The Best Assassin’s Creed Spin-Off Games

There are so many long-running franchises in gaming, but few have managed to remain atop the industry, with every release being a major moment, in the way that Assassin’s Creed has over the past twenty years. There have been over ten highly successful entries in the mainline franchise, but those aren’t the only games released under the banner of this beloved history-exploring series.

From trying their hand at iOS ventures and handheld games to expansion games linked to mainline entries, Ubisoft have put their mind to stretching the Assassin’s Creed franchise far and wide. The success of spin-off games in the franchise has varied wildly, as has the quality of the games themselves.

8 Assassin’s Creed: Altair Chronicles

The Original Spin-Off

The first ever Assassin’s Creed spin-off game was Altair Chronicles. It featured the original assassin himself on a hunt for an ancient artifact known only as The Chalice. Taking place in a few different Middle Eastern cities, Altair Chronicles shared much of the setting and story themes as the first Assassin’s Creed game but lacked a little bit of the same flair and execution.

Given this game was an experiment, as it was the first attempt at a handheld Assassin’s Creed game, there were always going to be a few teething problems for Altair Chronicles. There were still plenty of stealthy assassinations and fun combat for players, but the lack of an open world was a real shame that detracted something from this initial foray into a spin-off from the series.

7 Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines

A More Interesting Altair Game

Another handheld effort from early in the franchise’s history, Bloodlines isn’t a main entry in the franchise, but it does feature some key history for lore lovers. Bloodlines is actually a rare thing in the series, a direct sequel to a game which kept the story intact; in this case the first Assassin’s Creed. Once again featuring Altair, Bloodlines followed him as he traveled to Cyprus, taking on the Templars and getting to know Maria, his future wife.

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The fact that Maria Thorpe remains a Templar agent when he reacquaints himself with her in Bloodlines helps to make for an excellent story which held up a game that was attempting, somewhat successfully, to make the most out of the PSP's controls. With this entry managing to keep the open-world aspects as well as good combat and missions, it remains a more fondly looked upon spin-off.

6 Assassin’s Creed Identity

A Fascinating Ezio-Focused Adventure

• Platforms: Android, iOS
• Developers: Ubisoft Blue Byte
• Released: September 2014

There are few spin-off games across any gaming franchise which are best known for their story. However, Assassin’s Creed Identity puts a real emphasis on this element, making it stand out from the pack. Set during a fan-favorite time period, that of Ezio Auditore, the game takes place in Italy concurrently with the events of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

The story, from the perspective of an assassin named Lo Sparviero, is about weakening Templar control, as well as a conflict between the Assassins and a group called the Crows, who are capable of mimicking assassin techniques. This made for a great story, familiar gameplay, and an expansion on a beloved era from Assassin’s Creed's history, which ironically speaks to the changes in the franchise's own identity over the years that followed.

5 Assassin’s Creed Recollection

The Lore-Filled Strategy Entry

• Platforms: iOS
• Developers: Ubisoft Montreal
• Released: December 13th, 2011

Although it is one of the more forgotten spin-off games in the series, Recollection was a truly fun and unique idea from Ubisoft. Part collectable card game, part real-time strategy, and definitely a game set within the world of Assassin’s Creed, Recollection was an iPad game which nobody expected to deliver as much as it did.

Providing plenty of extras, like concept art collections from all the four entries which had been released at that time, and a huge pool of cards making the game genuinely unpredictable and interesting to replay, Recollection remains a great game, although it isn’t as widely available as it once was.

4 Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery

Ezio’s Fun Side-Scrolling Adventure

• Platforms: iOS, Nintendo DS
• Developers: Griptonite Games, Gameloft, Glu Mobile
• Released: November 17th, 2009

Although some other spin-off games in the franchise suffered from not having an open-world format, Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery managed to tell a great story and not compromise the narrative of Ezio’s journey in the main games, all within the confines of a side-scrolling perspective.

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Between the events of different sequences in Assassin’s Creed 2, Discovery features Ezio going on a journey to help the Assassin Order in Spain as they fight against the Templars, trying to eradicate them under the guise of the Spanish Inquisition. This story was good enough for a full game but fits nicely into a shorter side-scrolling adventure available on iOS and the Nintendo DS. In spite of the gameplay being a bit simpler, the game was effective, the combat was fun, and the story elevated it by bringing another great Ezio narrative to life.

3 Assassin’s Creed Chronicles

The Trilogy Across History

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita
• Developers: Climax Studios
• Released: February 9th, 2016

Not just one game, but a collection of three different games, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles stuck with the style of Discovery to tell great narratives in shorter side-scrolling games. Set across China, India, and Russia respectively, these three entries tell great short stories about assassins across the world, in countries where the full games might not tread.

Chronicles: Russia told of an aged assassin chasing down a Precursor box in the early 20th Century, following the October Revolution. Chronicles: India took place during the Anglo-Sikh Wars, following an assassin trying to stop Templars from locating more Precursor sites. Chronicles: China took place in the 16th Century and featured Shao Jun, who returns home to China to fight the Eight Tiger Templar group after having trained under Ezio Auditore. These stories were all individually excellent, their protagonists have appeared in various novels and short films, and they've become an important and beloved part of Assassin’s Creed's history.

2 Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation

A Fascinating Trip To Louisiana

Liberation was another spin-off early in the franchise that took place around the events of Assassin’s Creed 3, and was not without its controversies. This entry introduced the first female protagonist in the series, Aveline de Grandpre, who took on the Templars, and nearly became one, in mid-18th Century New Orleans.

A great character, Aveline starts life as part of the elite class in the French Colony but has been secretly helping to free slaves for years before she takes on a larger role with the assassins. After removing several prominent Templars and their control from the colony, Aveline discovers her stepmother has secretly been grooming her to become a Templar, and she rebels against this and kills her. This story helped make it clear that Liberation was a level up from many of the other spin-offs the franchise had seen up to that point.

1 Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry

The Narrative Masterpiece

Almost every Assassin’s Creed game up to and including Black Flag received a spin-off game of some sort. However, narratively-speaking, Freedom Cry was an absolute sensation that remains one of the most beloved and bravest games in the series to date.

Following Adewale, a freed slave turned assassin who served with Edward Kenway, the story picks up in the Caribbean where he is attempting to end slavery in the region by taking on the Templars in control of the Slave Trade. He works with some liberated slaves in his efforts, and witnesses some true atrocities, which helped to make Freedom Cry one of the most poignant video games of all time, and a truly great spin-off which featured much of the same great gameplay (and naval combat) as Black Flag.

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