The Assassin’s Creed franchise is in an unusual state. The past two games have feature protagonists that aren’t and do not become Assassins. There’s even enough time, narratively speaking, to make Eivor and Kassandra Hidden Ones in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s DLC, but that doesn’t quite change the fact that neither of them plays like Assassins.
The move from action-adventure to action RPG has muddied the waters of the franchise’s identity, no matter how one approaches the game. Beyond all of that, it hasn’t really been so much about the Assassins or the Templars, either. Many are concerned about the franchise losing its identity, and with good reason. While Valhalla is still getting support, Assassin’s Creed Infinity promises to be the next stage in AC’s lifecycle, and no one knows what that will look like.
In the meantime, fans often lament that there are so few games out there that scratch the particular itch of Assassin’s Creed. The gameplay, lore, and more were once so integral that they defined the experience, and many feel some of that is lost. To twist a dagger in the situation, Ubisoft is clearly aware of its roots. Not only was there an “AC” Easter egg in The Siege of Paris that further split fans, but it seems that Watch Dogs: Legion is set to feature more true-to-roots Assassin’s Creed content than the franchise itself is.
Watch Dogs: Legion’s Darcy of the Assassin Brotherhood
Fans have known that Watch Dog: Legion would feature an Assassin’s Creed crossover for quite some time now, but with Darcy finally arriving on August 24, all of the new details sound mightily impressive on paper. While Darcy is non-canon, it’s not clear why. Many believe that Watch Dogs is essentially modern-day Assassin’s Creed, and Darcy is clearly taking advantage of that idea. Ubisoft would do well to embrace it at this point, but as it stands, the two rivers are separated.
Darcy is a modern-day member of the Assassin Brotherhood, descended from Jacob Frye. She’s not the only one of Frye’s relatives alive in London, as Sandra Cassidy is a playable, professional Hitman who is also related to Jacob Frye. Darcy is a bit more than just one of Watch Dogs: Legions’ recruitable NPCs though, as she comes with her own story and world missions.
Through these Watch Dogs: Legion story elements, players as Darcy will be going up against a modern Templar, discovering Assassin bureaus, and utilizing classic synchronization gameplay in some fashion. In other words, while Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is the latest time period in a mainline AC game (with AC Chronicles: Russia holding that spot overall ), Darcy finds herself in the most modern gameplay setting yet.
To step into an Assassin’s shoes once more, players can go back to AC Unity or AC Syndicate (or sooner). Theoretically, they can even play Assassin’s Creed Origins, as Bayek is closer to Assassin gameplay as a proto-Hidden One than either Kassandra or Eivor. Or, starting August 24, it seems they can play Watch Dogs: Legion. The writers have mentioned that they take a few liberties with her character since she isn’t canon, but she certainly sounds more Assassin-y than some recent AC protagonists.
Darcy, An Assassin Protagonist
As part of her own DLC with her own story, Darcy is a playable Assassin protagonist. Jacob and Evie Frye were the last this time happened with no half-measures (such as being a proto-Hidden One). She even comes equipped with a Hidden Blade, and while it’s hard to imagine Watch Dogs: Legion working in a lot of parkour for her, it’s hard not to see her for everything she is.
And, simply put, that’s a character designed with Assassin’s Creed in mind. It’ll be interesting to see how she claims that identity in Watch Dogs: Legion, and whether or not her story can live up to past games is up in the air. Still, for fans of the franchise, she seems worth checking out.
Watch Dogs: Legion is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.