Summary
Assassin’s Creedhas become a staple franchise of modern gaming since its inception in 2007. AsUbisoft’smost lucrative series, it was quickly put into the dreaded annual release schedule, which produced some bumps along the road but helped establish the brand as a household name. With the series at a breaking point,Ubisofteventually took a step back,reinventing the series as an open-world RPGand extending the release window to focus on quality.
While more recent entries in the series offer a significantly different experience, they havelargely been met with critical acclaim, producing a host of new fans. Factor in the multiple spin-off projects, and the series offers a wide variety of gameplay options. Fans may be approaching this from different angles, so this list endeavors to offer a comprehensive list of alternatives; thebest games like Assassin’s Creed currently playable on the Xbox Series.
Lies of Pmost definitely takes its primary inspiration from the Soulsborne series, following that blueprint to a T, right down to the UI. What successfully elevated the game in a crowded genre, though, was the compelling story — a dark reimagining ofPinocchio.
Lies are central to the story, with binary dialogue choices that affect the course of events, similar to the branching dialogue options in games likeAssassin’s Creed Odyssey. The enemies and bosses are more intense than those in typicalAssassin’s Creedtitles, but there’s quite a bit of mechanical overlap existing betweenLies of Pand the newerAssassin’s Creedgames regarding combat mechanics.
Assassin’s Creedwas initially conceived as a next-generationPrince of Persiatitle before Ubisoft pivoted into the lucrative new license. For those looking to go back to that original inspiration,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownis the most recent entry in the series and was excellently received.
As a Metroidvania, it doesn’t share too much mechanically with previous entries in the franchise, but it does offer a significantly more polished version of thespin-off 2D stealth seriesAssassin’s Creed Chronicles. There’s a lot more platforming and a lot less assassination, but the core tenets are there.
Shadow of the Tomb Raiderwas the least well-received of the recentTomb Raiderreboot trilogy, but it is the closest to anAssassin’s Creedexperience with an improved emphasis on stealth gameplay. The game does have a few bugs, and the story goes in some strange directions, but it’s still abeautifully realized action adventureto undertake.
Lara Croft is infamous for scaling towers and temples, much like her various assassin counterparts, and there’s plenty of that on offer. There’s also an array of unlockable instant stealth kills for skulking around the rooftops and branches and eliminating enemies unseen — although the level design is somewhat disappointing in making the most of them.
A more linear and pared-back assassination simulator, but the core gameplay ofAragami: Shadow Editionwill be very familiar toAssassin’s Creedfans, and at a reasonably brief runtime, it makes a great alternative to undertaking another sprawling RPG. The player controls a supernatural spirit who is invisible to his enemies under the cover of darkness.
Each level is technically a small sandbox, with no set path to complete the objectives and an emphasis on staying out of sight and striking enemies from the shadows. There was a much-anticipated sequel that unfortunately fumbled the premise, meaning the remastered edition of the original is still the best way to experience the action.
Another cornerstone ofUbisoft’scatalog, and it’s fair to say there is some shared design philosophy between the flagship properties.Far Cryis much more FPS-based, featuring explosions and outlandish characters, but peeking underneath that hood, particularly in world design, there are some glaring similarities.
Both featuresprawling maps with an abundance of waypointsand side missions and a very comparable blueprint of exploring and scanning to uncover new waypoints and enemy positions.Far Cry 6is the most recent entry in the series and can offer a gun-toting alternative to any fans who enjoy that loop of exploration from the more recentAssassin’s Creedgames.
Hit Manis the other major AAA series about locating a particular target and ending their time on this Earth. For any fans that come toAssassin’s Creedspecifically for its trademark brand of action that distinguishes it from other open-world RPGs,Hitman 3can offer a distinctly different but also excellent take on the concept. The levels from the most recent trilogy are expertly designed sandboxes with multiple paths to spectacular yet discreet assassinations.
Unlike the assassins, Agent 47 can’t effectively fight his way out of a situation once spotted, so a well-executed plan is integral to success. All targets can be instantly assassinated, though, similar to the classicAssassin’s Creedblueprint, so they are easy to eliminate when cornered.
In many ways,CD Projekt Red’scritically acclaimedThe Witcher 3is a better recommendation, with an aesthetic and combat more reminiscent of theAssassin’s CreedRPGs.Cyberpunk 2077has successfully bounced back from its rocky launch, though, and offers some important distinctions that make it a better option.
Firstly, it delivers a more fully realized world, with an overwhelming selection of dialogue options and branching narratives offering more immersive player freedom for players who enjoy that aspect of theAssassin’s Creedgames. Secondly, it offers the option of a full stealth playthrough, stalking and killing enemies likeEzio Auditoreof the future.
It is worth mentioning at this point that some games fromAssassin’s Creed Originsand onward did dispense with the necessity for stealth somewhat, but it’s such asignificant staple of the larger series, and withAssassin’s Creed Shadowsbringing back significantly more options, it was a primary consideration for this list.Dishonored 2is the oldest entry on this list but is still the best alternative toAssassin’s Creed.
TheDishonoredseries is, in fact, probably the perfect crossover betweenAssassin’s CreedandHitman, promoting both the methodical sandbox approach and the creative vertical traversal to create the best of both worlds. Add to that a slew of supernatural powers for creative killing, and the games really stand out on their own merit. A full sequel has sadly yet to materialize, althoughArkane Studiosdid release a sort of spin-off inDeathloop,which delivered some incredible fun but ultimately failed to match expectations.
