When it comes to franchises that have been around for as long as Assassin's Creed, convoluted lore and branching storylines that are difficult to keep track of are nothing surprising. With 12 main games and 17 spin-offs, the Assassin's Creed universe is filled to the brim with interesting characters and enthralling stories.
These stories take some pretty unsettling turns every now and then. Although Assassin's Creed isn't really considered to be a serious, dark-themed series, the 15-year-old franchise enjoyed its fair share of weird and downright disturbing moments.
10 Desmond Killing Lucy Stillman
Ever since Desmond Miles's first encounter with the Animus, it was clear to the players that interacting with the machine has a seriously detrimental effect on the original trilogy's protagonist. However, one of the most chilling of Desmond's actions was caused by him coming into direct contact with the Apple of Eden at the end of Brotherhood.
When he touched the Apple, his body became briefly possessed by Juno, a member of the Isu civilization. Under Juno's control, Desmond stabbed Lucy Stillman, an Assassin who's accompanied him from the very first game. As it later turned out, she was compromised by the Templars at the time of her death. Fans had no way of knowing that back then, making this moment one of the most effective (and disturbing) cliffhanger endings in the entire franchise.
9 Subject 16
The story of Subject 16 (or Clay Kaczmarek), is a tragic tale through and through. Starting with his troubled childhood, all the way to the mental and physical pain he had to endure as an Animus test subject, Clay paved the way for Desmond to become Subject 17 and ultimately save the world from destruction.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Subject 16 was the nature of his death. After days upon days of uninterrupted Animus sessions, he became unable to differentiate his own personality from those of his ancestors, which drove him to suicide. Clay slit his wrists with a ball-point pen and used the blood to paint several cryptic messages on the walls of his room.
8 Playing As Jack The Ripper
Assassin's Creed Syndicate was a divisive game for the series' fanbase. On the one hand, the setting was a masterfully crafted, realistic version of 19th-century London that players loved to explore. On the other, though, the game's story strayed further and further away from what it originally was, leading many fans to write the series off altogether.
The Jack the Ripper DLC, however, was a breath of fresh air, universally accepted as a well-written, self-contained story. It follows Evie as she is trying to track down the infamous serial killer. One of the most interesting moments in this DLC was when players were given a chance to control Jack the Ripper himself, gaining valuable insight into his deranged thoughts and compulsions. It made for one of the most chilling, yet innovative gameplay sequences in the entire series.
7 Al Mualim's Betrayal
The trope of a mentor and quest giver ultimately betraying the protagonist is a common one in many video games. The way it was done in the first Assassin's Creed, however, was particularly hard-hitting and emotional, as well as set the overarching tone and one of the main themes of the franchise. Towards the end of Assassin's Creed, it was revealed Al Mualim, the leader of the Assassins, was the game's antagonist from the very beginning.
He made Altair eliminate his opponents in the quest for limitless power. His transformation into a tyrannical despot was all the more disturbing, given how friendly he seemed throughout the majority of the game. Al Mualim's betrayal of the Assassins introduced players to the series' main tenets: to trust nobody, as well as to the fact that absolute power can corrupt absolutely.
6 Child Sacrifice
Many Assassin's Creed fans claim that Odyssey was the best title released after the much-needed reboot of the series in 2017. The huge open world and an abundance of things to do facilitated dozens of hours of gameplay, with many continuing to enjoy Odyssey to this day.
Its main story was full of references to Ancient Greek history and mythology, but it started off in a very disturbing manner. Due to a prophecy that foretold Alexios (or Kassandra, depending on player choice) was to bring about the fall of Sparta, it was decided that he was to be sacrificed by getting thrown off Mount Taygetos. The child ultimately ended up surviving the fall, but child sacrifice and the cruelty it entailed was definitely one of the most chilling beginnings of an AC game to date.
5 The Bleeding Effect
A side effect of prolonged Animus exposure, the Bleeding Effect can have a disastrous impact on the human mind. The best example of this is the story of Subject 16 mentioned earlier, but this phenomenon also played an important role in the life and choices of Desmond Miles.
The Bleeding Effect refers to the genetic memories of the sufferer's ancestors with their own personalities, which can have varying results. In the case of Desmond, it gifted him with Ezio's freerunning abilities and Eagle Vision. However, it wasn't long before it started negatively affecting his mental health, leading him to experience various breakdowns and hallucinations.
4 The Curse Of The Pharaohs
This DLC to Assassin's Creed Origins was widely regarded as one of the best AC story expansions ever and for a good reason. It revolves around the Curse of the Pharaohs, brought upon by grave robbers and desecrators who raided pyramids and other sacred Egyptian sites.
The curse manifested itself in the form of deformed spirits of the former pharaohs coming back to life and tormenting criminals and the innocent alike. This entire DLC was the closest the franchise has come to the horror genre and made for some truly disturbing cutscenes and gameplay sequences.
3 Romancing Randvi
While the majority of the events referenced here are disturbing due to their overwhelming brutality or horror value, this one is an entirely different beast. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Sigurd, the protagonist's best friend and step-brother, gets taken prisoner at the end of the Oxenfordscire story arc.
As soon as Eivor returns to the Viking settlement in Raventhorpe and relays the news of Sigurd's imprisonment to his wife, Randvi, the option of romancing this NPC becomes available. Surely, 9th century England was a cold and lonely place, but cozying up to one's brother's wife while they're in captivity must have been considered immoral and disturbing, even back then!
2 Basim Tricking Layla
Throughout the majority of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Basim Ibn Ishaq was one of the few NPCs who seemed genuine and upfront in his motivations and aspirations. However, due to getting corrupted by Yggdrasil, an Animus-resemblant Isu supercomputer, he became hostile towards Eivor, who in turn imprisoned him inside the machine.
Over 1,000 years later, in 2020, Layla Hassan was tricked into traveling to Norway, finding the Yggdrasil, and freeing Basim. What makes this plot so disturbing is the fact that due to radioactive poison inside the chamber containing Yggdrasil, Layla was forced to sacrifice her corporeal form and upload herself into the ancient supercomputer. She made peace with this fact and even considered it to be her destiny, but the fact remains that Basim's trickery led her to that choice in the first place.
1 The Death Of Bayek's Son
Out of the many sad and twisted origin stories of Assassin's Creed's protagonists, Bayek's past definitely takes the cake for the most depressing and disturbing one of them all. The story of Origins starts with his son's death, with Bayek dealing the final blow, albeit unintentionally. Khemu (Bayek's son) was kidnapped by the Order of the Ancient to force Bayek to reveal how to open the Isu vault which was found in a town that fell under Bayek's jurisdiction as the Medjay.
After a failed escape attempt, Bayek and Khemu find themselves held by their captors once again, with Bayek's dagger-wielding hand held up and later redirected straight onto Khemu's heart by one of them. This event, tragic as it was, drove Bayek to hunt down the Order and establish what was to become the Assassin Order.