The Assassin's Creed franchise has been one of Ubisoft's best since its debut in 2007. Though not every entry has been met with the same critical and commercial success, on the whole, Assassin's Creed has managed to have quite the impact on the gaming landscape, and Ubisoft doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. During its recent Ubisoft Forward Showcase, the publisher announced a slew of new Assassin's Creed games, from an entry finally set in feudal Japan, to a mobile-exclusive set in China. But for fans of the series' long-forgotten multiplayer mode, Assassin's Creed Invictus was the standout announcement.
Currently in the very early stages of development, Assassin's Creed Invictus is set to be a standalone multiplayer game set in the Assassin's Creed universe. Having only been announced a few months ago, there's been virtually no details given about the game, only that it will be available via Assassin's Creed Infinity, Ubisoft's attempt at a live-service platform. It's unclear what type of gameplay Assassin's Creed Invictus will go for, but some fans are hoping that it takes some inspiration from Assassin's Creed 3's multiplayer mode.
What Assassin's Creed Invictus Should Take From Assassin's Creed 3
Assassin's Creed 3 may not be the most fondly remembered entry in the franchise, but its multiplayer mode was exactly what fans wanted. Taking the groundwork laid by Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed Revelations, Assassin's Creed 3's multiplayer component improved on its predecessors in every way, refining mechanics, adding new content, and delivering yet another compelling cat-and-mouse gameplay experience. Assassin's Creed 3's cat-and-mouse modes are certainly its best multiplayer offerings, and if Assassin's Creed Invictus is going to take inspiration from any element of the game, it should be them.
There are three cat-and-mouse game modes in Assassin's Creed 3, and while each offers essentially the same experience, they all have their own unique gameplay twists. Each of these game modes sees a player attempting to assassinate their target stealthily, while they are being hunted by another player. Each player has their own set of abilities that they can use to stun or confuse their hunter or slow down their prey.
Deathmatch is Assassin's Creed 3's simplest cat-and-mouse mode. Here, players are dropped into a small map and are encouraged to assassinate their targets as quickly as possible. While stealthy kills still net the most points, the emphasis is placed much more on fast-paced kills and evasion here. Wanted is the most iconic multiplayer mode from Assassin's Creed 3, having also been present in Brotherhood and Revelations. This mode takes the same gameplay as Deathmatch, but slows the pace down, dropping players into a much larger map. Players are encouraged to really take their time to locate their target, pursue them, and ensure that the killing blow nets them the most points. Assassinate is another slower-paced mode, but here players can choose their own target to hunt down.
While Assassin's Creed 3 also offered a Wolf Pack co-op mode, and a pretty fun Domination mode, it's the game's cat-and-mouse modes that should be carried over to Assassin's Creed Invictus. These modes also have the most potential when it comes to reinvigorating them for the modern day. There's plenty of opportunity to improve on the original by adding more abilities and gadgets, by giving players new ways to interact with the environment to both hide and escape from their foes, and by giving each character their own unique ability.
Assassin's Creed Invictus is in development.