The recently announced Assassin's Creed Hexe is one of many ambitious new projects that are bringing the longstanding series to new horizons and avenues of gameplay. While very little is currently known about the game, fans have been working hard at deciphering what little official material is currently available regarding the title to gain some idea of what can be expected from it.
One of the main points of consensus surrounding Assassin's Creed Hexe is that it will likely possess an uncharacteristically dark setting when compared to most other installments to the longstanding AC franchise. This will of course be a very interesting core motif for the title if this dark setting does in fact exist, and would be fantastic in helping the game stand out among the slew of new and exciting projects that the IP has recently announced.
The Recent Assassin's Creed Announcements
A relative stagnation surrounding the Assassin's Creed franchise was recently lifted with the recent Ubisoft Forward event, which brought with it massive news and developments surrounding the next steps for the series. One of the main announcements came with the confirmation of Assassin's Creed Mirage, which will follow the story of Basim Ibn-Ishaq prior to the events of the recent AC Valhalla.
As well as this, the franchise is finally turning its attention to a long-awaited Japanese setting with Assassin's Creed Codename Red, and also China with the Codename Jade mobile game. All of these new console-based titles will be playable via a bold upcoming live-service hub known as Assassin's Creed Infinite, which will seemingly act as the go-to launcher for all AC content going forward. In addition to these aforementioned titles, one of the most interesting upcoming releases is Assassin's Creed Hexe, which looks to be the most mysterious and vague project in the series.
The Potential Dark Setting of Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
With only a thirty-second trailer showcasing the main title-card being currently available for Assassin's Creed Hexe, there is only so much that can be inferred about the game as of right now. The tone of the trailer is a massive juxtaposition from the franchise norm, being of a much more sinister, slow, and darker pacing. At the end of the trailer, the iconic Assassin's Creed symbol hangs from a tree, being made of twigs and seemingly being suspended above a fire.
Due to this striking imagery, many fans are already theorizing that Hexe will be set in Europe during the 16th Century, with a focus on witchcraft and the extreme punishments surrounding it. The codename title itself of Hexe is a corroborating indicator of this potential setting, with "hex" often being used in the context of a curse that is most often associated with witchcraft. Given the pre-existing supernatural elements of the AC franchise, the title may explain the role of the Isu within this real-world hysteria surrounding witchcraft.
Most importantly, Hexe has been described by Ubisoft as a brand-new form of franchise experience, further indicating the significant tonal and perhaps even gameplay shift that the installment will possess. If the title were to maintain this dark setting consistently throughout, it is no doubt that the game would stand out massively when compared to the many other franchise entries, giving some much-needed variation to the longstanding IP. Being developed by series-veterans Ubisoft Montreal and also being described as a flagship title for the franchise, the unique ambition of Assassin's Creed Hexe is already clear, but it remains to be seen just how much the game will deviate from other AC entries.
Assassin's Creed Hexe is currently in development.