It is clear to see why there is already so much anticipation regardingAssassin’s Creed Red; the recently announced upcoming project takes the longstanding franchise to a Japanese setting. While the IP has touched on Japan in a few ways before, this game finally gives the location the expansive mainline project that it deserves to truly thrive and be portrayed in detail.
Fans have been wanting a Japan-set mainline release for years, and so discourse surroundingAssassin’s Creed Redis arguably more extensive than what upcomingACgames usually receive. The likely detail behind the release will allow Japan to be fully realized within theAssassin’s Creeduniverse, and the time in which the game reportedly takes place should offer a fascinating glimpse into how the Hidden Ones formed in such an otherwise isolated nation.
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The Setting of Assassin’s Creed Red
Assassin’s Creed Redwas announced during theAssassin’s CreedShowcase at 2022’s Ubisoft Forward, which saw a variety of other exciting announcements for the franchise. Alongside information for the likes ofAssassin’s Creed MirageandHexe, it was arguablyRedthat stood out among fans above all else. The massive amount of anticipation surroundingRedsimply stems from its setting, with no other information currently being available regarding the title.
Redis set to be available via the upcomingAssassin’s Creed Infinitylive-service platform, with the title “Red” currently being a codename that is subject to change. Alongside being set in Japan, it is known thatRedwill be set within the country’s feudal era, which means there’s a time window between 1185 AD to 1603 AD in which the game could be set. With this fostering a likelyShinobi or Samurai protagonist forAssassin’s Creed Red, it is clear that the franchise is entering relatively uncharted territory that should bring about equally unique portrayals of the IP’s most recognizable factions.
Assassin’s Creed Red’s Portrayal of the Hidden Ones
The Hidden Ones are the original group that preceded the iconicAssassin Brotherhood. The Hidden Ones held many of the same tenets of preserving free will and fighting tyranny that the Brotherhood is known for. The formation of the Hidden Ones is portrayed in the story ofAssassin’s Creed Origins, with other titles such as the more recentAssassin’s Creed Valhallaalso showcasing this early organization in detail. These depictions all share overtly similar themes in the way the faction operates, with the North African and Middle Eastern influences of the group being more than evident throughout most of its in-game incarnations.
With this in mind, the upcomingAssassin’s Creed Redhas the unique opportunity to include a trulyunique take on the Hidden Onesfrom a singular cultural influence, given the notorious isolationism that Japan experienced during this period. As a remote island nation with a lot of natural barriers, Japan was largely untouched by foreign influence until the 1850s, meaning the time in whichRedwill be set will be typified by isolationism and a lack of external sway.
Of course, thetenets and general framework of the Hidden Oneswill have traveled to Japan somehow, but it would be realistic that the country’s version of the organization would be influenced in greater part by Japan’s own culture and society. While it is important thatAssassin’s CreedRed’s Hidden Ones maintain the same motivations and goals of international chapters of the group, Japan should foster different manners of operation, with influences from things like the Bushido code and the Shinto religion.
Assassin’s Creed Redis currently in development.
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