Highlights
- Assassin's Creed Invictus will bring back multiplayer content for the series, a feature absent since Black Flag.
- Character customization in classic AC multiplayer was decent, but Invictus should offer many more unique and detailed options.
- It is crucial for Assassin's Creed Invictus to prioritize customizable elements for players if it wants to keep gamers hooked long-term, with earnable in-game cosmetic items being obvious incentives to consider.
Back in October 2022, Assassin's Creed Invictus was announced alongside a handful of other in-development AC projects. While Assassin's Creed Red and Hexe are slated to be single-player adventures, Assassin's Creed Invictus' main selling point is its multiplayer focus, bringing an online mode back to the series for the first time since Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
Though the Assassin's Creed franchise is often best remembered for its various compelling narratives, characters, and historical settings, multiplayer did play a much bigger role in the series than many might remember. Introduced in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, competitive multiplayer remained a staple of the series right up until Assassin's Creed Unity, which switched to a cooperative multiplayer mode, and ended up marking the end for multiplayer altogether in the Assassin's Creed series. But Assassin's Creed Invictus could be the triumphant return to AC multiplayer fans have been waiting for, and it has the opportunity to fix some shortcomings of the older titles.
Assassin's Creed Fans May Know More About Codename Red Than They Realize
While Ubisoft has officially revealed little about Assassin's Creed Red, plenty of lore surrounds Japan, the likely time period, and the factions.
Assassin's Creed Invictus Can Double Down on Character Customization
Character Customization in Old Assassin's Creed Multiplayer Was a Solid Start
Even in its original Assassin's Creed Brotherhood iteration, classic AC multiplayer allowed players to customize their characters, albeit not too much. In every iteration of classic Assassin's Creed multiplayer, players would choose from a handful of different character models, each one themed after a different character archetype of the era such as a plague doctor, executioner, courtesan, etc. But what improved steadily with each new entry was the ability to customize these character models even further.
In Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, players only had the option to unlock four different gear levels, with each one adding new pieces of apparel to the character model such as a cape or collar. Each character model also had four color options. This system was improved greatly in Assassin's Creed Revelations, with players now being allowed to customize individual aspects of their chosen character model, such as their head, chest, arms, belt, and accessories. Each category had around four options to choose from. Assassin's Creed 3 and Black Flag improved upon this system even further, adding unique costumes for each character model that would change their overall appearance drastically.
How Assassin's Creed Invictus Can Offer More Character Customization
While the classic Assassin's Creed multiplayer mode offered a decent amount of customization, many of its customization options were shared across multiple character models, and quite a few customization options didn't change the model in a truly significant way. Put simply, there was plenty of room left to improve, and character customization is an area that Assassin's Creed Invictus should really focus on.
From the get-go, Assassin's Creed Invictus should let players create their own custom character. For nostalgia's sake, Invictus could let players start with a preset character model, but then they should be able to drastically change its features so that it feels suitably unique. Players should then be able to customize every conceivable element of their character's costume, from armor sets and belts to boots and capes to hoods and everything in between. It's also very important for these customization items to be earnable in-game, to incentivize players to keep on working towards the specific item they want for their character.
If Ubisoft wanted to start introducing paid skins to Assassin's Creed Invictus, it already has an obvious path to do so, giving players outfits based on classic Assassin's Creed characters like Ezio, Altair, Connor, Edward, and the rest of the Assassin line-up. But regardless of whether Ubisoft decides to monetize these costumes, it should keep its base-game customization completely free, with it being an important incentive to keep playing.
