Although not a whole lot of direct story details have been revealed for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, there's still been plenty to go on. Whether that's Eivor's clan traveling to England to secure a better life or King Alfred the Great serving as an antagonist, it does seem to be coming all together. Fans also likely know that this won't be a traditional Assassin's Creed game in that Eivor appears to work with the Hidden Ones, but for at least a portion of the game, is not a Hidden One in name.
Of course, it's non-traditional already for a game to be focused on a predecessor to the Assassins, as while Amunet and Bayek found the Order in AC: Origins, the first game dubs the organization Assassins. There's a 300 year difference that'll be interesting to how it manifests in character differences in-game, and fans have recently learned the man behind the Hidden Ones in Valhalla: Basim. Interestingly enough, though, Basim bears a ton of striking resemblances to Ezio, which may just foreshadow his importance.
Basim vs. Ezio
Beginning with the overarching character design, the similarities between the two, specifically Ezio in Assassin's Creed Revelations, are undeniable. Both are wearing a grey suit vs the traditional white for Assassins, although Ezio's is much darker. Both have a blue hue to them, with scarfs and minor details to make the design pop more with a strong red color. Although the image above doesn't show it as well, both of them have a layer of spaulders on their left shoulder, although Ezio's is again a bit more flashy. Basim meets Sigurd, Eivor's brother, in Constantinople, so this isn't much of a surprise. It is telling, nonetheless.
However, it is the face that stands out the most. While the above image of Basim seemingly tries to hide it as much as possible, there's undeniable structural similarities. The facial hair is styled slightly different but is clearly the same salt-and-pepper color, and their faces are both tight and somewhat bony. Particularly around the cheeks, the two characters have undeniably similar designs when putting Assassin's Creed Revelations Ezio and Assassin's Creed Valhalla Basim side by side. The answer to the why may be simple as much as it isn't.
Basim's Role in the Greater Assassin's Creed Universe
Assassin's Creed has very much been a story of generations and families fighting for the cause, but there has always been some confusion as to how some of the more ancient figures are directly connected. In the past, it has been mentioned that both Ezio and Altair are ancestors to Desmond, and that it's this intermingling with his conception that makes him special. Essentially, one comes from Desmond's patrilineal line and the other from his matrilineal line.
But that itself poses a few questions. Because they both have Eagle Vision, they have Isu blood in their veins. While there is surely more than one Tainted One, this is the crux (for better or worse) of why Alexios or Kassandra must reproduce in Assassin's Creed Odyssey's DLC, and it would suggest that somehow, some way, and somewhere that blood became part of both Ezio and Altair. Obviously, the most direct explanation would be that Ezio is a direct descendant of Altair, but that is somewhat muddied. Past comments, as aforementioned, paint them as from two separate lines, but then Ezio in Assassin's Creed Revelations states: "Yet I am no closer to discovering the truth behind our order. So I must walk the path of my ancestor, Altair, in whose footsteps I will find my true purpose."
Perhaps this is where Basim comes in, serving as either a retcon or an explanation of how this comes to be. As such, there seems to be two explanations based on the similarities between Basim and Ezio: Basim could be used to establish some indirect relationship that, due to being hundreds of years apart, would never really raise an eyebrow. For example, if Basim has children, one could be a direct ancestor of Ezio. This would explain the similar face shape and design, to really accentuate this relationship, but would mean in so many ways that Ezio and Altair weren't technically related. After all, it would be a different bloodline with hundreds of years before Desmond's conception.
In this same vein, Basim could be more directly connected to Altair, as while Altair's parents are never introduced, Basim is an Arabic name. Basim could be a direct ancestor of Altair and an indirect ancestor to Ezio, if Ubi didn't just retcon the whole different parental line thing. Of course, they could just be of the same brotherhood, but it isn't impossible. This would open the door for a variety of ways to connect Assassin's Creed Revelations and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but furthermore, it would also be a way to connect Desmond's story to Layla's. Sure, Ubi has to be careful not to make this world feel too small, but these relationships are already well established throughout the AC universe.
The second explanation is more likely: while this may be the story of Eivor, the Isu bloodline has to carry on. In order to avoid the same flak Ubi received when it forced Alexios or Kassandra into a hetero-relationship, it could be that Eivor's story lets players role play however they wish. Basim could be a descendant of Alexios or Kassandra, he could reproduce before, during, or after the events of the game, and he could be the focal point that connects several characters together without forcing the bloodline to continue on through Eivor.
Either way, Basim bears a striking resemblance to Ezio and, as the first Hidden One post-AC Origins, indubitably has a big role in the game. The character design suggests he could be more than just a simple representative of the order, but ultimately, fans will need to wait and see what Basim has up his sleeve...other than a hidden blade.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla releases November 10 for PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with a PS5 addition releasing day one on the console on November 12.