Assassin’s Creed Rogue – A Darker Shade of Gray -

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We’re only days away from the launch of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate on October 23, and our video series on the ways each Assassin’s Creed changed the series is nearly complete. As we gear up for gang warfare, rail travel and appearances by Victorian historical figures, let’s cast a look back at the game that changed not just the gameplay, but our perspective on the series’ story: Assassin’s Creed Rogue.

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After the success of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, it might have been easy for Assassin’s Creed Rogue to get away with delivering more of the same action on different maps. Instead, it put a new spin on the series’ usual formula, casting us as an Assassin-turned-Templar and throwing our own tactics back in our faces in a “see how you like it” reversal. Did you enjoy boarding enemy ships in Assassin’s Creed IV? Well, now they can board yours. Was it fun to stealthily ambush Templars from hiding places? Now every hiding place potentially conceals a waiting Assassin.

The near-constant interference of pesky do-gooders really drove home the conceit of being on the Templar side – instead of an unseen blade in the darkness, you were known and firmly in your enemies’ crosshairs. It went deeper than being kept on your toes at all times, too, as the Templars of Assassin’s Creed Rogue seemed nobler than manipulative ogres like Rodrigo Borgia or Warren Vidic. This time, it was the Assassins who were the diabolical schemers, controlling brutal street gangs and attempting to gas the populace of New York. But while Assassin’s Creed Rogue denied us the thrill of getting to be a bad guy, it was a nudge toward the realization that we haven’t always been told the whole story in the Assassin-Templar conflict, and that “good” and “evil” can sometimes be relative to which side you’re on.

Also, Shay carried a grenade launcher. So there’s that.

Playing as Shay was a blast for other reasons, too. Tooling around in his ship, the Morrigan, felt a lot like the sailing in Assassin’s Creed IV (meaning it was pure fun), but there were a few key differences that gave Assassin’s Creed Rogue its own flavor. With ships now able to ram and then board you, deploying a flammable oil slick was a quick way to force them to veer off, and smashing through icebergs with bow-mounted explosive shots could reveal hidden collectibles and damage smaller ships that got caught in the resulting waves. And the addition of the Puckle Gun – essentially a rapid-fire swivel cannon – made it a lot easier to pick off enemies from a distance before swinging over to board and take their ships.

While Assassin’s Creed Rogue was 2014’s last-gen Assassin’s Creed entry, it’s an important chapter in the series, as it bridges the gap between Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed III and gives the Kenway saga a satisfying finale, which is no mean feat for an interquel. It also sets in motion the events of Assassin’s Creed Unity, which we’ll cover in our final video later this week.