One of the many important rules of being an assassin is to remember that it’s better to be a shadow passing unseen than a blade out in the open.
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This was a rule that Ubisoft understood well enough when it first launched its ambitiousAssassin’s Creedseries. Long before the days of anachronistic boss battles and level gating, Assassin’s Creed was all about quietly getting yourself into a position,eliminating your target, and then slipping out, efficiently if not always with subtlety.
For this list, I will be reviewing all the main entries in Assassin’s Creed to try and single out the ones that excelled in stealth.
To clarify, this list will only include games from the main saga. The basis for my picks is not just the stealth elements incorporated into the game, but how well they tie into the larger gameplay flow and level design.
10Assassin’s Creed
The One That Started It All
Assassin’s Creed
I hesitate to put the first game all the way up here because of its gameplay flow and how much it encourages youto stealthily approach your target.
But while roaming the battle-scarred Levant in the Third Crusade and methodically taking out Templar leadersis what Assassin’s Creed should be all about, I can’t help but notice that my fondness for this game is tied to the awe I felt playing it for the first time and not the actual experience of revisiting it today.
Try as we might to look for all these commendable qualities, the fact remains that the 2007 game is simplytoo outdated to compete with the rest of the franchise in any meaningful way.
Nostalgia is all well and good, but not when it gets in the way of your having fun because the map layout is too simplistic and the stealth options of sitting on a bench or going inside a roof pavilion become too repetitive after the first two hours.
9Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Ezio Prefers To Kick The Door In
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Revelationsbuilds on the Ezio Trilogy and brings its story to a satisfying crescendo, yet the gameplay pushes further away from thatoriginal mission statement of “working in the dark to save the light.”
Playing as the older Ezio makes you feel like an unstoppable force, so there really isn’t a lot of incentive to utilize stealth elements.
Even the missions are designedin a way that encourages head-on collisions. Ezio can use a variety of weapons in his arsenal to eliminate enemies without detection, but the level design doesn’t give you any reasons to do that.
At some point during Revelations, I forgot I was an assassin and truly embraced Ezio’s “kabadayı” gang leader side, walking the streets of old Constantinople and feeling like I owned the place.
8Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft Loses The Plot
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Odysseyis an amazing game, but as I always say, it justforgets to bring the Assassin’s Creed part along for the ride.
Leaning further on the new gameplay structure introduced in Origins, Alexios and Cassandra’s journey caters to almost every action RPG whim while completely overlooking the franchise’s legacy.
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You can use the environment to stay hidden and take out enemies in innovative ways — the inclusion of the crouch button really helps you utilize the environment to keep out of sight — but here’s the wet blanket that ruins my fun:
Is it really an Assassin’s Creed game anymore where I have to check my gear every time before an assassination, lest I find thatI’m too under-leveled to take out an enemy in one hit?
So, while I appreciate the sandbox design and certain builds that utilize high-damage bows, in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, you simply don’t feel like an assassin.
7Assassin’s Creed II
An Assassin Is Born
Assassin’s Creed 2
While the original Assassin’s Creed drops you straight into the hood of its titular character, the second game takes its timesetting up the birth of an assassin. What makesAssassin’s Creed IIso memorable is the level design.
It’s one thing to understand the constraints of the technology you’re working with, but to take those limitations and push the envelope in such a meaningful way is what sets this sequel apart as a classic.
You can approach most of the main storyline missions with a measure of stealth, and Assassin’s Creed II actually goes a step beyond that by making it mandatory in a few places.
Still, it was very difficult for me to revisit this game, because the gameplay came off as clunky and outdated.
During my most recent playthrough, the main missions, even when they incorporated stealth, felt like a chore more than anything, and in large part thanksto repetitive tasks and unnecessary padding.
6Assassin’s Creed III
Hide-and-Seek On The American Frontier
Assassin’s Creed III
The most noticeable change in Assassin’s Creed III is the parkour system, which allows you to navigate the American frontier by climbing trees,hiding in tall grass, and sneaking up on your targets like a true assassin.
Unfortunately, that’s just about the extent of what you’re able to do in Assassin’s Creed III as far as stealth and infiltration are concerned.
Sure, the year-on-year improvements are all there and it feels more immersive to play as Connor in the New World, but Assassin’s Creed III would only mark the beginning for what would ultimately become the biggest evolution of the franchise in the following years.
5Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Assassin Or Mob Boss?
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
The addition of the rope launcher was a truly revolutionary mechanic forAssassin’s Creed Syndicate, especially in the urban setting.
This game isn’t exactly commendable for its focus on stealth, but you’re able to combine its flowing high-speed parkour with Evie’s skill tree to make London your playground.
I still think the Chameleon ability (exclusive to Evie),allowing players to become invisible if they remain stationary, is one of the best additions to an Assassin’s Creed game ever.
It’s unfortunate that Ubisoft ditched the groundwork laid by Assassin’s Creed Unity in favor of a flashier, more action-driven sequel, but Syndicate still has its moments.
Still, it must be said thatthe cover system and grappling hook, not to mention other familiar assortments like smoke bombs and throwing knives, don’t push the envelope in any meaningful way.
4Assassin’s Creed Shadows
A True Ninja Shinobi Experience
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
While I generally find the new installments in the series to have lost the essence that drew me in all those years ago,Shadowsmight arguably be one of the best Assassin’s Creed games for fans of the stealthy approach.
This is the first game in the seriesthat allows you to go proneto avoid detection, and even move through small openings in the ground. The ability to hide in the shadows is also brilliant, especially in the context of a Samurai assassin.
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And the best part? Assassin’s Creed Shadows gives you freedom of choice.
I pick Naoe when I want to bea phantom of the night, but if it comes to putting those Templars in their place, you could always opt to choose Yasuke and bulldoze through the mob with raw, unstoppable force.
Naoe does less damage and utilizes shadows to infiltrate the enemy territory, while Yasuke, with his high-damage brute force, walks through the main entrance.
3Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
A Pirate That Doesn’t Lack Subtlety
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
It might be strange to praiseAssassin’s Creed IV: Black Flagfor its stealth mechanics when it’s mainlya game that revolves around piracy and naval battles, but the sixth main installment in the series takes the groundwork laid by Assassin’s Creed III and builds on it to deliver more flexible systems.
Edward Kenway doesn’t need to stick to the shadows to win the day,but he can be surprisingly adept at it.
At the end of the day, what I found most exhilarating aboutexploring those Caribbean forts and sugar plantationswasn’t the next sea raid, but whether I could liberate them without raising the alarms.
Black Flag made strides in incentivizing the stealthy approach bymaking it significantly harder to finish a missionif the players don’t sabotage the alarm bells.
2Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Back To Basics
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Mirage is the only game in the series that was marketed asa return to the stealth roots of the Assassin’s Creed series. The game ditches the RPG elements bogging down Odyssey and Valhallain favor of a smaller, linear narrativefocusing on stealth.
The city of Baghdadat the height of the Islamic Golden Ageis more vibrant than Egypt, Greece, and Anglo-Saxon England put together, and the stealth mechanics step into the forefront.
Mirage remind you of days when Assassin’s Creed was all about slipping past the guards unseen or escaping pursuit using a convenient, if not downright amusing, hiding spot.
Most Assassin’s Creed protagonists make you feel like an invincible force of nature, butplaying as Basim only reminded me of how vulnerable I amas a lone agent infiltrating a fortress filled with enemies.
1Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin’s Creed Stealth, Perfected
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Without the technical hiccups and performance issues at its launch,Assassin’s Creed Unitycould have gone down asa new benchmark in stealth-action gameplay. So it should be no surprise that many people consider it an underrated gem now, believing it to be one less face glitch away from being a cult classic.
When I first played Unity in 2014, I was absolutely blown away bythe sheer amount of freedomit gave me in the confines of a bustling city like Paris.
Every environment is a study in sandbox design, giving you ample opportunity to utilize the windows, the indoor areas, and other crowd elements to get closer to your target.
We all have to tap into our imagination to suspend disbelief in video games, but Unity was the first time in this franchise where I was so immersed thatI didn’t even realize I was playing a video game.
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