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Assassins Creed Mirage underrated Rogue Assassins Creed Games Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Mirage underrated Rogue Assassin's Creed Games Ubisoft

Most Underrated Assassinā€™s Creed Games, Ranked

Most Assassinā€™s Creed fans can agree on which games are the best in the series ā€“ but which could use some more love? Ubisoft has released a whopping 13 entries in the franchise over the last 16 years, and that doesnā€™t count spinoff games like Assassinā€™s Creed 3: Liberation or the Chronicles line. There are bound to be some great experiences that didnā€™t quite get the same attention as the others. So, with Assassinā€™s Creed Mirage officially in the hands of the public, we thought weā€™d take the opportunity to show some underrated entries a bit of attention. It was hard to narrow down a solid list, so you should definitely check out these titles if you ever get the chance.

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5. Assassinā€™s Creed Rogue

Most Underrated Assassins Creed Rogue 5 Most Underrated Assassin's Creed Rogue 5

Youā€™d be forgiven for forgetting about the fantastic Assassinā€™s Creed 4: Black Flagā€™s little brother, Assassinā€™s Creed Rogue. To start, the game was marketed and released as an experience created almost exclusively to appease players on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 while the primary entry, Assassinā€™s Creed Unity, shipped exclusively to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Worse yet, Rogue never pretended to be interested in pushing boundaries, as its gameplay essentially boils down to being little more than a Black Flag clone. Ubisoft very transparently only needed this game to bridge the gap between console generations, but that doesnā€™t mean that it should be completely swept away.

While Rogue copies more than it should from Black Flag, Ubisoft could have picked a worse game to pull from. Naval combat, for example, is still a strong spice to the seriesā€™ otherwise straightforward third-person, stealth-action formula. Thereā€™s also Shay Cormac, who breaks tradition by telling a story about an assassin-turned-Templar. Heā€™s by no means everyoneā€™s cup of tea, but his development does add some nuance to the Creed, which is often two-dimensionally painted as a league of good guys. In general, Rogue is considered to have one of the stronger stories in the Assassinā€™s Creed franchise, which is more than enough to make it an experience worth seeking out.

4. Assassinā€™s Creed 3

Most Underrated Assassins Creed 3 4 ranked Most Underrated Assassin's Creed 3 4 ranked

How do you follow up games like Assassinā€™s Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations? In 2012, Ubisoftā€™s answer was actually fairly exciting: a game set during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Assassinā€™s Creed 3ā€™s primary protagonist, Connor, wasnā€™t quite as charismatic as Ezio, and with an astoundingly long, boring intro, many felt let down by what the game had to offer. Those who braved the mundane, however, were rewarded with the most freeing game Ubisoft had crafted yet.

Assassinā€™s Creed 3 brings together early American history and fuses it with the wilderness, as it allows players to interact with wildlife while finally venturing outside city streets. Donā€™t worry, there is still rich detail to be found in cities like New York and Boston, but the franchiseā€™s third numbered game feels like it was more interested in experimenting than it was playing it safe. To make the package even more worthwhile, Assassinā€™s Creed 3 served as the seriesā€™ introduction to naval combat, a feature that has been adopted in almost every entry since.

3. Assassinā€™s Creed Syndicate

Most Syndicate 3 Jacob Evie Frye Most Syndicate 3 Jacob Evie Frye

Assassinā€™s Creed Syndicate had the unfortunate job of launching only one year after Assassinā€™s Creed Unity, a game that nearly killed player interest in the series. With a bad taste still in their mouths, fans either went in expecting a lackluster experience ā€“ or they didnā€™t pick up the game at all. In reality, Syndicate is an entry that managed to successfully reimagine London during the Second Industrial Revolution. Virtual London is caked in atmosphere, too, making the dual protagonist story of Jacob and Evie Frye one of the easiest to get sucked into. Syndicate was also, until recently, the last of the stealth-focused entries in the series, effectively making it the culmination of nearly a decade of sneaking gameplay innovation.

2. Assassinā€™s Creed Unity

Most Underrated Unity 2 ranked Arno Most Underrated Unity 2 ranked Arno

Few games in the history of the industry received the backlash that Assassinā€™s Creed Unity did when it first launched in 2015. The sad part is that, at the time of its release, Ubisoft kind of deserved the heat it was getting. Unity caught flack for its widespread glitches, including one, notorious visual hiccup that removed the faces of some characters. Many, perhaps justifiably, called the project unfinished, making it one of the most poorly received Assassinā€™s Creed titles to date.

The worst part is that, beneath its rugged surface, was an Assassinā€™s Creed experience that raised the bar for its parkour gameplay. This entry also introduced true cooperative play, letting players join with friends to free run around the streets of late 1700s Paris. Ubisoft gave players a beautifully realized version of France that was, maybe, a bit too ambitious for its own good. On the bright side, those who give Unity a shot today will find most of its issues fixed, making it one of the franchiseā€™s most precious hidden gems.

1. Assassinā€™s Creed

Most Underrated Assassins Creed Games 1 Altair Most Underrated Assassin's Creed Games 1 Altair

Assassinā€™s Creed 2 served as a major jumping-off point for the franchise, so naturally, people love to write off the game that really started it all. Is Altairā€™s journey as exciting as Ezioā€™s? No. Is the Holy Land somewhat dull? Absolutely. Assassinā€™s Creed 1 is by no means a perfect game, but it is undeniably a sturdy foundation for what came after.

While admittedly clunky, this first entryā€™s puppeteer control system is quite novel, especially considering it pairs well as an extension of the in-game virtual reality chamber, the Animus. As for Altair, the first gameā€™s stoic lead doesnā€™t have the charisma of characters like Kassandra or the Frye twins, but if you revisit his story today, you might find that he actually fits well into the world Ubisoft created for him. Assassinā€™s Creed 1ā€™s stone-cold vibe definitely isnā€™t for everyone, and itā€™s almost nothing like what later games offer. However, itā€™s these same qualities that help it stand out after all these years. Sure, the original Assassinā€™s Creed doesnā€™t hold up spectacularly well as a standalone experience, but itā€™s a fascinating video game with influence that can still be felt today.

Which Assassinā€™s Creed games do you think are the most underrated? Be sure to leave your take on the Ubisoft franchise in the comment section below.

If youā€™re looking for more on the franchise, check out our ranking of the best Assassinā€™s Creed games.


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Michael Cripe
Michael joined The Escapist team in 2019 but has been covering games, movies, TV, and music since 2015. When heā€™s not writing, Michael is probably playing Super Mario Sunshine, Dead Space, The Binding of Isaac, or Doom Eternal. You can follow his news coverage and reviews at The Escapist, but his work has appeared on other sites like OnlySP, Gameranx, and Kansas Cityā€™s The Pitch, too. If youā€™d like to connect and talk about the latest pop-culture news, you can follow Michael on Twitter (@MikeCripe), Instagram (mike_cripe), or LinkedIn if thatā€™s your thing.