Category
đŸ˜¹
FunTranscript
00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're ranking the historical accuracy of the entire Assassin's
00:10Creed franchise.
00:18Before we get started, we post new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to
00:22Mojo Plays and ring that bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:27Number 13 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
00:36Valhalla is set in a fantastical version of 9th century England, which completely chucks
00:41accuracy out the window in favor of a Viking fantasy.
00:45For example, the Viking Age was primarily driven by a lack of good farmland in Scandinavia.
00:50They settled in northern England, taking advantage of its rich farmland.
00:54In Valhalla, they fill northern England with giant, towering, snowy mountains surrounding
00:59Jorvik.
01:00This completely contradicts the Viking Age and makes you wonder why they ever bothered
01:03to settle in northern England.
01:05There are countless other inaccuracies, enough to make an entire video discussing the topic.
01:16Number 12 Assassin's Creed
01:27The first entry in the series was a stunning recreation of the Crusades for 2007, but since
01:33then its accuracy pales in comparison to later entries in the series.
01:37Both the Assassins and Templars are based on real organizations, but are almost entirely
01:42fictionalized versions.
01:43The primary nine targets are also all real historical figures.
01:47However, their personalities and even their death dates are completely fabricated.
01:52The cities are also rather accurate recreations in terms of architecture, layout, and landmarks,
01:58although the scale is adjusted to suit a video game.
02:00Overall, it captures the atmosphere of the period well, but many liberties are taken
02:05for the sake of gameplay and story.
02:13Number 11 Assassin's Creed Rogue
02:26Rogue takes place during the Seven Years' War, depicting accurate real-world locations
02:31such as New York and Boston.
02:33The first accuracy issues lie with the protagonist, Shay Cormac, an Irish Catholic immigrant.
02:39This is weird because Irish Catholics barely immigrated to America then, and they would
02:43have converted to Protestantism to avoid oppression, something discussed in Assassin's
02:47Creed III.
02:48Peculiarly, only one Frenchman discriminates against him, rather than any of the English
02:53characters.
02:54Despite this, it does a relatively good job of portraying the architecture and atmosphere
02:59of the period.
03:00Overall, it's somewhat accurate, but not to a standout degree.
03:10Number 10 Assassin's Creed Revelations
03:19In 10th place, it's Revelations, which follows Ezio Auditore as he travels to Constantinople,
03:25modern-day Istanbul.
03:26Many magnificent monuments like the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, and the Grand
03:31Bazaar are present, and depicted with impressive detail.
03:34The scale and layout have been altered for gameplay purposes, but it does an excellent
03:39job of capturing the city's feel.
03:41One major inaccuracy is their calling the remnants of the Roman Empire Byzantines, which
03:46is something no one called them in the 16th century.
03:50Another hilarious inaccuracy is when Ezio visits Cappadocia, a landlocked region of
03:54Turkey, he decides to do it by boat.
03:57This is more of a geography oversight than a historical one though.
04:05Number 9 Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
04:17Black Flag is often considered the franchise's pinnacle, but it isn't the most accurate
04:22entry.
04:23The game's central theme is that the European empires of the time were bigger thieves than
04:27any pirate, on account of colonialism and the exportation of slavery.
04:31This is a rather grandiose way to portray pirates, with Blackbeard being shown to despise
04:36slavery, which is far from the truth.
04:39They also make the villains pro-slavery to make you feel less guilty about taking their
04:43lives.
04:44However, this disregards their real-life beliefs.
04:47Additionally, the only ruling powers were the English and Spanish, but in reality, more
04:52European powers had a strong presence in the Caribbean.
04:55Still, the historical backdrop is superbly crafted, and is one of the greatest portrayals
05:00of piracy's golden age.
05:07Number 8 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
05:14Odyssey boasts some of the most stunning visuals in video game history.
05:18Being set in a magnificent recreation of ancient Greece, the cities are recreated to an unparalleled
05:24degree with the Peloponnesian War as a backdrop.
05:27Greek philosophy is accurately portrayed, featuring historical figures like Socrates.
05:32You can also take part in the Olympic Games, which was historically a major event in Greek
05:37society.
05:38The inaccuracies mainly lie in the story, which takes a more mythological focus than
05:43previous titles.
05:44For instance, there's no historical evidence for Atlantis and the Greek god Poseidon.
05:53Number 7 Assassin's Creed Unity
06:01Unity wasn't a particularly successful release, being full to the brim with bugs.
06:06However, it's become a loved game since.
06:09Part of this is because it does a mind-blowing job of portraying revolutionary Paris, featuring
06:13stunning visuals and masterfully recreating most of the landmarks.
06:18It also features historical figures like Ropes Pierre and Napoleon, but they're not super
06:23accurate.
06:24While Ropes Pierre was a particularly naughty man, the game makes his Jacobins the villains,
06:29oversimplifying them to do so.
06:31It also does a poor job of capturing all the complex social, economic, and political reasons
06:37behind the revolution, somewhat trivializing France's most important era.
06:46Number 6 Assassin's Creed III
06:53This game strongly represents the American Revolutionary War, excellently recreating
06:57battles and key figures of the time.
07:00George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson all make appearances among
07:04many other revolutionaries.
07:06It also provides a mostly accurate portrayal of the American colonies, even if it does
07:11reduce the scale for the sake of gameplay.
07:13Its biggest inaccuracy is the fact that Connor chooses to fight for America.
07:17Historically, the British would have treated the natives a lot nicer than the revolutionaries,
07:22so Connor's allegiance makes no sense.
07:25He even realizes his mistake at the end, which is meant to be an emotional moment, but it
07:29just makes the core conflict feel a bit redundant.
07:37Number 5 Assassin's Creed Mirage
07:44The Golden Age of Islam is a period barely explored in the media, but Mirage does a phenomenal
07:49job of recreating it.
07:51Baghdad was a booming city in the 9th century, with a diverse population and a wealth of
07:55knowledge.
07:56Unfortunately, the Mongols burned Baghdad down in the 13th century, so there is a lack
08:01of sources about the city.
08:02Still, they did an amazing job at recreating it with a lack of sources.
08:07It also includes the Banu Musa brothers, who fill the same role as Da Vinci did, providing
08:11the assassins with useful tools and gadgets.
08:14Overall, it's a visually and culturally rich experience, even if not the most strictly
08:19accurate entry.
08:26Number 4 Assassin's Creed Origins
08:32Origins brings us to Ptolemaic Egypt.
08:35During the closing years of Ancient Egypt, before they became a Roman province, it does
08:39a brilliant job of portraying the era's political climate, and the landscape and cities
08:44look insanely impressive.
08:46There are some inaccuracies, though.
08:48For example, Magi stopped existing roughly a thousand years before Bayek was born, so
08:52it makes no sense that Bayek could become one.
08:56Additionally, it portrays Egypt as being culturally hybrid, but in reality, there was great segregation
09:01between the Greeks and the native Egyptians, which historians have called an ancient form
09:06of apartheid.
09:07Still, no one's ever recreated Ancient Egypt to this incredible level of detail.
09:21Number 3 Assassin's Creed Syndicate
09:29Syndicate is probably the easiest to make accurate, given that it's closest to the
09:33modern day.
09:34Being set in 1868, their take on Victorian London is incredible, featuring an authentic
09:39depiction of its neighborhoods, architecture, and landmarks.
09:43It does get some things wrong.
09:45For instance, freeing child laborers is a key aspect of the game, but in reality, child
09:50labor had been outlawed by the 1860s.
09:52It also lacks the population density London would have had, which could just be a performance
09:57choice.
09:58The biggest issue is that the protagonist can swim through the Thames when it would
10:01have been so intensely polluted.
10:03It was a breeding ground for Cholera, Typhoid, Dysentery, and other diseases.
10:08Why are my protagonists not contracting Cholera, Ubisoft?
10:11My immersion is ruined.
10:15Number 2 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
10:17Brotherhood's depiction of Rome is a fan favorite, being an absolute dream to explore.
10:28Many landmarks such as the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Castel Sant'Angelo are carefully modeled
10:33and highly accurate.
10:35Ubisoft's designers carried out extensive research to achieve this feat.
10:39Of course, there are still inaccuracies, like almost every single one of Da Vinci's wacky
10:44contraptions.
10:45Historians' biggest issue is with the Borgia family, who are the game's central focus.
10:49They did a shocking job at recreating them, completely distorting the reality and turning
10:54them into villainous caricatures.
10:56Their real-life counterparts are much more dull, so it was probably for the best.
11:07Number 1 Assassin's Creed 2
11:15At number one is one of the most ambitious entries, which features numerous cities and
11:19locations from 15th century Italy.
11:22It has more than 20 historical figures, a plethora of monuments, landmarks, and locations
11:27from multiple Italian cities.
11:29Despite taking the number one spot, it features many inaccuracies.
11:33For instance, the slavery practiced during the era was completely disregarded, which
11:37was very common in Venice.
11:39Also, it's criticized for being anti-Semitic, since it ignores the issues Jewish people
11:44faced in Renaissance Italy, arguably one of the most pivotal eras in Judaism.
11:49It also struggles with character ages, on account of its 30-year time frame.
11:53At the end of the day, it successfully offers the most immersive and accurate representation
11:58of Renaissance Italy in gaming history.
12:09Which historical location or landmark did Assassin's Creed recreate the best?
12:13Let us know in the comment section!