2023 marks the 16th anniversary of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise, which began with Altair's journey and has since involved dozens of assassins, settings, and more. Assassin's Creed Mirage's classic approach is, in many ways, a celebration of this milestone, but it's not the only Assassin's Creed game to release this year. Assassin's Creed Nexus drops in November.
Releasing on Meta Quest devices, Assassin's Creed Nexus is the franchise's first installment in the VR space. In it, players will take on the role of one of three Assassins (Ezio, Connor, and Kassandra) as new memories among them are discovered, connecting them to a series of artifacts sought after by Abstergo Industries in the modern day. It's a very simple Assassin's Creed premise, but one that fits the VR approach well. Indeed, putting a movement-heavy franchise on VR is a bit of a leap of faith, but one that Assassin's Creed Nexus seems prepared to land. Game ZXC was recently able to play a brief demo of Assassin's Creed Nexus at Ubisoft Montreal, stepping into the legendary shoes of Ezio Auditore.
Assassin's Creed Mirage Player Spots Surprising Cat Detail
An Assassin's Creed Mirage player discovers a cat with an interesting fur detail, and other players immediately want to find it.
Once the headset is on and players are in the game, it becomes apparent just how different this presentation is. That may feel like an understatement, but after playing the franchise in third person for 16 years, seeing through the eyes of Ezio is something completely different. The streets of Venice were familiar, but as NPCs walked by and looked us in the face, it spoke to the true potential of an Assassin's Creed VR game. Indeed, the streets are busy and there's a lot of movement in the game, but Ubisoft has taken many steps to ensure the accessibility and comfort of the title.
It should be noted that the NPCs and visuals are nothing groundbreaking but are largely serviceable at the distances players will often be from guards and NPCs. Players will likely only be up close and personal when engaging in combat and assassinations, but that's where the NPC's texture becomes the most apparent. It wasn't necessarily a horrifying sight to see a "Play-Doh" person so up close, but it's something that's going to take getting used to compared to the visuals of other Assassin's Creed games.
The first thing we did was pat ourselves down, looking down at our legs which were also Ezio's. We were able to flick out our Hidden Blades and would continue to do so for no reason for the novelty of it, while our sword sat on our hilt and throwing knives were on our chest. Later on, we unlocked the ability to reach over our shoulder for a crossbow and had to reach over the other for a bolt to load it with. The sensation created by Assassin's Creed Nexus here was something else, as it feels like we've never been any closer to Ezio than this. There was some control confusion on our end, thanks to how specific it is, but this was a brief demo. It's clearly something that becomes second nature the more someone plays, but that precision is a stand-out feature. While most VR games focus on detached hands, AC Nexus gives players a full body and gives them complete control over their hands. Not only were there ways for us to pull out weapons and climb, but we also even figured out how to shoot finger guns for absolutely no reason at all. That spoke volumes to its in-depth controls, nonetheless.
We were able to find nearby walls to climb up, mimicking the movements of someone who was climbing, and we were able to activate parkour by holding down a certain button. We'd dash in certain ways (not physically, but in the game) and the parkour in Assassin's Creed Nexus would see us making jumps and landings that only Ezio could. It's hard to say how it compares to other AC games because it is so different, but it is true open-ended parkour. It's clear that climbing, at least until players are accustomed to it, is much slower than in the traditional Assassin's Creed games, though. It involved us individually grabbing and holding each ledge or handhold, pulling ourselves up, reaching, and more. That lack of speed isn't really a deal-breaker, though, as the exchange is unprecedented immersion in the VR space.
Direct combat felt rather basic, as it just required basic blocks and swings with the sword, but the throwing knives felt really fun and were able to end combat before it began. Players are also able to perform assassinations, though it takes a little bit of timing and skill to do correctly. When done successfully, there is something viscerally different when it comes to grabbing an NPC by the head and stabbing them with the Hidden Blade in VR. We finished up our demo by finding a high point in the city, stepping onto a ledge, spreading our arms in real life, and watching the Leap of Faith take place in true Assassin's Creed fashion. Overall, it may not be a mandatory entry in the franchise for many fans, but it's one well worth exploring for the sheer immersion it offers.
The heightened immersion, of course, comes with a few things to keep in mind. Assassin's Creed Nexus has a few comfort settings that may balance out potential drawbacks such as motion sickness, with the most immersive setting turning off all comfort features and the most comfortable feature making it the simplest to play. Indeed, Assassin's Creed Nexus can be played when fully sitting down, with teleport-based movement should someone choose. This demo was played with the middle road option, offering the most immersion with "standard" comfort features turned on. During our time with this game, we never felt anything close to motion sickness as a result.
This is notable for a few reasons. Not only are players literally climbing and jumping around a city, but Assassin's Creed Nexus brings the city of Venice (and all locations) to life. NPCs fill the streets and will sometimes be on the periphery of players. Smartly, however, Ubisoft darkens the peripheries of the player, thereby acknowledging they are there but not causing any sort of motion issues. On top of that, Assassin's Creed Nexus gives players a "virtual nose," though they'd never know it. Just like a real nose, players will only see it if they go looking for it, but it keeps the eyes and vision oriented correctly to reduce issues with motion.
The only real physical issue we had with playing the game came down to weakness in the legs. It was only slight, but our legs definitely felt a bit detached from our body as we moved, jumped, and dealt with heights in VR. It was a sensation similar to that of hiking, but obviously we weren't physically moving our legs. That's also something that can, once again, be adjusted by the comfort settings of the game. With a strong presentation and a lot of settings to back it up, it's clear how much love Ubisoft poured into recreating this time of Ezio's life in VR, and it'll be exciting to see how much is poured into Connor and Kassandra's settings in AC Nexus too.
At the end of the day, Assassin's Creed Nexus may seem like any other spin-off, but AC fans and VR aficionados would be doing themselves a disservice by not checking it out. The immersion is top-notch, the Assassin fantasy is alive and well, and the game ensures just about anyone can put on the headset and find themselves in a world of parkour, Hidden Blades, and Leap of Faiths.
Assassin's Creed Nexus releases on Meta Quest devices on November 16. Game ZXC was provided travel and lodging to Ubisoft Montreal for this preview.