin's Creed Mirage, we are yet to officially find out if this game will have a photo mode. It would be very bizarre if it didn't as the marketing opportunities alone surely justify the inclusion. Still if it does indeed feature then I know our small Assassin's Creed Community will be buzzing with epic shots of Basim on the rooftops of Baghdad. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Eve of Launch Message News Share 1 Oct 2018 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We are now extremely close to the early access release of Assassin's Creed Odyssey! We would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal fanbase, who have followed our coverage of the game since its reveal at E3. We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome our new members, who we hope are enjoying their time in the Assassin's Creed Community! Although Assassin's Creed Odyssey was a very unusual direction for the brand to take, we believe that fans will fall in love with the wonders of the ancient world, and consider the game to be a worthy sequel to AC Origins, and an excellent addition to the franchise. During the promotional campaign for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, we strived to provide regular giveaways for the community, and will continue to do so after its launch. We are currently giving away a variety of Assassin's Creed items, kindly donated by Ubisoft Montreal! As many of you will soon be receiving your ACO merchandise and editions of the game in the mail, we decided that a community project was the best way in order to select winners. Simply record a short unboxing video, and send it to Theoneswhocamebefore@googlemail.com . We look forward to seeing your reactions! Whoever you choose to play as, we want to hear about your AC Odyssey experience! Feel free to contact us with your screenshots, stories & questions! We hope that you have a fantastic experience playing the game, and thank you all for following the rules as we enter our annual 'lockdown mode', in order to prevent spoilers. We can't wait to explore Ancient Greece, and hope that you guys have a great time playing! - TOWCB Admin Team comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Deciphering the Secrets of the Assassin’s Creed: Shadows Marketing Campaign Breakdown Share 14 May 2024 Written By: Edited By: ActualSpider-Man Edenoi Back To Database The Assassin's Creed Red marketing campaign has finally begun, teasing the release of the Official Cinematic World Premiere Trailer , which will launch 15th May 2024. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot a series of numbers hidden within promotional images, and the hourglass in Osaka promo video. Here are the findings by TOWCB Team members ActualSpider-Man and Edenoi . Code 1: A pattern and key found on the Ubisoft website 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 カ セ ゾ ノ ョ ソ ィ ゴ ケ 2 ム 。 ギ マ ブ ジ リ 〜 ゥ 3 ン ヅ タ ユ レ ア ビ ョ コ 4 ヌ ロ オ ヂ ヒ ォ イ ニ ホ 5 ル ・ ツ ウ ー ラ デ ッ ハ 6 ネ サ ミ ボ ワ エ メ テ ド 7 ス ゲ ガ フ ゼ ェ バ ヤ ュ 8 チ 、 ベ モ ザ ナ ト ※ シ 9 ズ ァ ク ダ ヲ キ ャ へ グ Numbered pairs are deciphered columns 1st, rows 2nd to find the correct katakana: 62 11 13 95 43 45 27 13 ジ カ ン ハ ユ ウ ゲ ン Ji Ka N Ha Yu U Ge N 時間 は 有限 Time is limited 11 91 65 95 16 85 78 56 55 39 84 18 72 77 76 65 53. カ ケ ラ ハ ネ ッ ト ワ ー ク ニ チ リ バ メ ラ レ Ka Ke La Ha Ne T To Wa - Ku Ni Chi Ri Ba Me La Re 欠片 は ネットワーク に 散りばめ られ Fragments are scattered throughout the network. 17 68 96 91 74 95 94 45 98 97 45 41 11 32 78 68 15. ス ナ ド ケ イ ハ ホ ウ シ ュ ウ ノ カ ギ ト ナ ル Su Na Do Ke I Ha Ho U Shi Y U No Ka Gi To Na Ru 砂時計 は 報酬 の 鍵 と なる The hourglass is the key to the reward. 74 61 99 37 83 74. イ ソ グ ガ ョ イ I So Gu Ga Yo I 急ぐ が 良い It's better to hurry. 1SS1SS9NS3R55D.COM/ ????????? = ASSASSINSCREED.COM/HOURGLASS This leads to a website where you can enter a code to get some sort of in-game item! We won't say what the code is for now, but the clues are available... Code 2: Numbers hidden in Assassin's Creed Social Media Banners 74 18 78 84 95 47 33 35 75 54 78 35 イ チ ト ニ ハ フ タ ツ デ ヒ ト ツ I Chi To Ni Ha Fu Ta Tsu De Hi To Tsu １ と 2 は 2つ で 1つ One and two are two in one. 26 13 59 98 15 84 95 78 69 59 42 86 サ ン ヲ シ ル ニ ハ ト キ ヲ マ テ Sa N Wo Shi Ru Ni Ha To Ki Wo Ma Te 3 を 知る に は 時 を 待て Wait until you know 3. Code 3: Binary hidden in a promotional image emailed out to fans 33 11 33 11 11 21 11 21 33 11 33 11 33 11 11 21 33 11 33 11 11 21 11 21 33 11 11 21 33 11 11 21 33 11 33 11 11 21 11 21 33 11 11 21 11 21 11 21 33 11 33 11 11 21 11 21 11 21 33 11 33 11 11 21 33 11 | タ カ | Ta Ka | 鷹 | Hawk = 0 11 21 | カ セ | Ka Se | 風 | Wind = 1 Converting the binary pairs into ASCII: 00110001 = 1 00110101 = 5 00110111 = 7 00111001 = 9 [1579, the year Yasuke arrived in Japan! Kudos to @edenoi_ / u/BPotatoes for deciphering all this themselves, and giving us all the breakdown! Code 4: Engraved on the Hourglass There was also one more minor puzzle seen solved by u/Ajxtt on Assassin’s Creed News: Code 5: Second Hourglass Message The Assassin's Creed Twitter followed that last video up with another, containing a separate code: Code 6: Assassin's Creed Twitter Bio 66 85 39 17 62 39 75 98 15 98 59 36 35 91 エ ッ ク ス ジ ク デ シ ヲ ミ ツ ケ E K Ku Su Ji Ku De Shi Wo Mi Tsu Ke X 軸でし を 見つけ Find on the X-axis. 56 74 62 39 75 48 39 86 69 59 98 15 75 63 24 45 ワ イ ジ ク デ モ ク テ キ ヲ シ ル デ ア ロ ウ Wa I Ji Ku De Mo Ku Te Ki Wo Shi Ru De A Ro U Y 軸 で 目的 を 知る で あろう You will know the purpose on the Y-axis. Code 7: New Twitter Banner 38 38 38 38 37 35 34 33 30 30 30 30 29 28 27 26 25 23 17 18 13 10 9 9 8 8 10 11 11 13 13 13 15 17 19 19 21 24 24 23 22 21 20 20 19 18 18 18 17 15 13 13 13 11 9 7 6 4 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 6 7 9 10 12 12 11 10 11 11 12 12 11 13 15 16 22 26 28 30 31 31 31 31 30 29 30 34 37 38 19 18 17 15 15 15 15 14 13 12 11 10 8 4 2 2 2 1 2 3 3 3 4 6 8 9 10 11 14 16 19 21 22 21 23 25 26 30 32 33 35 34 31 30 29 28 26 25 21 22 21 19 16 15 14 13 13 14 14 14 15 16 17 18 22 24 23 27 28 29 31 31 31 32 33 33 33 34 36 37 38 39 39 39 39 38 38 37 36 34 33 30 27 25 23 21 21 22 21 These numbers don't fit the usual cipher, but interestingly, there are 99 numbers in each block. If you pair them together as coordinates, you get this: (38,19) (38,18) (38,17) (38,15) (37,15) (35,15) (34,15) (33,14) (30,13) (30,12) (30,11) (30,10) (29,8) (28,4) (27,2) (26,2) (25,2) (23,1) (17,2) (18,3) (13,3) (10,3) (9,4) (9,6) (8,8) (8,9) (10,10) (11,11) (11,14) (13,16) (13,19) (13,21) (15,22) (17,21) (19,23) (19,25) (21,26) (24,30) (24,32) (23,33) (22,35) (21,34) (20,31) (20,30) (19,29) (18,28) (18,26) (18,25) (17,21) (15,22) (13,21) (13,19) (13,16) (11,15) (9,14) (7,13) (6,13) (4,14) (3,14) (2,14) (1,15) (1,16) (1,17) (1,18) (2,22) (2,24) (2,23) (3,27) (4,28) (6,29) (7,31) (9,31) (10,31) (12,32) (12,33) (11,33) (10,33) (11,34) (11,36) (12,37) (12,38) (11,39) (13,39) (15,39) (16,39) (22,38) (26,38) (28,37) (30,36) (31,34) (31,33) (31,30) (31,27) (30,25) (29,23) (30,21) (34,21) (37,22) (38,21) Now if we graph those points: Okay, it definitely looks like something. In fact, it looks like a map! Now, the first hourglass video depicts the Shinsekai neighborhood in Osaka, and the second hourglass video depicts Todai-ji temple in Nara: Osaka and Nara are both in the Kansai region of Japan. Let's take a look at a map of Kansai: That sure looks a lot like our graph up there! Could this be where Shadows is set? Code 8: Facebook Banner 17 68 96 91 74 95 34 36 35 59 11 39 21 96 48 ス ナ ド ケ イ ハ オ ミ ツ ヲ カ ク セ ド モ Su Na Do Ke I Ha O Mi Tsu Wo Ka Ku Se Do Mo 砂時計 は お密 を 隠せ ども Hourglass, hide your secrets. 93 13 62 35 95 61 41 96 49 74 84 63 72 コ ン ジ ツ ハ ソ ノ ド ダ イ ニ ア リ Ko N Ji Tsu Ha So No Do Da I Ni A Ri 今日 は その 土台 に あり Today we are at that foundation. Possibly this is a reference to the messages written on the bases of the hourglasses? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments! comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest Guest May 14, 2024 There's a new code in the Bio of the AC twitter... Dunno if that's of any use Like Reply About the Author Author of the all-encompassing timeline, Codex Temporis, and the Isu-to-English dictionary, Codex Transferendum, Your Friendly Neighborhood Mentor is here to help unweave the confusing web of AC! ActualSpider-Man

Understanding the Isu Language: Particles and Affixes Analysis Share 1 Oct 2024 Written By: Edited By: Edenoi ActualSpider-Man Back To Database For this article we'll be looking at particles and affixes in the Isu language. In English as well as many other languages, we have prepositions which help to describe how words or phrases relate to the rest of the sentence, such as "inside" or "above" or "for." Isu has essentially the same class of words, but because they come after the word they refer to instead of before, we call them postpositions. Postpositions in Isu can also be used as prefixes for verbs to modify the meaning of the verb. Think of the difference between the words "act" and "enact" or "communicate" and "excommunicate." The postpositions known to exist in the Isu language, along with their Proto-Indo-European "descendants," are as follows: Postpositions/Prefixes Apo, meaning "from," related to the PIE *apó Arhz, meaning "out," related to the PIE *éǵʰs Az, meaning "at," related to the PIE *ád Bṛ, meaning "before," related to the PIE *per- Chaz, meaning "toward," related to the PIE *ḱe- + *ád Chṇ, meaning "with," related to the PIE *ḱóm Chṇtæ, meaning "against," related to the PIE *ḱómteros (*ḱóm + *-teros) Hṇ, meaning "in," related to the PIE *h₁én Hṇdṛ, meaning "amidst," related to the PIE *h₁entér (*h₁én + *-tér) Ṇ, meaning "not," related to the PIE *n̥- Ṛ, perhaps meaning "for" and also used to form infinitives, related to the PIE *r̥ Ubo, meaning "below," related to the PIE *upó Wṛ, meaning "again," related to the PIE *wert- Zo, meaning "concerning," related to the PIE *do Notes The suffixe -tæ forms a contrast to a postposition (e.g. "with" becomes "against"). The prefix ch- alters the meaning of a postposition in a way that adds contextual information, known in linguistics as deixis (e.g. "in" becomes "with", "at" becomes "toward"). Presumably, the Isu word for "above" would be ubṛ, related to PIE *upér Isu also has a number of suffixes that can turn a word into a different but related word, like how "congregate" can become "congregation" or "wonder" can become "wonderment" in English. The known suffixes and their functions are as follows: Suffixes -æs forms an action noun from a verb (similar but not related to English "-tion") -dach forms an agent noun from a verb (supposedly a more archaic alternative to -ér below) -drṃ forms an agent noun from a verb (specifically used for tools, e.g. zḷvdrṃ "shovel") -ér forms an agent noun from a verb (virtually identical but not necessarily related to English "-er") -mṇ forms a result noun from a verb (equivalent to English "-ment") -ṇd forms the gerundive (possibly also gerund) of a verb (similar but not related to English "-ing") -nos forms an adjective from a noun or verb (equivalent to English "-en" in wooden, golden) -os forms a noun from an adjective (similar but not necessarily related to English "-ness") -rhú forms a collective noun (so far only confirmed to describe groups of people, e.g. komhaæzrhú "council") -to forms the past participle of a verb (similar but not related to English "-en" in stolen, proven) An action noun refers to the process of doing an action, an agent noun refers to the person or thing doing the action and a result noun refers to the result of doing an action. The gerundive is a form of a verb that acts as an adjective describing someone or something doing the action, such as in the phrase "howling winds." There are a few known conjunctions in Isu, which are as follows: Conjunctions Hṇu, meaning "but" Ig, meaning “or" -kwat, meaning "and" when suffixed to the second of two words, related to the PIE *-kʷe Ḷ, meaning "and," used for joining clauses rather than individual words Other Particles De makes the preceding verb progressive (meaning that the action is ongoing) More Isu Studies You can find more articles on the Isu language linked here: Understanding the Isu Language: The Basics comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Eden is a codebreaker who joined The Ones Who Came Before during the Assassin's Creed Shadows promotional campaign, helping the team to decipher numerous codes and puzzles used for marketing. She is also a high school Maths tutor, and has previously published a few short TTRPG's with more projects in the works. She first started playing Assassin's Creed in 2010, and is especially interested in the glyphs and puzzles, and platforms such as Assassin's Creed Initiates that expand the lore in creative ways. Edenoi

Interview with Kate Heartfield Author of Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy Interviews Share 8 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Michael Smith Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Kate Heartfield is a multiple finalist for Canada's Aurora Award. A Sunday Times Best Seller (The Embroidered Book). A former journalist and editor for the Ottawa Citizen, with a degree in Political Science and Masters in Journalism. Her latest release is Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy, the first book in The Engine of History Trilogy. You can read our review of her book at the link below and read further for the interview she and I had during her press tour with publisher Aconyte Books. Michael: Kate, How are you doing today? Kate: I'm doing great. Very happy to be here. Michael : I wanted to start with something you had said in an interview you did with Second Life Book Club about Assassin's Creed being bid in your household. Can you tell us more about the history you have with the series? Kate : Yeah, for sure. I'm just so happy to be talking about it and thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support. It’s really exciting to be talking with fans about this and joining this cannon. As you can tell, I'm excited. I have a lot of enthusiasm for the games and for the universe. So my personal history with Assassin's Creed is that I have a twelve year-old kid and a partner and all three of us are gamers. So we are quite frequently in our introvert corners of the house on a game of some kind. I've played Syndicate, and I've played a little bit of Origins and I am currently working my way through AC2 at the moment. I've watched my kid play even more Assassin's Creed. So there have been many, many hours where I've been sitting in the living room, doing some work and he's been playing Assassin's Creed on PS4 and my partner also plays and I watch him sometimes as well. So, between the three of us I've probably at least watched most of the games being played. Michael: It’s funny you note about playing through Assassin's Creed II. You also did some work with Choice of Gaming with the Magician's Workshop. Have you found any influence for the writing that you did with that from Assassin's Creed II, or vice versa? Have you noticed a lot of your personal choices for how you describe the characters, or the historical figures with how they [are] represented in Assassin's Creed II? Kate: I hadn't played Assassin's Creed II before I wrote The Magician's Workshop. So, I didn't have a connection from that direction. But it's interesting now having written it, because The Magician's Workshop is set in Florence in 1512. It's really interesting now, seeing the characters and that setting. And one of the things I love about all Assassin's Creed games is the immersiveness of the setting and feeling you're there in a way that interactive fiction kind of coerces you in a different way that emphasizes agency and everything else, but it doesn't have that visual element a video game has. Michael: How do you decide what mechanics to include, or write about, that were in the games? Kate: Yeah, that's really interesting, and it was definitely deliberate strategy on my part to think, "Okay, how can I take what's cool about playing Assassin's Creed games" and not really replicate that in prose, because it's not the same format, but create that same sense of excitement and same sense of immersion and the choice of having sort of side quests and multiple plots happening at the same time, and it all coming together. So, I thought about, I didn't want to make it too mechanical either as that can be quite annoying in prose if you had sort of "Here's my weapon's inventory". It wouldn't work the same way in a novel as the game. So in fact my editor had to pull me back a few times, because he noted that I would keep saying exactly what kind of knife it was or what kind of gun it was, and that kind of thing. And eventually "You don't have to give the entire serial number, everytime". So I had, maybe a little too much of that in mind. I was thinking about all of those aspects of a game and... You know I did want things like weaponry to be there though, and to be important to think about how can they reflect the personality of each of the main characters? Like which kind of knife would they choose, for example. In the same way that you make that choice when you are putting together your character in a game. So that was definitely top of my mind. Michael: Would you say that is the same thought process that you had when choosing which books for Simeon, specifically to study while he was going through his apprenticeship? Did you specifically pinpoint those books that you wanted him to read? What was your process with that decision? Kate: That was lots of fun. I think what I wanted to do with the reading list that Simeon has... So Simeon is the main character, one of the two main characters in the book. He's a soldier, and he has a sort of a unconventional education. We learn early on that he was quite bright, and taken into a rich person's house early on to be educated, but it didn't work out. So he has a sort of a patchwork of an education. Then he meets his mentor, who an interesting character in his own right. So the reading list, [the] books that Kane provides Simeon to read, I wanted them to reflect what I though an Assassin's education should be, or could be about. So its sort of a mix of different things. You have very traditional fighting manuals, these traditions of German and Italian and French manuals for swordplay and for wrestling. I thought it would be really cool to draw on that really old tradition, because the brotherhood itself would have been around for so long and they might have incorporated those traditions of those old fighting manuals. But then also, a sort of renaissance man approach to understanding the world. So there's fiction in there, there's philosophy. It is a bit of a grab bag of different things that I though an Assassin should know, but its also reflecting the personality of the teacher that's assigning them as well. Michael: When you're deciding the history that you want to explore, where you taking the "This is the historical timeline for this period, and then here are some blanks I can fill in fictional characters", or was it more of "Here is the idea of what I want to do. Let me find what period, or what events in history would fill into this"? Kate: For us it really started with the period. Aconyte and Ubisoft had an idea that they wanted a trilogy set in this period. So they started working with me about, "Well how could we develop something in this period, and what are some of the things that would interest us in terms of the Assassins and Templars are up to at this time?" So we did start with sort of a basic idea of the time and place. That it would be probably Europe and in this time. I think one of the things that really stood out, I know to my editor at Aconyte, was that the 19th Century had a lot of political assassinations. That every monarch had at least one attempt on their life, several of them were actually killed. You had the rise of anarchism and the rise of Marxism and the revolutions in 1848. So there is just a lot of political ferments happening. With those assassinations, it seems like an obvious thing to ask the question of "Are the Assassins behind them? Are they not behind them? What would be their relationship to the brotherhood and to the Templars?" So it really did begin with that question of "Okay, lets look at what's happening at the time". Then from there it was sort of finding different elements in the history that I thought kind of fed in thematically to what I wanted to talk about. Also, there was a little bit of that sense of, that's another thing that people love in the games, is the opportunity to have those cameos with historical figures and interact with those people. So, that's another thing I wanted to replicate in the novel. Michael: Did Aconyte approach you directly about this, or was this something you had to apply for? Kate: It came about through my agent, so it was one of those things where my agent knew the opportunity was there, and thought I might be a fit for it because I've written a lot of historical settings and I'm really interested in historical alt history and that kind of writing is typically what I do. And, I have a little bit of background in interactive fiction and game writing as well. So she thought, yeah this seems like it would be a good fit for you. If you're interested. So at that point, I developed some pitches for Aconyte and they liked them, and they started working on an outline, and back and forth on that a bit. So it really was sort of a collaborate process right from the beginning. Michael : Did you collaborate with the Ubisoft team, The game historians and such to work along with fitting this into the Assassin's Creed Universe? Kate: It was really... I haven't written tie-in writing like this before for any property, and so I wasn't sure what to expect in that regard. I found it really wonderful and freeing and supportive, the way that that works. They would sort of provide information and say here's where you can find the things that you need to know. Here are a few things that we want to makes sure that you're aware of, in terms of writing. But I was already quite familiar with the universe anyways, so that part of it I felt pretty confident in. Then it was just a matter of, when we would work on an outline or the manuscript itself, just running things past Ubisoft at various stages of the process to make sure there was nothing that I was unaware of that would step on somebody else's toes, or something like that. I would kind of flag little things, "Please not this part of it is related to canon from another game" or something like that people would be aware I was throwing in those Easter eggs, or whatever. Michael : I know that you're very big on representation in your writing. Were there any original characters that you had added for some form of representation in a game that's very heavily marketed towards a more male audience? Kate : It is something that I think about in every stage. So I try to keep it in mind all the time. There is always a little bit of tension between the don't want to write outside your lane, or write things without thinking that you haven't properly researched, or haven't done the homework for and that kind of thing. So, I'm conscious of that as well. I am trying to represent all kinds of people in my writing and consider the kinds of people who have been present throughout history, but maybe haven't had as many stories told about them. I again felt nothing but support from Ubisoft and Aconyte in that regard as well. Definitely I was aware that with gaming in general there's, I wouldn't say maybe the majority but certainly a significant male audience. I have a strong female character in this book. There's one sort of minor side character who is non-binary, although they wouldn't have that word to describe themselves probably in the 19th Century. But they are actually based on a small note about a circus performer I actually found that "Ah, I'll steal that from history". There is a circus performer who is billed with being "neither man, nor woman". I thought, "Okay, they're going in the book." So when I do find those things in history, where people have maybe not, have been forgotten a little bit, I'll be "Okay, I'll put them in the book" and that way we can have a little bit more of a complete representation. Michael: Have you had a chance to look at any of the other transmedia that Assassin's Creed has put out yet? Kate: I have, not all of it by any means. I got myself a few books, a few of the novels, because I wanted to get a sense of what an Assassin's Creed novel is like. I think I have two of the Oliver Bowden novels and I have Elsa Sjunneson's novel that just came out; Sword of the White Horse. So I've read a few of the books. I've taken a quick look at, I'm trying to remember which of the graphic novels it was. But, yeah, I've been aware of a few things, but I feel like there is a lot out there that I haven't seen yet. Michael : Are we expecting to see some modern day later on in the trilogy or are we staying specifically in the historical setting? Kate: Not everything's written in stone yet. So, I don't want to say for sure "this is how it'll be". The conversations I've had with Aconyte so far about the rest of the trilogy are that it'll be historical setting and sort of carrying on the story from the first book. Yeah, I don't want to say too much about it, because I don't want to scoop announcements that are coming fairly soon. That's how its envisioned is definitely to maintain that historical period. But I think its interesting because its a fairly recent historical period, so it has the potential to bring us up into the 20th Century, and start thinking about things like the Animus, and how we get to that. The door's kind of open there in some regard, but so far, no plans to write about the modern period. Michael: The trilogy for the Engine of History is set to go up through the beginning of World War I, is that correct? Kate: I think that's out there in the internet somewhere. So I think its within the bounds of what I can say yes to. And that's first how it was kind of envisioned when I talked about how they came to me with this period. That was kind of the vision, mid-19th Century to World War I, in that period some how. Michael : Are you avoiding well known periods in that time frame like Russia during World War I with Rasputin? Is that something you look at trying to avoid in depicting other historical settings that people may not know a lot about? Maybe telling more about the Crimean War or things like that? Kate: It's always a little bit of a dance, because sometimes there are interesting stories in the parts that haven't been told as often. So there are things that draw me to them, but then at the same time, there's a lot of value in having some familiar touchstones that people can say "Ah yes, I was waiting for this person to show up!" or something like that. So there's a sense of, you kind of have an expectation to a degree. I wrestled with that a little bit, with my novel The Embroidered Book, because that's a historical fantasy about Marie Antoinette. My first thought when I had the idea was, "Oh my God, Marie Antoinette's been written about so many times", but not in the way that I did it. There's only so much room for one of those big well known historical figures. I kept thinking, Catherine the Great is off to the side in this book and I can't really let her on, because then she would take over. So, there's only room for so many of those well know events and figures. I think the same is really true in The Magus Conspiracy. We have Ada Lovelace at the beginning, and she is not as well known as she should be, but she's fairly well known. Being Lord Byron's daughter, she's kind of a celebrity. So she takes up a lot of room in that way, and she looms over the entire novel, in her legacy. So, there aren't that many other historical figures that are known to that extent for the rest in the book, and the few people that do crop up tend to be a little bit less well known. Unless they are walking on for a small part like the Emperor in Vienna. Michael: Do you have an audiobook version coming out? If so, who is actually doing the recording for it, if you are able to say? Kate: It is Recorded Books. I'm trying to remember the narrator's name. It's just gone out of my head. Anyway, if you look it up, there is a Recorded Books version. I believe it is slated to come out August 16th. Which is the same day as the US paperback. Its available through Audible, Libro, and all sorts of places. Michael: I know from some of your previous interviews, you noted how nervous you were working with this tie-in for the first time. How are you feeling now after all the feedback you've received? Kate: Really great. Really relieved. Its nice that the initial feedback from people who know and love the games has been really positive. That's really nice to see. Of course, reviews are for the readers and not the authors, so I try to separate myself from them to some extent. It has been really nice, the things that people have tagged me in, and said directly to me about the book. Its really gratifying that people have welcomed it into the canon, and see how it fits in. Because its a little bit nerve racking, coming into something that's so beloved and so wide spread. That so many people have played these games. Timidly knocking on the door and saying "Here's my offering". You hope that it's okay and that you don't break anything. I feel it's been a great experience to write this story and I feel a lot of ownership over it. Even though it's an Assassin's Creed story, I feel very proud of it and how it worked out and sort of blended together what I like to do in fiction and what I think the game universe does so well. Michael : Who would be your ideal casting for your main characters? Kate: Oh my goodness, I haven't even thought of this. Who would be good? I'm trying to think. I don't know. I have such... I'm terrible when it comes to casting actors. I'm trying to think if there is anyone who is really... I can't think of a Simeon. Although I feel that there could be the perfect person and I'll think of them as soon as I hang up this call. With Pierrette, I don't know. She starts out quite young. I mean maybe, Millie Bobby Brown. I started watching Taboo which has Tom Hardy in it. He's so good. He plays a returning sailor of roughly the same time period. But I think he's got kind of an edge to him. I see Simeon as, even though he is kind of closed down, and somewhat cynical. He's got sort of a spark of innocence in him as well and a spark of really good will. So I don't know, maybe someone like Andrew Garfield, maybe? I'll wait for the fancast, because someone will have a better idea. Kane would be fun to cast. I want to thank Kate for sitting down with me over this interview. For the full interview, check out the video that we recently posted to The Ones Who Came Before YouTube channel. Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy is available digitally and in the US as a paperback in August. The UK will see the physical release in October. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOTzu4g5P2E comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024 With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory. Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order. Michael Smith

Best Quotes in Assassin's Creed Rogue Share Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Back To Database ''Even the devil can quote scripture, to suit his own purposes''. Shay Cormac (Assassin's Creed Rogue) Promotional image used for Assassin's Creed Rogue. Edit by Colum Blackett ''A war and a revolution have ended, and another is about to begin. May the Father of Understanding guide us all''. Shay Cormac (Assassin's Creed Rogue) VP and Edit by Turið Torkilsdóttir comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

2025 Assassin's Creed Community Fundraiser for Blood Cancer Launched Community Share 8 Jun 2025 Written By: Edited By: TOWCB Team Colum Blackett Back To Database Cancer. Everyone has a story. It affects us all. We are proud to announce that the 2025 Assassin's Creed Community Fundraiser will be raising funds for Blood Cancer Alliance and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a collection of charities around the world leading the fight in the battle against Blood Cancer. The Assassin's Creed Community are once again coming together to make a real-world impact for a cause connected to the franchise. Every Assassin's Creed fan knows that the series is deeply connected to DNA, exploring the memories of our ancestors using the Animus Device. Blood holds the key to every adventure. It's the holding cell for memories, and the life force of existence. There are around 240,000 people living with blood cancer in the UK. Together, blood cancers are the fifth most common type of adult cancer, the most common cancer amongst children and the third most fatal cancer. Your support will ensure that those fighting leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and all types of blood cancer are able to live longer, better lives. In particular, your financial support will fund lifesaving research that will be used to improve diagnosis, treatment and care. Beating Cancer is in our blood. We are Assassins. GoFundMe Our Partners AC United Kingdom All-Father Media AndyReloads Cadaea G Assassin HangryHiggs Ironside George Ropotopolous The Hidden One The Podyssey Podcast Team: ExileAC & WillisMakesMovies Ubisoft We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our partners for supporting the 2025 Assassin's Creed Community Fundraiser! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author A collection of articles from The Ones Who Came Before team. TOWCB Team

AC Community Questions: Louise (TheNerdyArcher) Interview Share 8 Jul 2024 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Back To Database Col: Hi Louise, thank you for joining me for this introductory interview! In January 2024 you joined The Ones Who Came Before's Assassin's Creed Partnership Program, known as the Isu_Network. Are you looking forward to working with our content teams? Louise: I am! I’ve been a keen follower of TOWCB’s content for a long while, even getting some of my own friends into the franchise and following across various social media platforms. Thinking back to when I was new to the fanbase for Assassin’s Creed , TOWCB was one of those I kept coming back to - whether it was for news, reviews, or just the friendly interactions on socials. Pretty sure I still have the tweet where the team wished me Happy Birthday a few years back saved somewhere 😂 Everyone has been so lovely and the creativity shown is just amazing . Can’t wait to get started. I’ve already thought of so many ideas - so just wait and see :) Col: When did you first start writing, and what in your opinion would you say has been your most popular piece of writing? Louise: Creatively? It’s been something I’ve been doing since I was a kid - I was that person who would finish work early and then write for fun in lessons. So I guess nothing’s changed there! Reporting I got into a bit later on; when I started university I joined the university magazine and wrote articles on all sorts, joining the committee for a year or two. I even managed to win a few awards in the meantime. Now I’m heading back to university to study writing for a Master’s come September. :) Col: What are some of your most recent Assassin's Creed Community Projects, and what are you working on currently? Louise: I’ve eternally been trying to finish Evie’s coat since I finished the game for the first time in 2015 - as well as a few other outfits in the series I really love. These include Kass’ symposium gown, Claudia’s Brotherhood outfit, and an original design of something for Jenny 👀 But back in October with Mirage ’s release I tried my hand at trophy hunting and posted a video that was partially me speed-earning all of the trophies in the game as well as a partial (spoiler free!) review. Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? Louise: A fair few! It’s a privilege that by living in the UK I’ve been able to visit London a few times - and the town near where I grew up was featured in one of Valhalla ’s story arcs . I visited Paris and several places in Greece a few years before both Unity and Odyssey released. But there’s still dozens of places I’d love to go - Italy is on the top of my list, and I would love to visit parts of the US one day. Col: Which Assassin's Creed game is your favourite and why? Louise: What a question! I think everyone who knows me is well aware Syndicate is the one after my own heart. While Unity was the first title in the series I ever played, it was the Twins who got me invested with my entire being 😂 There’s a few others that hold a lot of sentimental value to me as well: Black Flag as it was the favourite of the person who got me into the series (Jenny is also one of my favourite characters in the franchise, and man do I love the sea shanties too). I still remember the awe when I booted up Origins for the first time and just sat at the menu listening to the theme for almost an hour. The key to my heart is to show me a video game with a great soundtrack. Col: Have you attended any events within the Assassin's Creed Community? Louise: A few! Sadly I was just just joining in with community events when the Pandemic happened, so I’ve only been to a couple - most recently the AC Symphonic Experience in London. But I did attend the event in 2019 too. Then towards the end of 2022 I was invited by Ubisoft to the opening of their 878AD exhibition in Winchester - which I would highly recommend visiting! Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV show or future game? Louise: When I’ve thought about my dream AC show, I’ve always wanted to see something more anthology based - so instead of being focused around a time period, why not have it follow a Piece of Eden. Like the original idea for Unity , we see it change hands between Assassins and Templars over the centuries. Building the world around what we already have would be the big thing I’d love to see, though. Instead of focusing on the main protagonists, what is everyone else doing - especially if an episode/plotline is set in a time period or location already seen once before. (Kind of like how The Resurrection Plot had a small Evie Frye cameo but the story wasn’t about the Twins and Henry). Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve? Louise: Trying new things! While I enjoy writing, there are a few other things I would love to try my hands at - cosplay is a big one of those! Video stuff is also something I am getting myself back into creating, on a few different topics. From reviews of titles, full historical deepdives, and even a little series of learning how to speedrun a game - they’re all in the works :) I just want to have fun with it all, first and foremost. Col: What would you say is your most significant community achievement to date? Louise: The sword designing workshop I was part of with the Mentor’s Guild was pretty fun! Always a fun icebreaker fun fact at parties too :) Being able to review a copy of Kate Heartfield’s The Magus Conspiracy and then seeing that review highlighted in the media section on various sites was also a lovely surprise for a book that is truly one of the best in AC transmedia. Col: What is is your favourite part of being a community member? Louise : The curiosity and the creativity just blows me away every time; from the cosplayers to the writers, the musicians - and just how positive people can be with the original creations. Col: Do you collect AC merchandise? If so, what is your favourite item? Louise: Only the ones which catch my eye, but I have a few pieces which are my pride and joy (and are we surprised to find that they’re all Syndicate themed?) My Rook’s flag is my favourite - and the one I spent the most time looking for. Col: What advice do you have for people looking to get into games journalism and creative writing? Louise : Find what’s unique about you and what you’re interested in. There’s a unique twist to anything that you can bring about! For me, that was combining my archaeology degree and LGBTQ reception of video games! Col: Where can our community members find you online? Louise: I’m on Twitter and Discord @ TheNerdyArcher , as well as Instagram and Twitch @ nerdyarcheruk ✌️ comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

The Impact of Assassin's Creed Origins Analysis Share 16 Oct 2024 Written By: Edited By: Hayden Bird Colum Blackett Back To Database When ‘Assassin’s Creed Origins’ released back in October 2017, it made an immediate impact both for fans of the series, and those who were unfamiliar with the series. ‘Origins’ introduced many new aspects to its arsenal that had fans uncertain of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games suddenly interested in the game for once. Fans loved the new and improved look that the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series had badly needed. By doing this, Ubisoft saved the briefly tarnished reputation that previous titles in the series had gotten, due to familiarity and the development issues mostly. Ubisoft had to return in a big way, and make an impact on the gaming world for fans who had lost their interest in the series after the controversy surrounding the previous two ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games that were released before ‘Origins’ : Unity and Syndicate. Ubisoft had much to prove, and the initial stamp they put out to the gaming world was necessary to the future success of the series. Ubisoft decided to explore Ancient Egypt, and created a faithful adaptation to what life in that era would have been like. Ubisoft aced the important task of returning with a bang and it propelled ‘Assassin’s Creed Origins’ to one of the top selling games in the entire series, and still to this day a popular fan favorite. Ubisoft was authentic to the era that was Ancient Egypt. They did their research on the time period and created their game as if it were an exact copy of what we would expect from life during that time. The protagonist of the game, Bayek of Siwa, is still considered by many to be the franchise's best main character, as he had charisma and was overall very likable. Which helped the game succeed by strong performances from the entire cast and also from Bayek’s voice actor, Abubakar Salim, who played his character with emotion and professionalism. His performance propelled the game into the success it has become today. So, Ubisoft did a great job not only making a great impression for the skeptical fans, but taking their time to perfect their game, as ‘Assassin’s Creed Origins’ was the first game in the series to take a full calendar year off since 2009. Ubisoft re-evaluated the series after the disappointments of 2014’s ‘ Assassin's Creed Unity’ and 2015’s ‘Assassin's Creed Syndicate’ . They knew in order to gain the trust of the fans and the media again, that they would have to be original, and not repeat the exact same formula with the same familiarity the franchise had known so well. ‘ Origins’ was completely different from the past instalments, and also started a new trend in the series which is commonly referred to as the “RPG” games. This title, meaning “role playing game”, is in reference to the drastic shift in gameplay mechanics that the previous games had not seen before. In terms of media reception and sales, ‘Origins’ was a smash hit, but this new formula did generate a form of resistance in the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ fanbase. Some fans were not willing to accept the change in the series, and rather preferred the original format the games had used every year up until its creation. However, while there were select fans who did not like this change, the majority of the community did, and it also attracted fans from other game genres to become new fans of the series, creating fans coming together with existing fans merged together continued the grow the size of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ community throughout the world. What ‘Origins’ does best, is not necessarily just its shift in formula, but more to the fact that it is overall a very good game. Not just under the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ label, but also in the aspect that the majority of what ‘Origins’ was, happened to be exactly what the gaming industry needed. ‘Origins’ did an excellent job being a great game, rather than just being known as a great ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game. It shows that there is a difference and separation in the industry, that a game can be good in its respective series, but not great outside of its umbrella, but ‘Origins’ defied that stereotype and became considered a great game in every aspect it could have. ‘Origins’ still remains an outlier in the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series, and marks the end of one era, and the beginning of another. For the most part, Ubisoft has stuck with the same formula that ‘Origins’ created. It has proven to be a success in both the sales category, and critical and fan reception. What ‘Origins’ did was bold and taking a major risk. There was no doubt this drastic change in the identity of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series we are so familiar with today, would make certain fans unhappy. Change is almost always going to be met with positive feedback, but also will be met with resistance. It is hard to accept change, no matter what area of life or entertainment that could be considered, as there will inevitably always be some fans who love the idea, but also fans who prefer the previous format. This is unavoidable, and Ubisoft clearly knew this when creating ‘Origins’ . Ubisoft had to take a risk in their decision making for ‘Origins’ . Following such a drastic change in your formula could go very good, or very bad. It could go either way depending on the quality of the product created. Ubisoft clearly had faith in ‘Origins’ , and we are glad they chose to take this risk, and believe in their game. Starting fresh from a long-running, and frankly very popular franchise is difficult. Ubisoft had a serious challenge to face when deciding which direction to take when creating ‘Origins’ , and it was clear in all aspects that they hit the jackpot. The ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series we know and love today may very well be non-existent today without the impact and importance of ‘Origins’ . So many things could've gone wrong and against Ubisoft, but they trusted in their creative vision, and in the end created a pure masterpiece that still has a major impact on both the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series, and the gaming world itself. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Hayden is a passionate Freelance Writer based in South Carolina who joined TOWCB's Writing Team in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, writing articles on all things Assassin's Creed Valhalla. He left the group to focus on studies, joining our Alumni program, but triumphantly returned with fresh ideas in 2024 to pick up where he left off, only this time covering Assassin's Creed Shadows. In 2025, Hayden took on the position of Team Leader for TOWCB's Writing Team, overseeing article releases, assisting with recruitment and providing assistance with internal operations. Hayden Bird

Assassin's Creed I: Gilded Altaïr Fanart by Thea Marie Rivedal Art Share 13 Sept 2022 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Check out this brand new piece of fanart by our very own digital artist Thea Marie Rivedal from our AC Partnership Program! I love how these art pieces capture the essence of the Assassin's Creed 15 year anniversary celebrations, as Ubisoft have been reimaging Assassin's Creed character outfits by adding gold undertones to them throughout the campaign. One thing that stands out for me is the glitch effect operating in the background, which feels very much like Animus desyncronisation. The Ubisoft Forward Assassins' Creed Showcase event even kicked off with a beautiful video showing all of the Assassins immortalised as gold statues, a poignant trip down memory lane. Although the AC Showcase event brings Assassin's Creed I week to a close, we here at TOWCB will continue to release legacy content celebrating older games. Keep an eye on our website for a daily dose of nostalgia. Until then, check our what our other team members have been up to in the Community Hub! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

The History of Baghdad during the 860's (Anarchy of Samarra) History Share 12 Sept 2022 Written By: Edited By: Michael Doyle Ashlea Blackett Back To Database In our new article, we explore the history of Baghdad during the 860's, and the conflicts which took place during that time. In Assassin's Creed Mirage, scheduled for launch in 2023, players 'follow the transformation of a defiant young man into a refined Master Assassin with a conflicted destiny.' Basim Ibn Ishaq will navigate the bustling streets of ninth–century Baghdad, exploring all four areas, from the industrial Karkh to the lush gardens of the Round City. Here are some of the key events which took place during a period of extreme internal instability within the Abbasid Caliphate. Old Baghdad image via WorldBulletin The Spiral Minaret of Great Mosque of Samarra Via Wiki Baghdad’s House of Wisdom via WembleyMatters 861AD: The anarchy began in 861 with the murder of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil by his Turkish guards, with the support of his own son, al-Muntasir. Upon his death, his son al-Muntasir claimed the title of Caliphate, but this was short-lived. No more than 6-months into his rule, al-Muntasir was dead, having been poisoned by the Turkish Military Chiefs. 862AD: Al-Muntasir was then succeeded by al-Musta’in, who was appointed Caliph by a council of Turkish military leaders. Al-Musta’in was the nephew of al-Mutawakkil and was appointed Caliph ahead of al-Muntasir’s brothers al-Mu’tazz and al-Mu’ayyad, the rightful inheritors of the Caliphate title. They were both quickly thrown in prison and forced to resign their titles to suppress their ability to rightly claim the title of Caliphate. With his competition silenced, Al-Musta’in was then able to persuade the city of Baghdad in 862 to submit to his succession, which was eventually acknowledged throughout the land. However, al-Mu’tazz and his brother continued to rally against Caliph al-Musta’in, and they were ultimately sentenced to death for their actions. Yet, this never came to pass. The Vizier (a senior minister of the Abbasid Caliphate) intervened, saving the brothers, and allowing them to flee. The Vizier was banished to the island of Crete for his actions. 863AD: In 863, al-Musta’in, who was still living in the then capital Samarra (80miles north of Baghdad), still had plenty of conflicts to navigate as the governor of Baghdad. Two Greek priests, St. Cyril and St. Methodius had become missionaries and were spreading the Greek Orthodox version of Christianity throughout the region. al-Musta’in’s was campaigning against Christianity, but this was going badly, even resulting in the death of 8,000 troops and numerous military leaders. These failures to protect the Muslim religion against the rise of Christianity saw riots across the city of Bagdad. Baghdadis cried for a Holy War, prisons were broken into, and bridges burnt, yet the Caliph didn’t listen or care. Saint Cyril 864AD: From 863 to 865 al-Musta’in continued to lose the trust of his people, with much of the region slipping into chaos and fighting men from surrounding provinces having flocked to Baghdad and Samarra to fight and plunder. 865AD: In 865, the rule of al-Musta’in was slowly falling apart. After disagreements with the Turkish leaders, al-Musta’in felt that his life was in danger. So, alongside the company of two other Turkish leaders, Bugha al-Sharabi and Wasif al-Turki, he left Samarra on a boat to East Baghdad. The Turkish leaders, upon hearing of al-Musta’in’s sent a party of captains to apprehend the Caliph and requested that he returned to the capital of Samarra. Al-Musta’in refused, and after a heated discussion with the Turkish speakers, one of them received a blow. This insulted the Turkish officers, and upon their return to Samarra, they brought al-Mu’tazz (the rightful Caliph) out from his confinement and appointed him as Caliph. Within a few weeks, the new Caliph al-Mu’tazz and his brother Abu Ahmad al-Muwaffaq, along with 50,000 Turks and 2,000 Berbers besieged Baghdad. The Abbasid civil war, which lasted for about a year, largely revolved around a prolonged siege of Baghdad and resulted in the continued scarcity of food and money in the city. As the conflict raged on, members of the Abbasid family with Baghdad, without the knowledge or permission of al-Musta’in, had opened negotiations with the new Caliph al-Mu’tazz regarding the surrender of al-Musta’in. The first round of negotiations deteriorated, and thesiege continued whilst the Baghdadi people protested in the streets at the news that leader al-Musta’in, whom they still saw as the Caliph, was to be disposed of. 866AD: Ultimately, in January of 866, al-Musta’in was convinced to abdicate by his fellow Turkish officers, Wasif and Bugha, and he stepped down as Caliph. Upon his abdication, an agreement was set that his life would be spared and that he would receive sufficient income and a home in Medina. On Friday 25th January 866, al-Mu’tazz was acknowledged as Caliph in the mosques throughout Baghdad. Despite the agreement set out upon his abdication, al-Musta’in was not granted a home in Medina and was instead kept within the city of Baghdad. Ultimately, he was executed on the 17th of October 866 by order of the Caliph Al-Mu’tazz, who was playing a game at the time, later awarding the assassin 500 pieces as a reward. AC Mirage Concept Art by FrameHoldPhotography , created using Valhalla/ Origins & Photoshop How will Basim fit into the history of Baghdad? With many high-profile assassinations during the 860s in Baghdad, will Basim and the guild be connected in some way to these assassinations? Will the Vizier play a role in Mirage, his intervention in the murder of the brothers could indicate a connection to the guild? Will the two Greek priests, who spread Christianity across the land be connected to the events of Mirage? We know their actions caused uprising and riots in Baghdad, but will they be portrayed in the game? Will Basim have some role to play in the success or failure of al-Musta’in and his fellow Turkish troops fleeing to Baghdad in 864? Will Basim fight in the siege of Baghdad during the Abbasid Civil War? Will Basim and the guild influence the negotiations between the members of the Abbasid family and al’Mu’tazz? Will any of the Caliph’s during this timeframe be part of the Order of Ancients? comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Michael is a close personal friend of the admin team who has worked alongside TOWCB for many years, lending a hand behind the scenes who is best known for his time leading the Rally the Creed video-podcast. In 2022, Michael stepped out of the shadows and joined TOWCB's Writing Team, where he explored game journalism by expanding TOWCB database, filling it with guides, tips and tricks and more. After a series of article launches, he joined TOWCB's Core Team, where he now works as a Strategist, overseeing major campaigns, establishing internal systems and managing charity efforts for the group. Michael Doyle

AC Community Questions: Jebs Interview Share 29 Jun 2025 Written By: Edited By: Jebs Colum Blackett Back To Database Col: Hi Jebs, thank you for joining me for this introductory interview. Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role within the Assassin's Creed Community. Jebs: Thank you for having me! Like you said, my name is Jebs, and I’m from the UK. I guess you could say I’m a digital artist that draws a lot of anime, but I also quite like video editing. I like to use my drawing skills to make sketches and silly animations of my interests, like Assassin’s Creed, and share them with the community online. Col: In June 2025, you joined The Ones Who Came Before's Assassin's Creed Partnership Program, known as the Isu_Network. Are you looking forward to working alongside the team during the launch of the 2025 AC Community Fundraiser? Jebs: I’m definitely looking forward to it! It’s amazing seeing all the great ideas everyone on the team is coming up with to raise money for both the Blood Cancer Alliance and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It’s such a lovely way for us AC fans to rally together to make an impact and help people. Col: How excited are you for the future of Assassin's Creed? Jebs: I’m really excited for the future of Assassin’s Creed. There’s a lot of time periods that can still be explored or revisited that have such historical richness. With the advancement of the quality of gaming, there’s so much promise as to where it could go, so I’m definitely looking forward to it! Col: Which Assassin's Creed game have you been playing recently, and which game are you playing next? Jebs: Recently I’ve been playing Revelations, which I feel like I should have gotten around to a long time ago, but I just felt like nothing could have beaten Brotherhood. Next, I’ll probably replay one of the older games like Black Flag, since Edward is one of my favourite Assassins. Promo image for AC IV Black Flag Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? Jebs: I visit London quite often, so I’ve made it a point to visit as many AC Syndicate locations as possible. The big ones that come to mind include Westminster Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England. It’s really funny to be able to point at certain buildings and tell my friends ‘I’ve climbed that in Assassin's Creed’. Col: Which Assassin's Creed game is your favourite and why? Jebs: That’s a hard one to say! All of the games have something great about them, however I’d have to say Brotherhood or Syndicate. I really appreciate games that have a character with a good sense of humour trying to navigate a serious situation, and I think those two did it really well. Syndicate’s Jack The Ripper DLC was such a highlight for me because it let you play as Evie post-main story, but in a changed city she had once been so familiar with. The storyline for both games were also really compelling and immersive. Col: Have you attended any events within the Assassin's Creed Community? Jebs: Not yet, but I’m definitely looking out for them. I used to play a musical instrument when I was younger, so being able to see the Symphonic Adventure would be incredible. Col: Do you have a favourite Assassin's Creed community moment / story you would like to share? Jebs: Being able to see all the amazing comments I get on my posts makes me realise how great the community for AC is. Especially since I've opened my drawing requests page, I’ve been overwhelmed with all the great and kind things people have written! Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV show or future game? Jebs: In terms of the TV show, I think some kind of war setting would be fantastic. I would love to see an Assassin’s Creed set during the War of The Roses or during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. I love Tudor history so it would be really fun. However, I also really hope they would consider an AC II adaptation at some point as well. With the surge of video game to TV adaptations recently like The Last of Us and Fallout, I think it could happen! Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed II Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve? Jebs: I think being noticed by Ubisoft would be really cool. Or, finally getting that last one percent on Syndicate, so that it’s fully completed. Col: What would you say is your most significant community achievement to date? Jebs: Probably joining you guys as part of the Partner Program. It’s nice to see that groups like this exist to show love for such a great game. Col: What is your favourite part of being a community member? Jebs: Being able to see people's interpretations of my artwork and how it coincides with their experience of the game is really fulfilling. I also really love seeing other people’s works such as fanart, fanfiction and edits. It brings so much to the fandom, and I love all of it. Col: Do you collect AC merchandise? If so, what is your favourite item? Jebs: I don’t actively collect it, but I do have a few items. My favourite item has to be Edward Kenway’s hidden blade though. It’s really awesome how the mechanism actually works. Col: What advice do you have for people looking to get into content creation? Jebs: I would say to just do it. Even if you think you aren’t going to get popular, it’s worth it just to get your name out there. There’s going to be an audience for anything, so just be yourself and show what you have to offer to viewers! If you’re passionate about it, people will enjoy it. Col: Where can our community members find you online? Jebs: You can find me on TikTok via my account @ jebsotherposts , or on Instagram @ jebs.arts where I’ve recently started posting! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author In June 2025, Jebs joined TOWCB's Art Team in an effort to widen the variety of art styles on the team. She is known online for her unusual art style, which can be described as a mix between doodling, sketching and anime, pieces which are often animated, bringing a ton of personality and fun to her work. Throughout 2025 and beyond, Jebs will be working alongside TOWCB's Art Team on a variety of projects which range from creating art for fundraising to live art creation watch-alongs! By joining the AC Partnership Program, we aim to boost her profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Jebs

Ashlea is the Editor/ Charity Project Coordinator for The Ones Who Came Before on its wide variety of social media platforms. ​Her main responsibilities for TOWCB involve creating and editing articles, organisation of events and coordinating our charity fundraising, as well as hosting the Rally The Creed Podcast. Previous Next Editor Ashlea Blackett Previous Partner Ashlea is the Editor/ Charity Project Coordinator for The Ones Who Came Before on its wide variety of social media platforms. Her main responsibilities for TOWCB involve creating and editing articles, organisation of events and coordinating our charity fundraising, as well as hosting the Rally The Creed Podcast. Twitter Work

Frame Hold Photography is a passionate Virtual Photographer who joined our Video Content Creation Team in Summer 2022, as we began our efforts to break away from solely written content. During a period of uncertainty for TOWCB website, FHP stepped up and took on the role of Site Manager, overseeing our restoration efforts. Our website today now sits at the top of many Google searches📈 Outside of AC, she is also a full time editor and visual effects artist on TV commercials, and has been putting her skills to use in the community by creating epic Assassin's Creed tribute videos, miniature figure painting videos and editing episodes of our Rally the Creed podcast! Previous Next Core Team Frame Hold Photography Frame Hold Photography is a passionate Virtual Photographer who joined our Video Content Creation Team in Summer 2022, as we began our efforts to break away from solely written content. During a period of uncertainty for TOWCB website, FHP stepped up and took on the role of Site Manager, overseeing our restoration efforts. Our website today now sits at the top of many Google searches📈 Outside of AC, she is also a full time editor and visual effects artist on TV commercials, and has been putting her skills to use in the community by creating epic Assassin's Creed tribute videos, miniature figure painting videos and editing episodes of our Rally the Creed podcast! X (Twitter) | Instagram | BlueSky | YouTube Work

This Week in Assassin’s Creed Virtual Photography: 6th to 12th March Community Share 14 Mar 2023 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Welcome to the weekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from The AC Partnership Program. Every week I will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. Aaron is a keen virtual photographer and loves to post his journeys through Assassin’s Creed on Twitter. Keep an eye on the site as more weekly shots are added, we are looking for captures across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to the #TOWCBWeeklyCapture for a chance to be featured. This week’s theme: Assassin’s Creed The Battle Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey VP Artist: @ coalabr14 This week’s showcase begins with an epic battle shot from Odyssey. I am really enjoying the mood of this capture. It has a very cinematic style and reminds me of the Gladiator movie. Kassandra looks like a true warrior, deflecting the Athenian shield while her sword is on fire. I wish these battles were in Valhalla. Would have been great to be part of a shield wall. Link: https://twitter.com/coalabr14/status/1632687287137103873?s=46&t=rIujpeSq9644fgpRWA_xMA The Ones Who Came Before Photo of the Week: Judge - Colum Blackett ( Col_96 ) from TOWCB Core Team I love how Kassandra and her flaming sword take centre stage in this shot, captured during one of the large-scale battles which Odyssey recreated so well. For me, this shot looks good enough to have been an official promotional image for the game, and uses colour particularly well to create an atmosphere. Kassandra almost certainly executed her attacker moments later. Surprise Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP Artist: @ m_nt_13 A bit of comedy for our second shot this week. This capture just brings a smile to my face. My daughter does the same thing to me if I don’t pay her attention. All jokes aside this shot is fantastic, it is the perfect mix of timing and positioning. I applaud m for originality here, really brings something quirky and different to our VP showcase. Women of the Creed Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Platform: PS5 VP Artist: @ Amaya_Nocturna It was International Women’s day on Wednesday and what better way to celebrate than this beautiful capture of Eivor. I am always a sucker for black background shots, I feel it elevates the subject so well. The lack of colour in general here adds to a vintage feel that compliments the classic Assassin look. This shot would make a stunning phone wallpaper. Enter the Creed Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP Artist: @ Virtual_Polly Valhalla often receives criticism for its lack of Assassin’s, however I enjoyed exploring the hidden Bureaus. This shot certainly shows off why they are such a delight to uncover. I like the angle of this capture as it encompasses the fiery Assassin symbol with Eivor stood in the centre. I love the shadow work, especially Eivor’s. This photo is full of mystery and intent, and it makes me want to fire up the game again. Edward Kenway Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP Artist: @ FrameHoldPhotos I had to end this week with a celebration of everyone’s favourite Pirate. It is very much a pirate’s life for this seafaring Assassin. Edward brought about a change to the formula and the reception was favourable. I love this capture, a beautiful celebratory shot in the modern format. The sea, sand, outfit and sky are a pleasure to look at. Happy Birthday Edward Kenway! Link: https://twitter.com/frameholdphotos/status/1634255117544202257?s=46&t=rIujpeSq9644fgpRWA_xMA And that sums it up for this week’s Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out this week’s photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next week keep those shots coming in! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Best quotes in Assassin's Creed Unity Share Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Back To Database comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Caleb Allen: Red Tartan Project Community Share 22 Feb 2019 Written By: Edited By: Caleb Allen Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Happy AC Day from Caleb's Cosplay! To celebrate the day and the holiday season, we tasked him with creating a new outfit for his iconic Scottish Assassin, Ren Faulkner. The red tartan certainly is striking! "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."Happy AC Day! In collaboration with @ ACFirstCiv and in honor of both the season and the franchise, I decided to give Ren Faulkner a new look with a red and green tartan! Got to say, I love how striking the red is. I might have to get my own red tartan now. This franchise has been an wild ride since I started playing the first game years ago. I had a lot of catching up to do as a newcomer, but I got there eventually. Now I'm cosplaying different Assassin characters of my own make and collaborating with an awesome fan community page as a creator! My favorite thing about Assassin's Creed is the imagination and creativity of the fans who bring new and different ideas into the work that @Ubisoft does. My Scottish Assassin started this cosplay page and I'm so grateful to everyone who has complimented me and helped me with my content! You all rock! We are Assassins! You can follow Caleb on Instagram comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Caleb is an actor and aspiring cosplayer who is best known for his Scottish Assassin project. His iconic character known as Ren Faulkner was instantly a fan favourite, but Caleb has also created other characters, all with a name and backstory In 2020, Caleb left the program to focus on non AC projects. We wish him luck with his future endeavours. Caleb Allen

Calvin is a video creator based in the UK who joined TOWCB's Video Content Creation Team in Autumn 2024. Known online for his short comedy videos (skits), Calvin was brought onboard to inject a degree of personality and humour into TOWCB's social media presence. He is a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series who will be helping TOWCB grow, with a particular focus on producing content for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram. Previous Next Video Content Calvin Whiteway Calvin is a video creator based in the UK who joined TOWCB's Video Content Creation Team in Autumn 2024. Known online for his short comedy videos (skits), Calvin was brought onboard to inject a degree of personality and humour into TOWCB's social media presence. He is a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series who will be helping TOWCB grow, with a particular focus on producing content for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram. Instagram │ TikTok | Professional Instagram Work

AC Community Questions: Aita_Sageblood (Nathan) Interview Share 19 Jul 2025 Written By: Edited By: Aita_Sageblood Colum Blackett Back To Database Welcome back to another article in our Assassin's Creed Community Questions series, made up of interviews with Assassins based around the world. This week, we are joined by Nathan ( Aita_Sageblood ), who recently joined our Assassin's Creed Partnership program as an Art Team Member! Col: Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role within the Assassin's Creed Community. Nathan : Hello, my name is Nathan, also known as Aita_Sageblood on my socials, I am a 25 year old self-taught digital artist from the UK with a…borderline unhealthy obsession with the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Regularly playing the games and drawing fanart of the characters since early 2018-19. I have been a fan of AC since about 2013 when I found a “Brotherhood and Revelations” game bundle in a game bargain bin; quickly fell in love with the games, everything from the (at the time) world breaking graphics, the more mature gameplay and an intricate and fascinating story that spanned many games, what wasn’t there to love? And, well, the rest is history! My love for the franchise only grew further when I found myself on an App called Amino, where I was a curator of the AC fan group for a time; finding so many likeminded fans thoroughly cemented my passion for AC as a whole. Col: Are you looking forward to working alongside the team during the launch of the 2025 AC Community Fundraiser? Nathan: I had heard of groups such as the "Mentor’s Guild" and "Isu_Network" over the years, both from what they do and their close relationship with Ubisoft. I had always held a dream of one day being fortunate enough to take part in such a group, yet thought it was nothing more than a fantasy. So, when I was invited, needless to say I was over the moon at the prospect of lending my skills to the group. Col: How excited are you for the future of Assassin's Creed? Nathan: The future of Assassin’s Creed is certainly a tantalising prospect to consider, from its moderately humble beginnings to current day, it’s been a long journey and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Will we see more of Basim/ The Isu Reborn in future instalments? How about finally uncovering the secrets of the Isu before the Toba Catastrophe? Will Shaun Hastings be involved? (He better be!) Col: Which Assassin's Creed game have you been playing recently, and which game are you playing next? Nathan: After recently getting the platinum on AC Shadows, I have since gone back and started my fourth playthrough of Origins, which has to be my absolute favourite AC game and protagonist in the entire series. Col: Have you visited any of the locations from the games? Nathan: I have actually recently come back from a holiday to Egypt! Starting in Cairo, then down to Luxor and back again, it was a childhood dream come true, even if my tour guide was starting to get a little tired of me saying things like "I climbed that!" and "Bayek did X-thing here!" :P Col: Which Assassin's Creed game is your favourite and why? Nathan: As I mentioned previously, Assassin's Creed Origins has to be my absolute favourite in the entire series, not only because I have been obsessed with Ancient Egypt since I was a young boy, but also because of just how amazing Bayek's story was, from a grieving and vengeful father to a wise and talented mentor of the Hidden Ones. Aya and Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) Col: Have you attended any events within the Assassin's Creed Community? Nathan: Unfortunately, not... unless attending MCM Comic Con in homemade cosplays of Ezio and Jacob Frye? Col: Do you have a favourite Assassin's Creed community moment/ story you would like to share? Nathan: A personal favourite moment from my time in the Assassin's Creed community over the years, has to be during MCM ComicCon 2018, where I met up with many fellow AC fans in cosplay, had many a good laugh and eventually played hide and seek to see who of us was a "master assassin" in disguise. (IE grown adults in hiding in crowds of other cosplayers and avoiding each other.) Col: What would be your dream setting for the upcoming AC Netflix TV show or future game? Nathan: Seeing as we were already lucky enough to experience the founding of the Hidden Ones through Bayek and Aya's journey; my dream game or show would be the flipside and experience the founding of the Order of The Ancients/Templars similar to Shay's story in AC Rogue. Especially as they seem to have been aware of humanity's original purpose as slaves to the Isu during pre-history. Col: Do you have any personal AC goals you would like to achieve? Nathan: While it has been a far-of-dream of mine to be a part of a group such as the Isu-Network, a personal goal of mine is to one-day be lucky enough to visit the Ubisoft Montreal offices; however, I don't believe that'll ever be possible as its closed to the public; but you never know? Ubisoft Montreal Studio (Via Ubisoft) Col: What would you say is your most significant community achievement to date? Nathan: The fact that there is still an incredibly active fanbase for a game that is so passionate about Assassin's Creed is already and achievement in and of itself; but I believe that the most significant has to be how a large percentage of us regularly get together to find ways to support charities all around the world. Col: What is your favourite part of being a community member? Nathan: I have only been a part of the Isu_Network for just over a month, but the fact I have already been welcomed in with open arms and given the opportunity to share my thoughts/opinions with the group as a whole is incredibly heart-warming to me; I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Col: Do you collect AC merchandise? If so, what is your favourite item? Nathan: Hehehe, may not be an American, but I plead the fifth. Joking aside, yes, I suppose it could be said that I have an...extensive collection of Ac merchandise; everything from collector's editions of every game to the statues by PureArts. However, as hard as this is to choose, my absolute favourite bit of AC memorabilia has to be a pack of limited edition playing cards that I was lucky enough to be sent from Ubisoft during the 15th anniversary where they had seen my fanart and had chosen me to receive such a lovely gift. Col: What advice do you have for people looking to get into content creation? Nathan: While I should recommend things like looking at current trends and analytics; what I would personally recommend is finding something that you personally enjoy doing, whether fanart, fanfiction or something else entirely; and simply making/sharing it when you've finished. It doesn't have to be a certified masterpiece or the next big thing; start small and work your way up. As long as you're passionate about it, share it with your fellow fans, the majority of us will support you. Col: Where can our community members find you online? Nathan: You can find on various social media platforms. Like Instagram , X (Twitter) and Cara , under the name Aita_Sageblood... look, I'm not the most creative with usernames, ok? :P However, I most frequently use Instagram, so if you'd ever like to have a chat, ask for art advice or anything else, please do not hesitate to pop me a message. :-) We would like to say a huge thank you to Nathan for joining us for this interview. Keep an eye out for his content on his own personal channels (above), and also TOWCB social media platforms (below). comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author In June 2025, Aita_Sageblood (Nathan) joined TOWCB's Art Team in an effort to widen the variety of art styles on the team. He is known online for his vibrant digital artworks, bringing colour and energy to each and every project. In January 2026, Nate was promoted to Art Team Leader, and throughout 2026 will be working alongside TOWCB's Art Team on a variety of projects which range from creating art for fundraising to live art creation watchalongs! By joining the AC Partnership Program, we aim to boost his profile within the community and create a meaningful relationship with Ubisoft. Aita_Sageblood