Assassin’s Creed Identity: A Revolutionary Mobile Gaming Experience
Introduction
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been a cornerstone of the action-adventure gaming world for over a decade, offering players immersive historical settings, engaging story lines, and stealth-based gameplay. Ubisoft expanded its reach into the mobile gaming industry with Assassin’s Creed Identity, a role-playing action game that brings the signature Assassin’s Creed experience to mobile devices. Released in 2016, this game successfully adapts the beloved mechanics of the franchise to a portable format, delivering an engaging, open-world adventure set during the Italian Renaissance.
Gameplay and Mechanics
1. The Classic Assassin’s Creed Experience
One of the most remarkable aspects of Assassin’s Creed Identity is its ability to retain the essence of the main series despite being designed for mobile platforms. Players can parkour across rooftops, engage in stealth assassinations, and battle enemies using a fluid combat system. The game offers an open-world design, allowing players to explore iconic Renaissance-era locations such as Florence and Rome.
2. Role-Playing Elements
Unlike previous mobile spin-offs of the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Identity features RPG elements, allowing players to create and customise their own assassins. The game offers four different classes to choose from:
- Berserker – A heavy-hitting warrior focusing on brute strength.
- Shadow Blade – A stealth-focused assassin excelling in silent takedowns.
- Trickster – A versatile class that uses deception and distraction.
- Thief – A fast and agile assassin specialising in speed and evasion.
Each class has unique abilities and skills that can be upgraded as players progress, making gameplay more strategic and personalised.
3. Missions and Objectives
The game consists of various missions, each with different objectives. Some missions require assassinating high-profile targets, while others involve collecting artifacts, escorting NPCs, or infiltrating enemy strongholds. The diversity of missions keeps gameplay engaging and ensures that players are constantly challenged.
Storyline and Setting
Assassin’s Creed Identity is set during the Italian Renaissance, one of the most intriguing and vibrant periods in history. The game revolves around the mysterious Crows, a faction operating in the shadows, influencing political and social affairs. Players take on the role of an assassin working for the Brotherhood, uncovering conspiracies and eliminating powerful enemies to protect the Creed’s ideals.
While the story is not as deep as its console counterparts, it successfully captures the spirit of the Assassin’s Creed universe, offering players an immersive experience through its engaging narrative and well-crafted missions.
Graphics and Visuals
For a mobile game, Assassin’s Creed Identity boasts impressive visuals. The environments are richly detailed, featuring realistic lighting, intricate architecture, and bustling Renaissance cities. Character models are well-designed, and animations flow smoothly, making parkour movements and combat sequences feel natural.
Ubisoft’s Anvil engine, which powers many of the franchise’s mainline titles, was optimised for mobile devices to deliver a console-like experience. This level of graphical fidelity enhances immersion and sets a high standard for mobile action RPGs.
Controls and User Interface
Ubisoft designed the controls to be intuitive, ensuring players could easily execute parkour moves, engage in combat, and navigate the world without complications. The game offers two control schemes:
- Virtual joystick – Players control movement with a joystick on the left side of the screen while performing actions using buttons on the right.
- Tap-to-move system – Players can tap on locations to direct their character, making movement more fluid and precise.
The UI is clean and minimalistic, allowing players to focus on the game’s action without distractions.
Multiplayer and Online Features
While Assassin’s Creed Identity is primarily a single-player game, it incorporates online features such as leaderboards and challenges, allowing players to compare their performance with others. Additionally, Ubisoft provided periodic updates, adding new missions and content to keep the game fresh and engaging.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Authentic Assassin’s Creed Experience – The game successfully translates the classic AC gameplay to mobile.
- Stunning Graphics – High-quality visuals provide an immersive Renaissance setting.
- Customiseable Assassins – RPG elements allow for strategic character development.
- Engaging Missions – A variety of objectives keeps gameplay interesting.
Weaknesses:
- Repetitive Missions – Some tasks feel repetitive after extended play.
- Microtransactions – In-app purchases for currency and items can be a downside.
- Limited Story Depth – Compared to mainline AC titles, the storyline is somewhat basic.
The Impact of Assassin’s Creed Identity on Mobile Gaming
Before Assassin’s Creed Identity, most mobile adaptations of major console franchises were simplified versions with 2D graphics or limited gameplay. However, Ubisoft broke new ground by delivering a full-fledged 3D open-world RPG on mobile devices, setting a precedent for future titles in the genre.
The game demonstrated that high-quality action RPGs could be successful on mobile platforms, paving the way for other developers to invest in advanced mobile gaming experiences.
The Future of Assassin’s Creed on Mobile
Following the success of Assassin’s Creed Identity, Ubisoft continued to explore mobile adaptations of the franchise. Titles like Assassin’s Creed Rebellion introduced new gameplay mechanics, while upcoming mobile projects aim to further push the boundaries of mobile gaming.
With advancements in cloud gaming and mobile hardware, future Assassin’s Creed mobile games could offer even more expansive worlds, deeper stories, and refined controls, bringing the experience closer to its console counterparts.
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed Identity is a groundbreaking title that successfully brings the essence of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to mobile devices. With its impressive visuals, immersive gameplay, and engaging missions, it offers players a taste of Renaissance-era assassination on the go. While it has its limitations, such as repetitive missions and microtransactions, the game remains a milestone in mobile action RPGs.
For fans of the Assassin’s Creed series or those seeking a high-quality mobile RPG experience, Assassin’s Creed Identity is a must-play title that showcases the future potential of mobile gaming.
