A big part of the Assassin’s Creed universe consists of the duel timelines of the franchise. Each game tends to involve the pathway of someone exploring the memories of an ancestor that happened years or centuries in the past. The other pathway involves the machinations of the ancient war between the Templar, the Assassin Brotherhood and Abstergo Industries. Another major part of the present-day plot concerns the machinations of the Precursors. The Precusors were a race of highly advanced humanoid entities who came before humans and literally created the human race. In short, the over-arching plot of the franchise has become a mess and has completely lost focus.
It seems that less and less effort is being put toward the present-day timeline story for the Assassin’s Creed games. A huge part of the appeal of the franchise is that players get the chance to live through major moments in human history. The first game was set during the Crusades. The second game was set during the Italian renaissance. The third game took place during the American Revolution. The historical storylines are among the most appealing aspects of the game. However, since the first game, there has been an evolving mystery regarding the secrets of the Precursors and their hidden technology; or pieces of Eden in the world of the games. In the third game, protagonist Desmond Miles activated a piece of Precursor technology. Doing so killed him, but his sacrifice protected the Earth from a catastrophic solar flare. However, the process also freed the malevolent spirit of the precursor named Juno. Freeing Juno meant the possible subjugation of the Earth. The ending for Assassin’s Creed III was quite ominous, considering what Juno’s return could mean for the Earth and humanity.
After the events of Assassin’s Creed III, the plot became even more muddled. Apparently, Juno no inhabits Abstergo technology. She was able to influence her husband’s [Aita] genetic code to be imprinted on humans throughout history to essentially “reincarnate” him. These humans are called sages. Essentially, the Templar want to study and learn the secrets of the Precursors. The Assassins want to protect the Earth and stop Juno or the Templar…maybe.
The plot of the franchise has completely lost focus. It is as if Ubisoft no longer knows what direction to take the story. The present-day storyline for Assassin’s Creed Unity was essentially pointless, and more or less an afterthought to the game. Juno is no longer the threat that the end of Assassin’s Creed III hinted she would be. One gets the sense that the writers no longer know what to do with the storyline and at this point, are spreading it across so many games and spin-off titles. With all the problems Assassin’s Creed Unity suffered at launch, the franchise is now in a bit of a rut. The Ubisoft developers really need to get their heads together regarding the direction of the franchise. The modern-day storyline has become a convoluted mess and needs to be addressed. Otherwise, the franchise could continue to suffer.
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