One of the most memorable moments in the entire Assassin’s Creed series unfolds near the beginning of Assassin’s Creed 3, when Haytham Kenway concludes his recruitment of a team in the New World. Players are initially led to believe they're joining a band of assassins. Haytham's use of a hidden blade, his charisma rivaling that of the iconic Ezio Auditore, and his actions up to this point—freeing Native Americans from prison and confronting British redcoats—paint him as a hero. However, the illusion shatters when he utters the Templar mantra, "May the Father of Understanding guide us," revealing that we've been following the series' antagonists, the Templars.

This twist exemplifies the peak of Assassin’s Creed’s narrative potential. The original game introduced a captivating premise—tracking, understanding, and assassinating targets—but its story and characters, including protagonist Altaïr, lacked depth. Assassin’s Creed 2 improved with the more charismatic Ezio, yet failed to develop his enemies, such as Cesare Borgia in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. It wasn't until Assassin’s Creed 3, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, that Ubisoft fully fleshed out both the hunters and the hunted. This approach created a seamless narrative flow and a harmonious blend of gameplay and story, a balance yet to be replicated in subsequent games.

While the current RPG-focused era of the series has received acclaim, many fans and critics argue that Assassin’s Creed is in decline. Debates on the cause range from the increasingly fantastical settings involving gods like Anubis and Fenrir, to the inclusion of diverse romance options and the introduction of real historical figures like Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, I believe the true decline stems from the series' shift away from character-driven storytelling, now overshadowed by expansive sandbox elements.

Over time, Assassin’s Creed has expanded its original action-adventure format with RPG and live service elements, including dialogue trees, XP-based leveling, loot boxes, microtransactions, and gear customization. Yet, as these installments have grown larger, the essence of the series has felt increasingly diluted. Not only have side-missions like climbing towers and collecting items become repetitive, but the core storytelling has also suffered.

While a game like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offers more content than its predecessor Assassin’s Creed 2, much of it can feel superficial and underdeveloped. The inclusion of player choice in dialogue and actions, meant to enhance immersion, often results in less polished scripts stretched thin across multiple scenarios. In contrast, the focused scripts of the earlier action-adventure games allowed for well-defined characters that weren't compromised by the need to cater to various player choices.

This shift has compromised the immersion, making interactions with characters feel more like dealings with AI than with complex historical figures. The Xbox 360/PS3 era of Assassin’s Creed delivered some of the finest writing in gaming, from Ezio’s passionate "Do not follow me, or anyone else!" declaration after defeating Savonarola, to Haytham’s poignant final words to his son, Connor:

"Don't think I have any intention of caressing your cheek and saying I was wrong. I will not weep and wonder what might have been. I'm sure you understand. Still, I'm proud of you in a way. You have shown great conviction. Strength. Courage. All noble qualities. I should have killed you long ago."

The narrative quality has declined in other ways as well. Where modern games often simplify the moral divide as Assassins = good and Templars = bad, earlier entries explored the nuances between the two factions. In Assassin’s Creed 3, each defeated Templar challenges Connor's—and the player's—beliefs. William Johnson suggests the Templars could have prevented the Native American genocide, Thomas Hickey criticizes the Assassins’ unrealistic goals, and Benjamin Church highlights the relativity of perspective, noting that the British viewed themselves as victims.

Haytham attempts to undermine Connor’s trust in George Washington, asserting that the new nation would be no less tyrannical than the monarchy it opposed—a claim validated when it's revealed that Washington, not Charles Lee, ordered the burning of Connor’s village. By the game’s end, the player is left with more questions than answers, enhancing the narrative's depth.

Reflecting on the series' history, the enduring appeal of Jesper Kyd's "Ezio’s Family" from Assassin’s Creed 2 as the franchise's theme speaks volumes. The PS3 games, especially Assassin’s Creed 2 and Assassin’s Creed 3, were fundamentally character-driven. The melancholic guitar strings of "Ezio’s Family" evoke Ezio’s personal loss rather than merely the Renaissance setting. Despite the impressive world-building and graphics of recent Assassin’s Creed titles, I hope the franchise will return to delivering the focused, intimate stories that initially captivated me. However, in an industry increasingly favoring expansive sandboxes and live service models, such a return might not align with "good business" practices.