Assassin’s Creed news has hit the internet and, given the absence of the series in 2017, we’re starved for any tidbit. The information comes in the form of a leaked screenshot. It shows a man in an Egyptian outfit in front of some sort of stone building. This could be our first look at Assassin’s Creed Empire . Only one thing comes to mind: Egypt.
This possible screenshot means we’d be taken out of our comfort zones. The Assassin’s Creed Empire screen is completely different. It’s showing us as a character in a traditional, ancient Egyptian outfit. We’re standing outside a stone ruin, which could be some sort of temple or crypt. It’s something we’ve never seen the series do before.
It’d be a wonderful opportunity to take us to a whole new setting. The Assassin’s Creed games have so far explored the Third Crusade, Renaissance, Colonial era, French Revolution, Imperial China, Victorian era, Sikh Empire, and October Revolution. Given the dress of the assassin in the leaked screenshot, as well as the setting, this could be a game that predates all previous Assassin’s Creed games. This would be huge for the series’ lore and history.
If Assassin’s Creed Empire is set in a time period that is set before Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China , we could be looking at something taking place before 221 B.C. This means we’d be in a period of time where people believed in and paid tribute to Egyptian gods and goddesses. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find mythology woven into the history? Perhaps our new hero could consider himself an agent of Osiris, Lord of the Underworld, or Nephthys, mother of Anubis and a goddess who escorted the dead to Osiris. I’d love to see fables intertwine with this entry’s fiction.
Even taking us to Egypt is exciting enough, regardless of the time during which Assassin’s Creed Empire is set. We haven’t been to Africa in the series yet, and Egypt is a transcontinental country. Not to mention, the last four main games took us to London ( Assassin’s Creed Syndicate ), Paris ( Assassin’s Creed Unity ), and both America and Europe ( Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue ). That’s entirely too much time in familiar regions. We needed a change of scenery. A reminder beyond the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles games that there are Assassins and Templars all over the world.
Ubisoft giving the Assassin’s Creed series a year off seemed like a promising thing. This leaked screenshot suggesting an Egyptian setting is even more encouraging. A series like this needs variety, so we can better appreciate the history of the Assassins. By taking us Egypt, perhaps in a time period that’s earlier than any other game in the series so much, we’re being opened up to an entirely new experience.