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Is Assassin’s Creed Considered an RPG? A Deep Dive

The question of whether Assassin’s Creed is an RPG is complex and often debated. While the earlier titles leaned heavily into action-adventure and stealth, the series has undeniably incorporated significant RPG elements in recent iterations. Therefore, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no; it’s a nuanced “it depends.” Games like Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla feature extensive character progression, skill trees, gear customization, dialogue choices impacting the story, and expansive open worlds ripe for exploration, all hallmarks of the RPG genre.

The Evolution of Assassin’s Creed: From Stealth Action to RPG Hybrids

The original Assassin’s Creed focused primarily on social stealth, parkour, and historical fiction. While it had light character progression in the form of unlocking new abilities, it lacked the deeper systems that define a true RPG. The narrative was largely linear, with limited player agency in shaping the story’s outcome.

However, with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft began a clear shift. Players now had a character level, a diverse range of weapons and armor with varying stats, and skill trees allowing them to customize Bayek’s playstyle. Side quests became more prevalent, often featuring compelling narratives and moral choices. This trend continued and intensified with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, adding even more robust RPG mechanics. Players could now choose dialogue options that directly influenced quest outcomes, forge alliances with different factions, and even pursue romantic relationships.

Defining RPG Elements

To understand why these later Assassin’s Creed games are often classified as RPGs, it’s crucial to define what constitutes the RPG genre. Key elements include:

Character Progression: Leveling up, gaining experience points, and improving attributes.
Customization: Equipping different gear with varying stats, modifying skills, and tailoring a character’s appearance.
Skill Trees/Ability Systems: Unlocking and upgrading abilities that define a character’s combat style and approach to challenges.
Dialogue Choices and Story Impact: Making decisions in conversations that affect the narrative and relationships with other characters.
Open World Exploration: Freedom to explore a large, detailed world and discover side quests, secrets, and hidden locations.
Moral Choices: Making decisions that have ethical consequences and impact the game world.

Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all feature these elements to a significant degree. While the core gameplay still revolves around assassination and parkour, these mechanics are intertwined with RPG systems, creating a hybrid experience.

The Case Against “Pure” RPG

Despite the inclusion of RPG elements, some argue that Assassin’s Creed isn’t a “true” RPG. Their arguments often include:

Forced Protagonist: You’re generally locked into playing a specific character with a pre-defined backstory, limiting the role-playing aspect.
Linear Narrative Core: While side quests offer choices, the main storyline often remains relatively fixed, reducing player agency in the overall narrative.
Emphasis on Action: The combat and traversal mechanics are often prioritized over character development and narrative depth.
Less Emphasis on Stats: The focus isn’t always on complex stat management or tactical decision-making.

In essence, these arguments suggest that while Assassin’s Creed borrows RPG elements, it doesn’t fully embrace the genre’s core principles of player-driven narrative and character customization.

A Hybrid Genre Approach

Ultimately, the classification of Assassin’s Creed as an RPG depends on your definition of the genre. It’s perhaps more accurate to describe the more recent entries as action-RPG hybrids. They blend the established gameplay of the franchise with elements borrowed from the RPG genre to create a unique experience. Assassin’s Creed Mirage has shifted away from the RPG formula of Valhalla to incorporate more stealth gameplay. This hybrid approach has proven successful for Ubisoft, attracting a wider audience and revitalizing the series.

The ongoing debate surrounding the genre classification highlights the evolving nature of video games. Genres are not always rigid categories, and many games successfully blend elements from multiple genres to create innovative and engaging experiences.

FAQs: Your Assassin’s Creed RPG Questions Answered

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to provide additional information on whether or not Assassin’s Creed is an RPG game:

What does RPG mean in Assassin’s Creed context? In the context of Assassin’s Creed, RPG elements typically refer to features like character leveling, skill trees, gear customization, dialogue choices, and open-world exploration, allowing players to develop and personalize their character’s abilities and playstyle. The Games Learning Society may classify this under transformative play.
Which Assassin’s Creed games are considered RPGs? Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla are most commonly considered RPGs due to their extensive use of character progression, skill trees, gear customization, and dialogue choices.
Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla a “true” RPG? Whether Valhalla is a “true” RPG is subjective. It contains many RPG elements but also retains the series’ core action-adventure and stealth gameplay. It’s best described as an action-RPG hybrid.
Why is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey considered an RPG? Odyssey is considered an RPG because it significantly expanded upon the RPG elements introduced in Origins, featuring a larger open world, more extensive skill trees, dialogue choices that impact the story, and a greater emphasis on character customization.
Is Assassin’s Creed Mirage an RPG? Assassin’s Creed Mirage represents a return to the series’ roots, focusing more on stealth and a smaller, more linear narrative. It has fewer RPG elements compared to Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.
Will future Assassin’s Creed games continue to be RPGs? Ubisoft has indicated that future Assassin’s Creed games will vary in length and may not all follow the open-world RPG template of recent titles. Some will be more focused on stealth and narrative, while others may continue to explore RPG mechanics.
What are the main differences between early Assassin’s Creed games and the RPG-focused ones? Early Assassin’s Creed games focused primarily on stealth, parkour, and a linear narrative. The RPG-focused entries added character leveling, skill trees, gear customization, dialogue choices, and expansive open worlds with numerous side quests.
Does the inclusion of RPG elements make Assassin’s Creed a better game? Whether the RPG elements improve the game is subjective and depends on individual player preferences. Some players enjoy the increased customization and character progression, while others prefer the more streamlined action-adventure gameplay of the earlier titles.
How do dialogue choices affect the story in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla? Dialogue choices in Odyssey and Valhalla can significantly impact quest outcomes, relationships with other characters, and even the ending of the game. They allow players to shape the narrative and their character’s role in the world.
Are there any drawbacks to the RPG direction of Assassin’s Creed? Some players feel that the RPG elements have diluted the series’ core identity, shifting the focus away from stealth and historical accuracy. Others find the open worlds too large and filled with repetitive content.
Is Assassin’s Creed Infinity an RPG? Assassin’s Creed Infinity is not a game itself, but rather a platform that will host future Assassin’s Creed titles. Whether those titles will be RPGs will vary depending on the specific game.
What is the best Assassin’s Creed game for RPG fans? Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is often considered the best entry for RPG fans due to its expansive open world, extensive character customization, and impactful dialogue choices.
How does gear customization work in the RPG Assassin’s Creed games? In Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, players can find and equip various weapons and armor pieces with different stats and abilities. They can also upgrade and customize their gear to further enhance their character’s strengths and weaknesses.
Is combat harder in the RPG Assassin’s Creed games? Combat in the RPG Assassin’s Creed games can be more challenging than in the earlier titles, as enemies have levels and varying strengths and weaknesses. Players need to utilize their skills, gear, and abilities strategically to succeed.
How does Assassin’s Creed balance historical accuracy with RPG elements? The RPG Assassin’s Creed games strive to maintain a balance between historical accuracy and gameplay mechanics. While the core historical setting is generally adhered to, the RPG elements often introduce fictional elements and liberties to enhance the player experience.

The debate over whether Assassin’s Creed is an RPG is likely to continue as the series evolves. The franchise’s willingness to experiment with different genres and gameplay mechanics is a testament to its adaptability and its commitment to providing players with engaging and immersive experiences.

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Is Assassin’s Creed considered an RPG?