Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events . Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature , it can also be applied to other types of narrative, including theatre , opera , cinema , and television , as well as video games and graphic novels . It often makes many use of symbolism in allegory using figurative and metaphorical elements to picture a story.
225-443: Assassin's Creed is a historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice Désilets , Jade Raymond , and Corey May , the Assassin's Creed video game series depicts a fictional millennia-old struggle between
450-605: A double agent for the Templars. The group ultimately finds the Grand Temple, and Desmond activates the global aurora borealis device in time to block the solar flare, at the cost of his own life. Starting with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag , Abstergo has refined the Animus technology to allow anyone to experience memories from the genetic material of another person, allowing the Templars to continue their search for Pieces of Eden under
675-650: A grappling hook , and refined combat mechanics. It is the first game in the series to feature multiple playable protagonists, whom the player can switch between both during and outside missions. Historical fiction An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period. Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments. The historical romance usually seeks to romanticize eras of
900-508: A skill tree system. As the player progresses through the game, they earn experience points to level up their characters; for every 1,000 experience points earned, they unlock a "skill point" which can be spent on a new ability. The number of skills unlocked determines each twin's level, which can be a maximum of 10. Enemies also present levels, determining how difficult they are to defeat in combat. However, all enemies can be stealthily assassinated, regardless of level. The game's combat system
1125-417: A Sage. In December 2014, images and information leaked for a new Assassin's Creed game, titled or code-named Victory , which was later confirmed by Ubisoft. In May 2015, Kotaku leaked that Victory had been renamed Syndicate . On May 12, 2015, the game was officially announced by Ubisoft. The game retains most gameplay elements from Unity , while introducing new travelling systems, such as carriages and
1350-430: A Templar as the main protagonist. In May 2014, Guillemot stated that, "for the foreseeable future", Assassin's Creed games would continue releasing on the last generation PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, despite the franchise moving to the current generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with Unity . On August 5, Ubisoft officially announced the game as Assassin's Creed Rogue . While the game reuses many assets from Black Flag ,
1575-507: A ball held at Buckingham Palace, but Starrick beats them to the vault and obtains the Shroud. With Henry's help, the Frye twins kill Starrick, before reconciling and returning the Shroud to the vault. For their deeds, Queen Victoria knights the Frye twins and Henry. In the present, Rebecca and Shaun spy on a meeting between senior Templars Isabelle Ardant and Álvaro Gramática, who are also searching for
1800-662: A bartender and former Assassin who learns he is a descendant of several important Assassins throughout history, including Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad from the Middle East during the Third Crusade ; Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Italian Renaissance ; and Ratonhnhaké:ton (commonly known as Connor), a half- Mohawk , half- British Assassin during the American Revolution . Desmond is used by Abstergo to find Pieces of Eden but
2025-500: A century prior and its author asserted that her work could present a "fuller and therefore 'truer ' " version of history. One of the early examples of the historical novel in Europe is La Princesse de Clèves , a French novel published anonymously in March 1678. It is regarded by many as the beginning of the modern tradition of the psychological novel and as a great work. Its author generally
2250-453: A close resemblance to our own world at various points in history. Historiographic metafiction combines historical fiction with metafiction . The term is closely associated with postmodern literature including writers such as Salman Rushdie and Thomas Pynchon . Several novels by Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago are set in historical times including Baltasar and Blimunda , The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and The History of
2475-472: A contemporary narrative, but rather as a distinct social and cultural setting. Scott's Scottish novels such as Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1817) focused upon a middling character who sits at the intersection of various social groups in order to explore the development of society through conflict. Ivanhoe (1820) gained credit for renewing interest in the Middle Ages . Many well-known writers from
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#17328444087302700-656: A dangerous sadist. Meanwhile, Evie looks for the Piece of Eden with Henry's help. Following clues underneath Edward Kenway 's mansion, they find the key to the Shroud's vault at St Paul's Cathedral , but Thorne steals it and flees to the Tower of London . Evie infiltrates the Tower and kills Thorne, who reveals the Shroud is not there. Henry believes the vault is hidden in Buckingham Palace , and enlists Maharajah Duleep Singh's help to obtain
2925-612: A detective and spy. Although the story itself is fiction, many of the persona and events are not. The book is based on research by Monaldi and Sorti, who researched information from 17th-century manuscripts and published works concerning the siege of Vienna , the plague and papacy of Pope Innocent XI . The genre of the historical novel has also permitted some authors, such as the Polish novelist Bolesław Prus in his sole historical novel, Pharaoh , to distance themselves from their own time and place to gain perspective on society and on
3150-489: A distinct subgenre recognized by both publishers and libraries. Romantic themes have also been portrayed, such as Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell . One of the first popular historical romances appeared in 1921, when Georgette Heyer published The Black Moth , which is set in 1751. It was not until 1935 that she wrote the first of her signature Regency novels, set around
3375-849: A four player co-op mode, a first for the series. Assassin's Creed Syndicate was released in October 2015 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in November 2015 for Windows, and in December 2020 for the Stadia. In the present-day, players control the same unnamed Assassin Initiate from Assassin's Creed Unity , who this time must help the Assassins find a powerful artifact, the Shroud of Eden, hidden somewhere in London . The main story
3600-567: A front by the modern-day Templars) record genetic memories using the Helix software, helping the Templars and Assassins find new Pieces of Eden in the modern world. The next three games, Assassin's Creed Origins , Odyssey , and Valhalla , follow ex-Abstergo employee Layla Hassan on her own quest to save humanity from another disaster. The main games in the Assassin's Creed franchise have received generally positive reviews for their ambition in visuals, game design, and narratives, with criticism for
3825-636: A historical event or biography , to the degree that the available historical research will allow. Other historical dramas are fictionalized tales that are based on an actual person and their deeds, such as Braveheart , which is loosely based on the 13th-century knight William Wallace 's fight for Scotland 's independence. For films pertaining to the history of East Asia , Central Asia , and South Asia , there are historical drama films set in Asia , also known as Jidaigeki in Japan. Wuxia films like The Hidden Power of
4050-831: A historical work in the manner of Sir Walter Scott. This was subsequently incorporated into La Comédie Humaine . The bulk of La Comédie Humaine , however, takes place during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy , though there are several novels which take place during the French Revolution and others which take place of in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, including About Catherine de Medici and The Elixir of Long Life . Victor Hugo 's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) furnishes another 19th-century example of
4275-586: A lab run by David Brewster and Templar occultist Lucy Thorne ( Emerald O'Hanrahan ), and finds them experimenting on an Apple of Eden. Evie assassinates Brewster, learning that the Templars seek another artifact in London, and escapes from the lab after the Apple explodes. The Frye twins head to London to stop the Templars from finding this Piece of Eden, and meet fellow Assassin Henry Green ( Jaz Deol ). Henry informs them that
4500-595: A large wilderness area in the form of the Frontier and the Davenport Homestead, where the player can hunt animals for materials, which subsequently can be used to construct goods to be traded and sold throughout the colonies. Naval battles also debut in the series, wherein the player must steer a warship named the Aquila in dangerous waters and perform ship-to-ship combat with cannons and mounted guns. The multiplayer mode from
4725-499: A long tradition in many cultures; both western traditions (as early as Ancient Greek and Latin literature ) as well as Eastern, in the form of oral and folk traditions (see mythology and folklore ), which produced epics , novels, plays and other fictional works describing history for contemporary audiences. Definitions differ as to what constitutes a historical novel. On the one hand the Historical Novel Society defines
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#17328444087304950-457: A mission structure to follow the main story, assigning the player to complete an assassination of public figureheads or a covert mission. Alternatively, several side missions are available, such as mapping out the expansive cities from a high perch followed by performing a leap of faith into a haystack below, collecting treasures hidden across the cities, exploring ruins for relics, building a brotherhood of assassins to perform other tasks, or funding
5175-469: A new Assassin's Creed game code-named Comet was revealed to be in development for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, set to release later that year alongside Unity . By the end of the month, additional reports indicated that Comet would be set around 1758 New York City , and would feature sailing on the Atlantic Ocean . The game would be a direct sequel to Black Flag , and would be the first to feature
5400-655: A new base and use the Animus to find the Temple of Juno, another First Civilization member, which houses Ezio's own Apple of Eden and the key to stopping the solar flare. The main narrative continues the story of Ezio, who travels to Rome , the center of Templar power in Italy, to re-establish the Assassin Brotherhood there and defeat the Borgias , who have attacked Monteriggioni and stolen the Apple of Eden. Brotherhood shares many of
5625-551: A new enemy espionage faction. In 2015, the Helix player , now an Assassin Initiate, is again contacted by Bishop ( Kate Todd ) to help the Brotherhood find a Piece of Eden in London. While Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings infiltrate Abstergo's facility in London, the Initiate relives the memories of Jacob and Evie Frye , twin Assassins from the Victorian era . In 1868, Evie infiltrates
5850-495: A number of new systems and weapons were included, such as an air rifle and refined naval combat, and the multiplayer aspect has been removed. Assassin's Creed Unity was released concurrently with Rogue in November 2014 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Google Stadia . In the present-day, the player character is a player of Helix, an Animus-powered gaming device produced by Abstergo, who hope to use their unaware player base to locate more Pieces of Eden. While playing,
6075-611: A number of unique weapons, armor, and moves, including the use of a hidden blade set in a bracer on the Assassin's arm, which can be used to perform surreptitious assassinations. The Assassin's Creed games primarily revolve around the rivalry and conflict between two ancient secret societies: the Order of Assassins , who represent freedom, and the Knights Templar , who represent order. Versions of these societies have existed for centuries, with
6300-429: A prequel. In 2022, Ubisoft announced several additional games for the series. Assassin's Creed Infinity has been described by its executive producer, Marc-Alexis Côté, as a "new design philosophy" for the series, as well as a hub that will provide the releases of future games. According to Coté in 2024, the modern-day narrative of the series had become haphazard after the death of Miles in Assassin's Creed III through
6525-402: A senior producer after Assassin's Creed III , has also been an executive director on all three in-between entries. Lydia Andrew is the game's audio director, returning from Assassin's Creed III , Black Flag , and Unity . Historian Jean-Vincent Roy served as a consultant on the game, having previously consulted on Assassin's Creed III , and held various other positions at Ubisoft. The game
6750-474: A smaller title which sought to pay tribute to the franchise's earlier installments by focusing on stealth and assassinations over its predecessors' role-playing elements. The game started development as an expansion for Valhalla before being turned into a standalone release, and was set in 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age , a decade before the events of Valhalla , to which it served as
6975-444: A veiled attack on Austria, which controlled the region at the time the novel was written. The critical and popular success of The Betrothed gave rise to a crowd of imitations and, in the age of unification , almost every Italian writer tried his hand at the genre; novels now almost forgotten, like Marco Visconti by Tommaso Grossi (Manzoni's best friend) or Ettore Fieramosca by Massimo D'Azeglio (Manzoni's son-in-law), were
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7200-478: Is Christopher Meredith (b. 1954), whose Griffri (1991) is set in the 12th century and has the poet of a minor Welsh prince as narrator. Nobel Prize laureate William Golding wrote a number of historical novels. The Inheritors (1955) is set in prehistoric times, and shows "new people" (generally identified with Homo sapiens sapiens ) triumphing over a gentler race (generally identified with Neanderthals ) by deceit and violence. The Spire (1964) follows
7425-475: Is Peter I (1929–34) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy , and I, Claudius (1934) and King Jesus (1946) by Robert Graves . Other recent biographical novel series, include Conqueror and Emperor by Conn Iggulden and Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris. The gothic novel was popular in the late eighteenth century. Set in the historical past it has an interest in the mysterious, terrifying and haunting. Horace Walpole 's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto
7650-464: Is a genre of largely Italian-made historical or biblical epics (costume dramas) that dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965. Most pepla featured a superhumanly strong man as the protagonist, such as Hercules , Samson , Goliath , Ursus or Italy's own popular folk hero Maciste . These supermen often rescued captive princesses from tyrannical despots and fought mythological creatures. Not all
7875-450: Is also first in the series to feature a non-playable transgender character. The score to Assassin's Creed Syndicate was composed by American composer Austin Wintory . The lyrical songs in the game, murder ballads , were composed by Wintory and Australian musical comedy band, Tripod . The soundtrack was released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes on October 23, 2015. Bear McCreary composed
8100-576: Is an epic retelling of the story of an Italian nobleman who lives through the Napoleonic period in Italian history. It includes a description of the Battle of Waterloo by the principal character. Stendhal fought with Napoleon and participated in the French invasion of Russia . The Betrothed (1827) by Alessandro Manzoni has been called the most famous and widely read novel of the Italian language. The Betrothed
8325-518: Is considered to be an influential work. Historical mysteries or "historical whodunits " are set by their authors in the distant past, with a plot that which involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 1900s, many credit Ellis Peters 's Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) with popularizing them. These are set between 1137 and 1145 A.D. The increasing popularity of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has created
8550-517: Is held to be Madame de La Fayette . The action takes place between October 1558 and November 1559 at the royal court of Henry II of France. The novel recreates that era with remarkable precision. Nearly every character – except the heroine – is a historical figure. Events and intrigues unfold with great faithfulness to documentary records. In the United Kingdom, the historical novel "appears to have developed" from La Princesse de Clèves , "and then via
8775-414: Is introduced, by which, after saving citizens from certain events, the player can recruit these citizens as Assassins; they can then be dispatched to remote locations across Europe to gain experience and money or can be called in to help the player directly in a mission. For the first time in the series, the game features online multiplayer , in which players assume the role of Abstergo employees who, through
9000-415: Is later revealed to be a Sage, a human reincarnation of Juno's husband Aita , who is trying to resurrect her, though he is killed by Abstergo before he can succeed. By the time of Assassin's Creed Unity , Abstergo has begun distributing the Animus technology via a video game console called the Helix, tapping into an extensive, unaware player base to help them locate the remains of various Sages as part of
9225-649: Is manipulating various Abstergo employees to further her plans of being resurrected. A new storyline is introduced in Assassin's Creed Origins focusing on Abstergo researcher Layla Hassan. While on an assignment to recover an artifact from Egypt , Layla stumbles upon the remains of the Medjay Bayek and his wife Aya, co-founders of the Hidden Ones, the Assassins' precursors. Against Abstergo's orders, Layla uses her personal Animus to relive Bayek's and Aya's memories, causing
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9450-413: Is once again included, although it is entirely land-based. Assassin's Creed Rogue is the final game in the series to be developed for the seventh generation of consoles , being released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2014, and for Windows in March 2015. A remastered version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2018. In the present day, players again take on
9675-459: Is one of the earliest examples of the historical novel in English and went through at least 84 editions, including translation into French and German. The first true historical novel in English was in fact Maria Edgeworth 's Castle Rackrent (1800). In the 20th century György Lukács argued that Scott was the first fiction writer who saw history not just as a convenient frame in which to stage
9900-445: Is one of the most famous 19th-century American historical novels. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne , who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. In French literature, the most prominent inheritor of Scott's style of the historical novel was Balzac . In 1829 Balzac published Les Chouans ,
10125-535: Is rescued by Lucy Stillman, an undercover agent for the Assassins. With the help of two other Assassins, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, and later William Miles, Desmond's father and the leader of the modern-day Assassins, the group continue to explore Desmond's memories in the hopes of locating the Pieces of Eden before Abstergo. In the process, they learn about the Isu and come into contact with Juno, who kills Lucy, revealed to be
10350-511: Is set amid the Gordon Riots , and A Tale of Two Cities in the French Revolution . In some works, the accuracy of the historical elements has been questioned, as in Alexandre Dumas ' 1845 novel Queen Margot . Postmodern novelists such as John Barth and Thomas Pynchon operate with even more freedom, mixing historical characters and settings with invented history and fantasy, as in
10575-485: Is set between the events of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III , and is meant to fill the gaps between their respective narratives, while also having "a crucial link to the Kenway saga" according to Ubisoft, as well as to Assassin's Creed Unity . Several major characters from III and Black Flag make appearances in the game, such as Haytham Kenway , Achilles Davenport, and Adéwalé . In March 2014,
10800-471: Is set in Victorian era London and follows twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye , as they navigate the corridors of organized crime to take back the city from Templar control and prevent them from finding the Shroud. The narrative also includes segments set in war-torn London during World War I , which follow Jacob's granddaughter, Lydia Frye, as she battles German soldiers and Templar spies and searches for
11025-506: Is set in (in this case, Florence, Venice , Forlì , San Gimignano , and Monteriggioni ). Missions are divided into main story missions, themselves into memory sequences reflecting points in Ezio's life, and side missions that can be accomplished at any time; this approach to mission structure remains consistent in the other games in the series. The Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni, which acts as
11250-588: Is set in 16th century Småland and his widely read novel series The Emigrants tells the story of Småland emigrants to the United States in the 19th century. Per Anders Fogelström wrote a hugely popular series of five historical novels set in his native Stockholm beginning with City of My Dreams (1960). Other writers of historical fiction in Swedish literature include Sara Lidman , Birgitta Trotzig , Per Olov Enquist and Artur Lundkvist . The historical novel
11475-487: Is set in the 21st century and features the same unnamed and unseen protagonist from Assassin's Creed Unity , who assists the Assassins in their race against the Templars to find an artifact hidden in London . The main story is set in London in 1868, at the onset of the Second Industrial Revolution , and follows twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye as they navigate the corridors of organised crime and take back
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#173284440873011700-628: Is strong in stealth and relies on her intelligence and wit. Evie is notably the first female playable character in a mainline Assassin's Creed game. In contrast to the previous' entries swords and long weapons , the main weapons of Syndicate include era-accurate brass knuckles , compact revolvers , cane-swords , and traditional Nepalese curved kukri knives, all of which can be upgraded to increase their effectiveness. The twins can also be equipped with various outfits and clothing items (belts for Jacob and capes for Evie) which present different statistics, as well as gain additional abilities through
11925-572: Is the German author Thomas Mann 's Buddenbrooks (1901). This chronicles the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations, incidentally portraying the manner of life and mores of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie in the years from 1835 to 1877. Mann drew deeply from the history of his own family, the Mann family of Lübeck , and their milieu. This was Mann's first novel, and with
12150-597: Is the author of historical novels which were translated into 11 languages. Anton Donchev (1930–) is an old living author, whose first independent novel, Samuel's Testimony , was published in 1961. His second book, Time of Parting , which dealt with the Islamization of the population in the Rhodopes during the XVII century was written in 1964. The novel was adapted in the serial movie " Time of Violence ", divided into two parts with
12375-592: Is the final game in the series to follow Desmond, who travels to the First Civilization's Grand Temple in New York with his friends and father to use the technology inside to prevent the solar flare set to hit the Earth in several weeks' time. To access this technology, Desmond must undertake missions across the globe to retrieve 'batteries' to power the Temple, as well as an ancient key to the Temple's inner chambers. To find
12600-544: Is the ninth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series , and the successor to 2014's Assassin's Creed Unity . The game's plot follows the premise of the Assassin's Creed franchise , involving a fictional history of real-world events where a secret war has been fought for centuries between two factions: the Assassins , who promote peace and liberty, and the Templars , who desire peace through control. The framing story
12825-656: The Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy. The Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757, during the French and Indian War (the Seven Years' War ), when France and Great Britain battled for control of North America. Cooper's chief rival, John Neal , wrote Rachel Dyer (1828), the first bound novel about the 17th-century Salem witch trials . Rachel Dyer also influenced future American fiction set in this period, like The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne which
13050-466: The 16th century . The Assassin's Creed games are centered around one or more fictional members of the Order of the Assassins. Their memories are experienced by an in-game character in the modern-day period through a device called the Animus and its derivations. The Animus allows the user to explore these memories passed down via genetics. Within the context of the game, this provides a diegetic interface to
13275-427: The 1930s and 1940s . The following American authors have also written historical novels in the 20th century: Gore Vidal , John Barth , Norman Mailer , E. L. Doctorow and William Kennedy . Thomas Pynchon 's historical novel Mason & Dixon (1997) tells the story of the two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who were charged with marking the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland in
13500-825: The American Girl novels and the Magic Tree House series . A prominent award within children's historical fiction is the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction . Historical narratives have also found their way in comics and graphic novels. There are Prehistorical elements in jungle comics like Akim and Rahan . Ancient Greece inspired graphic novels are 300 created by Frank Miller , centered around Battle of Thermopylae , and Age of Bronze series by Eric Shanower , that retells Trojan War . Historical subjects can also be found in manhua comics like Three Kingdoms and Sun Zi's Tactics by Lee Chi Ching , Weapons of
13725-464: The Byzantine Templars, who are taking advantage of the chaos to try and reclaim the city, as well as acquire the keys to Altaïr's library themselves. Originally Revelations was announced as Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy , and conceptualized as a Nintendo 3DS title focusing on Ezio traveling to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's legacy and uncover the origins of the Assassin Brotherhood. Lost Legacy
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#173284440873013950-564: The English Regency period (1811–1820), when the Prince Regent ruled England in place of his ill father, George III . Heyer's Regency novels were inspired by Jane Austen 's novels of the late 18th and early 19th century. Because Heyer's writing was set in the midst of events that had occurred over 100 years previously, she included authentic period detail in order for her readers to understand. Where Heyer referred to historical events, it
14175-1095: The Gothic novel ". Another early example is The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe , published in 1594 and set during the reign of King Henry VIII . Historical fiction rose to prominence in Europe during the early 19th century as part of the Romantic reaction to the Enlightenment , especially through the influence of the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott , whose works were immensely popular throughout Europe. Among his early European followers we can find Willibald Alexis , Theodor Fontane , Bernhard Severin Ingemann , Miklós Jósika , Mór Jókai , Jakob van Lennep , Demetrius Bikelos , Enrique Gil y Carrasco , Carl Jonas Love Almqvist , Victor Rydberg , Andreas Munch , Alessandro Manzoni , Alfred de Vigny , Honoré de Balzac or Prosper Mérimée . Jane Porter 's 1803 novel Thaddeus of Warsaw
14400-460: The Honor 9 smartphone. The first game in the series was released in November 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 , and in April 2008 for Microsoft Windows . It features a historical recreation of the Holy Land (primarily the cities of Masyaf , Jerusalem , Acre , and Damascus ) in the late 12th century. Its narrative includes real historical figures and events from that time period. The storyline consists of two portions: one set during
14625-727: The Napoleonic Wars . There are also adventure novels with pirate characters like Robert Louis Stevenson 's Treasure Island (1883), Emilio Salgari 's Sandokan (1895–1913) and Captain Blood (1922) by Rafael Sabatini . Recent examples of historical novels about pirates are The Adventures of Hector Lynch by Tim Severin , The White Devil (Белият Дявол) by Hristo Kalchev and The Pirate Devlin novels by Mark Keating. A number of work take place in variants of known history, in which events had occurred differently. This can involve time travel . There are also works of historical fantasy , which add fantastical elements to known (or alternative) history or which take place in second worlds with
14850-408: The Order of Assassins , who fight for peace and free will, and the Knights Templar , who desire peace through order and control. The series features historical fiction , science fiction , and fictional characters intertwined with real-world historical events and historical figures . In most games, players control a historical Assassin while also playing as an Assassin Initiate or someone caught in
15075-410: The Pazzi and Barbarigo families and Rodrigo Borgia . Ezio also comes into contact with technology left behind by the First Civilization, a race that created humanity and the Pieces of Eden and who were wiped out by a catastrophic event. Similar to the first game, Assassin's Creed II incorporates historical events into its narrative and features recreations of several cities from the time period it
15300-415: The Seven Years' War , and follows Shay, who starts out as a talented, but insubordinate Assassin trainee. After witnessing the Assassins' hypocrisy and willingness to sacrifice civilians in their blind pursuit of the Pieces of Eden, Shay betrays them and joins the Templars, helping his newfound allies hunt down members of his former Brotherhood to prevent them from endangering more innocent lives. Shay's story
15525-404: The early Christians and has been adapted several times for film, in 1913 , 1924 , 1951 , 2001 to only name the most prominent. Sigrid Undset 's Kristin Lavransdatter fulfilled a similar function for Norwegian history ; Undset later won a Nobel Prize for Literature (1928). Many early historical novels played an important role in the rise of European popular interest in the history of
15750-489: The historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance , which was inspired by Jane Austen . To ensure accuracy, Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life. While some critics thought the novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset; Heyer even recreated William the Conqueror 's crossing into England for her novel The Conqueror . Naomi Mitchison's finest novel, The Corn King and
15975-404: The human condition , or to escape the depredations of the censor . In some historical novels, major historic events take place mostly off-stage, while the fictional characters inhabit the world where those events occur. Robert Louis Stevenson 's Kidnapped recounts mostly private adventures set against the backdrop of the Jacobite troubles in Scotland . Charles Dickens 's Barnaby Rudge
16200-428: The magnum opus by the 2018 Nobel Prize laureate Olga Tokarczuk . A 20th-century variant of the historical novel is documentary fiction, which incorporates "not only historical characters and events, but also reports of everyday events" found in contemporary newspapers. Examples of this variant form of historical novel include U.S.A. (1938), and Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow . Memoirs of Hadrian by
16425-659: The titular serial killer . The Ripper has rallied former members of the Rooks to his cause to help him carry out his killings, and has also kidnapped Jacob, now the head of the British Brotherhood, who has a personal connection to the killer. After confronting Duleep Singh about his lack of commitment to the people of India, Henry enlists the help of the Frye twins to persuade the Maharaja to reclaim his birthright. The twins recover Singh's letters to his mother, which were intercepted by
16650-403: The 18th century. More recently there have been works such as Neal Stephenson 's Baroque Cycle . In Italy, the tradition of historical fiction has flourished in the modern age, the nineteenth century in particular having caught writers’ interests. Southern Italian novelists like Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa ( The Leopard ), Francesco Iovine ( Lady Ava ), Carlo Alianello ( The Heritage of
16875-416: The Animus device and modern storyline elements. This further allowed them to explain certain facets of gameplay, such as accounting for when the player character is killed, similar to The Sands of Time . After Assassin's Creed was released in 2007, Ubisoft Montreal said they looked to "rework the global structure" in developing the sequel, Assassin's Creed II . They felt that parkour was underutilized in
17100-488: The Animus, the player character could meet various quest givers in the game's world to receive missions. From the narrative side, Ubisoft placed the game before the formation of the Assassin Brotherhood in Ancient Egypt to make the player character, Bayek of Siwa , a medjay that people would respect and seek the help of. The modern-day storyline also shifted back to a single character, Layla Hassan . The developers limited
17325-454: The Animus. Meanwhile, the main narrative takes place at the height of the Italian Renaissance in the late 15th century and follows Desmond's Italian ancestor Ezio Auditore da Firenze , a young nobleman from Florence who is forced to become an Assassin after his father and brothers are killed by the Templars. During his journey to avenge their deaths, Ezio makes allies such as Leonardo da Vinci and Caterina Sforza and combats enemies such as
17550-481: The Assassins and their rivals, the Knights Templar , have fought over for centuries. Altaïr's story begins with his demotion to the rank of Novice Assassin after he botches an attempt by the Assassins to recover a Piece of Eden, the Apple of Eden, from the Templars. To redeem himself, Altaïr is tasked with assassinating nine Templar targets across the Holy Land. Assassin's Creed introduced core elements that remained in
17775-487: The Assassins could work together in the future. At some point following their arrival in London, the Frye twins are approached by Henry Raymond, a penny dreadful writer, and his follower, a young Arthur Conan Doyle , and the four team up to solve a series of mysterious murders across London. The twins are eventually summoned to Buckingham Palace by Queen Victoria, to solve the apparent murder of one of her guards. Doyle, who has been conducting his own investigation, discovers
18000-467: The Assassins learn the Templars plan to use the Shroud to construct a living Precursor. They also discover that Juno is manipulating employees within Abstergo to sabotage the company, and has her own plans for the Shroud. While exploring Jacob and Evie's memories, the Initiate encounters a "time anomaly" in the Animus, which causes them to relive the memories of Jacob's granddaughter, Lydia Frye. In 1914, at
18225-419: The Assassins seeking to stop the Templars from gaining control of the Pieces of Eden, artifacts that can override free will to control people's minds. These artifacts are remnants of an ancient species pre-dating humanity called the Isu, or Precursors, which created humanity to live in peace alongside them. The Isu ensured humans could not rise against them by creating the Pieces of Eden to control them. When
18450-410: The Assassins' headquarters for most of the game, provides several functions that can be expanded on by paying for upgrades of surrounding buildings, or by purchasing artwork, weapons, and armor for the villa; in turn, the villa will generate wealth for the player at a rate influenced by the upgrades and acquisition of these items. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is the sequel to Assassin's Creed II , and
18675-594: The Assassin–Templar conflict in the present-day framing story. Considered a spiritual successor to the Prince of Persia series, Assassin's Creed took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol , based on the historical Hashashin sect of the medieval Iran (Persia). The first Assassin's Creed game was released in 2007, and the series has featured thirteen main installments in total,
18900-436: The B.I.C. if they killed him. Afterwards, Singh thanks the twins for their contribution and parts ways with them, vowing to continue his mission. Assassin's Creed Syndicate is the second major entry in the series not to be developed by Ubisoft Montreal , following 2014's Assassin's Creed Rogue . Instead, on July 2, 2014, Ubisoft announced that Ubisoft Quebec would handle lead development as part of "a major investment" in
19125-642: The Belgian-born French writer Marguerite Yourcenar is about the life and death of Roman Emperor Hadrian . First published in France in French in 1951 as Mémoires d'Hadrien , the book was an immediate success, meeting with enormous critical acclaim. Margaret George has written fictional biographies about historical persons in The Memoirs of Cleopatra (1997) and Mary, called Magdalene (2002). An earlier example
19350-575: The British Indies Company (B.I.C.). This convinces Singh, who asks the twins to recover Punjabi gold, before arranging for it to be shipped back to India. He then proposes to recover the Koh-i-Noor , an Indian diamond kept in the Tower of London. The twins accomplish this task; however, Henry reveals that the recovered diamond is a replica, and that the true Koh-i-Noor never left India, having been hidden years ago by Jacob and Evie's father Ethan, who
19575-720: The Church and the Monarchy losing their power. Raised as Assassins to follow the Creed, Jacob and Evie aim to take back the city from Templar control by infiltrating and uniting London's criminal underworld, aided by notable figures of the era such as novelist Charles Dickens (Des McAleer); biologist Charles Darwin ( Julian Richings ); inventor Alexander Graham Bell ( Mark Rowley ); political theorist Karl Marx ( Matthew Marsh ); nurse Florence Nightingale (Helen Johns); Maharaja Duleep Singh (Avin Shah),
19800-691: The Dragon Sabre (1984) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), based on novels by Jin Yong and Wang Dulu , have also been produced. Zhang Yimou has directed several acclaimed wuxia films like Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). Although largely fictional some wuxia films are considered historical drama. Samurai films like Zatoichi and Lone Wolf and Cub series also fall under historical drama umbrella. Peplum films also known as sword-and-sandal,
20025-671: The Eastern Zhou Kingdoms ), Chu Renhuo 's Sui Tang yanyi ( Romance of the Sui and Tang dynasties ), Xiong Damu 's Liang Song Nanbei Zhizhuan ( Records of the Two Songs, South and North ) and Quan han zhi zhuan , Yang Erzeng 's Dong Xi Jin yan yi ( Romance of the Eastern and Western Jin dynasties ), and Qian Cai's The General Yue Fei , etc. Classical Greek novelists were also "very fond of writing novels about people and places of
20250-520: The Frye twins distracts Raymond while the other kills him, saving Doyle and recovering the Sceptre. In the aftermath, Jacob and Evie encourage Doyle to try writing detective fiction himself. Set in 1888, twenty years after the events of the main campaign, this expansion follows Evie as she investigates the murders of female Assassins operating as prostitutes in the East End of London , which were carried out by
20475-541: The Gods by Wong Yuk Long as well as The Ravages of Time by Chan Mou . There are also straight Samurai manga series like Path of the Assassin , Vagabond , Rurouni Kenshin and Azumi . Several comics and graphic novels have been produced into anime series or a movie adaptations like Azumi and 300 . Historical drama film stories are based upon historical events and famous people. Some historical dramas are docudramas , which attempt an accurate portrayal of
20700-466: The Grand Temple, which housed the global aurora borealis device that could activate a protective shield around the Earth. However, Juno saw humanity as a threat and attempted to sabotage Minerva and Jupiter's plan. Minerva and Jupiter were forced to destroy Juno and trapped her consciousness within the Grand Temple, unaware that Juno had modified the global aurora borealis device to release her consciousness upon activation. The series itself takes place in
20925-698: The Lion d'Or (concerned with the War's consequences); Pat Barker 's Regeneration Trilogy and Sebastian Barry 's A Long Long Way . American Nobel laureate William Faulkner 's novel Absalom, Absalom! (1936) is set before, during and after the American Civil War . Kenneth Roberts wrote several books set around the events of the American Revolution, of which Northwest Passage (1937), Oliver Wiswell (1940) and Lydia Bailey (1947) all became best-sellers in
21150-760: The London Brotherhood has fallen, and the city is controlled by the Templars, led by Crawford Starrick ( Kris Holden-Ried ), a powerful figure in the city's industry and criminal underworld. Although Evie wishes to search for the Piece of Eden, Jacob convinces her to help liberate London's boroughs from Templar-run gangs. In the process, they build up their own gang, the Rooks, and make allies such as Clara O'Dea, Frederick Abberline, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Ned Wynert, and Edward Hodson Bayley . During this time, Jacob, seeking to undermine Starrick's control over London society, assassinates Starrick's allies, including Dr. John Elliotson , who oversaw
21375-598: The Middle Ages . Victor Hugo 's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame often receives credit for fueling the movement to preserve the Gothic architecture of France , leading to the establishment of the Monuments historiques , the French governmental authority for historic preservation . Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti 's historical mystery saga Imprimateur Secretum Veritas Mysterium has increased interest in European history and features famous castrato opera singer Atto Melani as
21600-634: The Observatory, a First Civilization structure that allows the user to see through the eyes of a subject to find them anywhere on the planet. As Edward, the player must unravel a conspiracy between high-ranking Templars to manipulate the British and Spanish empires into locating the Sage — later identified as Bartholomew Roberts — who is the only man that can lead them to the Observatory. Black Flag retains many gameplay mechanics from Assassin's Creed III , including
21825-690: The Patriarch (1975) by Gabriel García Marquez . Other writers of historical fiction include Abel Posse , Antonio Benitez Rojo , João Ubaldo Ribeiro , Jorge Amado , Homero Aridjis . In the first decades of the 21st century, an increased interest for historical fiction has been noted. One of the most successful writers of historical novels is Hilary Mantel . Other writers of historical fiction include Philippa Gregory , Bernard Cornwell , Sarah Waters , Ken Follett , George Saunders , Shirley Hazzard and Julie Orringer . The historical novel The Books of Jacob set in 18th century Poland has been praised as
22050-541: The Phoenix Project, an attempt to recreate the genetic structure of the Isu. The player character is recruited into the Assassins and tasked with exploring the memories of Arno Dorian , an Assassin during the French Revolution , so that the modern-day Assassins can retrieve the body of a Sage and hide it from Abstergo. Despite the Assassins' efforts, by the start of Assassin's Creed Syndicate , Abstergo has collected enough DNA samples from other Sages to move forward with
22275-407: The Phoenix Project. The player character is again contacted by the Assassins and relives the memories of Jacob and Evie Frye , twin Assassins from Victorian England , to find a Piece of Eden that Abstergo requires for the next phase of the Phoenix Project. Although the Assassins beat the Templars to it, the latter manage to steal the Piece of Eden and escape with it, whereupon it is revealed that Juno
22500-449: The Pieces of Eden became lost to time, many of them hidden within underground vaults known as Temples. Before their demise, three Isu— Minerva , Juno , and Jupiter —attempted to prepare humanity for another solar flare they knew would come millennia later. Using a device called the Eye, which allowed them to see into possible futures, Minerva and Jupiter left behind messages to guide humanity to
22725-722: The Po , a patchwork saga of a family of millers from the time of Napoleon to the First World War , one of the most epic novels of the last century. In 1980, Umberto Eco achieved international success with The Name of the Rose , a novel set in an Italian abbey in 1327 readable as a historical mystery, as an allegory of Italy during the Years of Lead , and as an erudite joke. Eco's work, like Manzoni's preceding it, relaunched Italian interest in historical fiction. Many novelists who till then had preferred
22950-701: The Prioress ) and more recently Andrea Camilleri ( The Preston Brewer ) retold the events of the Italian Unification , at times overturning its traditionally heroic and progressive image. The conservative Riccardo Bacchelli in The Devil at the Long Point and the communist Vasco Pratolini in Metello described, from ideologically opposite points of view, the birth of Italian Socialism . Bacchelli also wrote The Mill on
23175-507: The Revolution. On March 19, 2014, images leaked for the next Assassin's Creed game, titled or code-named Unity , showing a new assassin in Paris. On March 21, Ubisoft confirmed the game's existence, having been in development for more than three years, by releasing pre-alpha game footage. The game features enhanced visuals compared to its predecessors, and several new gameplay mechanics, including
23400-457: The Shroud. They attempt to capture Ardant, but are forced to flee after being attacked by Otso Berg and Violet da Costa. After the Initiate locates the Shroud, Shaun, Rebecca and fellow Assassin Galina Voronina head to the vault, but discover that Ardant, Berg, and da Costa beat them to it. A fight ensues, in which Ardant is killed and da Costa escapes with the Shroud. Hacking Ardant's computer,
23625-466: The Siege of Lisbon . In a parallel plot set in the 12th and 20th century where history and fiction are constantly overlapping, the latter novel questions the reliability of historical sources and deals with the difference of writing history and fiction. A prominent subgenre within historical fiction is the children's historical novel. Often following a pedagogical bent, children's historical fiction may follow
23850-627: The Spring Queen (1931), is regarded by some as the best historical novel of the 20th century. Mary Renault is best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece . In addition to fictional portrayals of Theseus , Socrates , Plato , Simonides of Ceos and Alexander the Great , she wrote a non-fiction biography of Alexander. The Siege of Krishnapur (1973) by J. G. Farrell has been described as an "outstanding novel". Inspired by events such as
24075-559: The Templars to mark her for death. She is rescued by William Miles, who then invites her to join the Assassins for her own protection. In Assassin's Creed Odyssey , Layla recovers the Spear of Leonidas , from which she extracts the DNA of Leonidas' grandchildren, Alexios and Kassandra . Through their memories, Layla locates the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus , another Piece of Eden, which is guarded by one of
24300-567: The Templars, whom he blames for the destruction of his village and the death of his mother in his youth. To this end, Connor later becomes involved in the American Revolution , helping the Patriot cause in exchange for their help in hunting down Haytham's faction of Templars, who hope to use the Revolution to further their own goals. Assassin's Creed III is structured similarly to the previous games, with missions taking place in an open-world map based on Colonial Boston and New York . The game offers
24525-661: The Three Kingdoms concerns 3rd-century wars which ended the Han dynasty ; Wu Cheng'en 's 16th-century Journey to the West concerns the 7th-century Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang . In addition to those, there was a wealth of historical novels that became popular in the literary circles during the Ming and Qing periods in Chinese history; they include Feng Menglong 's Dongzhou Lieguo Zhi ( Chronicles of
24750-553: The United Kingdom published historical novels in the mid 19th century, the most notable include Thackeray 's Vanity Fair , Charles Dickens 's A Tale of Two Cities , George Eliot 's Romola , and Charles Kingsley 's Westward Ho! and Hereward the Wake . The Trumpet-Major (1880) is Thomas Hardy 's only historical novel, and is set in Weymouth during the Napoleonic wars , when
24975-412: The article being placed up with very little information whilst proclaiming several facts that were proven false. Ubisoft confirmed the news later that same day in a statement where the company expressed disappointment that "internal assets, not intended for public consumption" had been leaked but said that they were "excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date". The game
25200-406: The best-sellers of their time. Many of these authors (like Niccolò Tommaseo , Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi and D'Azeglio himself) were patriots and politicians too, and in their novels, the veiled politic message of Manzoni became explicit (the hero of Ettore Fieramosca fights to defend the honor of the Italian soldiers, mocked by some arrogant Frenchmen). In them, the narrative talent not equaled
25425-401: The borough. Other side missions focus on assisting prominent historical figures such as Charles Dickens , Karl Marx , and Queen Victoria . Players can also engage in a number of smaller activities for monetary rewards, like fight clubs and carriage races, and find several different types of collectibles, including music boxes containing the keys to a hidden treasure. Unlike its predecessor,
25650-410: The bounds of what their ancestor did can lead to desynchronization of the memory. Extended use of the Animus creates a "bleeding effect" that gives users some of the skills and capabilities they experienced with their ancestor, but also affects their mental well-being, as the user begins to confuse their ancestor's memories with their own. The first five main games in the series focus on Desmond Miles ,
25875-403: The building (and near collapse) of a huge spire onto a medieval cathedral (generally assumed to be Salisbury Cathedral ); the spire symbolizing both spiritual aspiration and worldly vanity. The Scorpion God (1971) consists of three novellas, the first set in a prehistoric African hunter-gatherer band ( Clonk, Clonk ), the second in an ancient Egyptian court ( The Scorpion God ) and the third in
26100-449: The building's schematics; however, the Templars seize them first. Evie also corrects consequences of Jacob's assassinations, such as medicine shortages and currency inflation. With his lieutenants dead, Starrick moves to retrieve the Shroud and eliminate Britain's heads of church and state. Jacob and Evie argue over his recklessness and her inaction, but agree to work together to stop Starrick before going their separate ways. They infiltrate
26325-421: The city from Templar control. The game also includes segments set in 1916, during World War I , which follow Jacob's granddaughter, Lydia Frye. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its open world is navigated on foot or by carriage . Syndicate introduces new travelling systems to the series, as well as refined combat and stealth mechanics. Players control the two lead characters throughout
26550-458: The combat, open-world design and vehicle gameplay were met with some criticism. The game was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Action/Adventure at The Game Awards 2015 . Syndicate was less financially successful than previous entries in the series, selling over 5.5 million units by November 2017. Ubisoft attributed the lower sales numbers to a series fatigue among players, caused in part by Assassin's Creed Unity 's disappointing release
26775-420: The concept of active versus passive moves, with active moves, such as running, climbing the sides of buildings, or jumping between rooftops, more likely to alert the attention of nearby guards. When the guards become alerted, the player must either fight them or break their line of sight and locate a hiding place, such as a haystack or a well, and wait until the guards' alert is reduced. The combat system allows for
27000-528: The concept of social stealth as a gameplay option. Finally, Ubisoft Montreal completely reworked the repetitive mission structure from the first game through numerous side activities, collectibles, and secrets. These additions became a central part of the series going forward as well as other Ubisoft games like Watch Dogs , Far Cry , and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon . Assassin's Creed II was followed by two sequels, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations , which also featured Ezio as
27225-482: The contemporary novel tried their hand at stories set in previous centuries. Among them were Fulvio Tomizza ( The Evil Coming from North , about the Reformation ), Dacia Maraini ( The Silent Duchess , about the female condition in the eighteenth century), Sebastiano Vassalli ( The Chimera , about a witch hunt ), Ernesto Ferrero ( N ) and Valerio Manfredi ( The Last Legion ). Fani Popova–Mutafova (1902–1977)
27450-428: The conventions of many of the other subgenres of historical fiction. A number of such works include elements of historical fantasy or time travel to facilitate the transition between the contemporary world and the past in the tradition of children's portal fiction. Sometimes publishers will commission series of historical novels that explore different periods and times. Among the most popular contemporary series include
27675-565: The court of a Roman emperor ( Envoy Extraordinary ). The trilogy To the Ends of the Earth , which includes the Rites of Passage (1980), Close Quarters (1987), and Fire Down Below (1989), describes sea voyages in the early 19th century. Anthony Burgess also wrote several historical novels; his last novel, A Dead Man in Deptford , is about the murder of Christopher Marlowe in the 16th century. Though
27900-528: The creed of the Assassins, "nothing is true; everything is permitted". Ubisoft Montreal ran with this in creating a new intellectual property , eliminating the Prince, and basing it around the Assassins and the Knights Templar in the Holy Land during the 12th century. Additionally, in postulating what other assassinations they could account for throughout history, they came onto the idea of genetic memory and created
28125-553: The culprit to be none other than Raymond, who plots to steal the Queen's Sceptre of the Dove . Raymond posed as the murdered guard to learn the combination to the safe where the Sceptre is kept by watching Queen Victoria open it, and has also faked a bomb threat to cover his escape. While Jacob and Evie evacuate the palace after learning of the bomb threat, Doyle tries to stop Raymond, only to end up captured. With Raymond holding Doyle hostage, one of
28350-487: The disaster but then abandons her in the Grey and escapes back to reality, where he joins the modern-day Assassins. In Assassin's Creed Mirage , the Assassins use a sample of Basim's DNA to relive his memories of his time as a Hidden One during the Islamic Golden Age , in order to learn more about his nature as a reborn Isu. The following table lists the main and spin-off games of the franchise, along with their release years and
28575-495: The early stages of development on Assassin's Creed III . As the first game in the series to be released exclusively for the eighth generation of video game consoles , Unity featured a graphical and gameplay overhaul. The setting chosen for the game was Paris during the early years of the French Revolution , with players taking control of a new Assassin named Arno Dorian . After Unity , Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Syndicate in 2015. After Syndicate , Ubisoft decided that
28800-789: The eighteenth century, as well as historical novels written primarily in exile in France and California, including most prominently the Josephus trilogy set in Ancient Rome (1932 / 1935 / 1942), Goya (1951), and his novel Raquel: The Jewess of Toledo - set in Medieval Spain. Robert Graves of Britain wrote several popular historical novels, including I, Claudius , King Jesus , The Golden Fleece and Count Belisarius . John Cowper Powys wrote two historical novels set in Wales, Owen Glendower (1941) and Porius (1951). The first deals with
29025-492: The end of the previous game as a front for the modern-day Templars) with the aid of Assassin mole Lucy Stillman and is taken to her team's hideout. Hoping to train Desmond as an Assassin, they put him in the Animus 2.0, where he begins to suffer from the bleeding effect; this allows Desmond to gain his ancestors' skills, but it also damages his mind, as he begins to involuntarily experience flashes of his ancestors' memories outside of
29250-436: The end of which Desmond sacrificed himself to save the Earth, Abstergo retrieved samples from his body to continue exploring the memories of his ancestors. The player character is an unnamed Abstergo employee tasked with analyzing the memories of Edward Kenway , a famous 18th-century pirate and Connor's grandfather, ostensibly to gather material for an Animus-powered interactive feature film; in reality, Abstergo are searching for
29475-454: The enfranchisement of women after the war. Lydia eventually conquers every Templar-infested area in London, and flushes out the leader of the Templars, revealed to be a Sage, the reincarnation of Juno's husband Aita . For every objective completed, Juno, the one causing the anomaly, appears and tells the Initiate of her past and rise to power. After Lydia kills the Sage, Juno thanks the Initiate for discovering his fate, and suggests that she and
29700-428: The familiar biblical stories of Genesis , from Jacob to Joseph (chapters 27–50), setting it in the historical context of the reign of Akhenaten (1353–1336 BC) in ancient Egypt . In the same era, Lion Feuchtwanger was one of the most popular and accomplished writers of historical novels, with publications between the 1920s and 1950s. His reputation began with the bestselling work, Jud Süß (1925), set in
29925-526: The fight for power in London, and is cohesive to the game's main story, adopting a gang warfare mechanic where the city is divided into districts each controlled by the game's two main street gangs. During the game, the Frye twins start a street gang called the Rooks to combat the Blighters' influence, which can be leveled up with various upgrades pertaining to their weaponry, vehicles, and economic opportunities, increasing their effectiveness in combat as well as
30150-505: The films were fantasy-based, however. Many featured actual historical personalities such as Julius Caesar , Cleopatra , and Hannibal , although great liberties were taken with the storylines. Gladiators, pirates, knights, Vikings, and slaves rebelling against tyrannical kings were also popular subjects. There are also films based on Medieval narratives like Ridley Scott 's historical epics Robin Hood (2010) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and
30375-529: The first game and designed the world in the sequel to feature freerun highways to make it easier to enter into parkour moves, for example using rooftops to escape pursuits. The change in setting meant that the game would feature a new cast of characters, including a new protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze . Assassin's Creed II also brought in more use of crowds to hide in plain sight that the developers had seen used in Hitman: Blood Money , adding more to
30600-425: The first hybrid Isu-human beings emerged, named Adam and Eve , they were immune to the effects of the Pieces of Eden. They stole the Pieces of Eden, which led to a great war that ended when a massive solar flare devastated the surface of the Earth. The surviving Isu subsequently died out while humanity thrived. All that remained of the Isu were traces of their memories in the world's mythologies and religions, while
30825-457: The fluidity of Syndicate ' s new combat system, as well as the beauty of the map and the addition of the rope launcher. She hailed the game as "a triumphant return to form for the franchise". Daniel Krupa from IGN gave the game an 8.2/10, citing the design of the city and the lighthearted plot as high points, while criticising the repetitive combat, yet saying it was better than Unity ' s combat. Brett Makedonski from Destructoid gave
31050-497: The game 7.5/10, praising its characters and assassination missions, but criticised the gameplay. He described combat as unsatisfying and carriage-driving as "a pain". Christopher Livingston from PC Gamer gave the game 66/100. He praised the characters and the main missions but criticised the side missions as being repetitive. Assassin's Creed Syndicate debuted at number one in the UK according to Chart-Track. However, in its first week, it
31275-469: The game adds several new systems, including a rope launcher, which allows the player to rappel up structures, or create a zip-line between buildings; carriages , which can be piloted or simply occupied by the player, and can be the setting of fights and parkour chases; and a train , which serves as the main base for the player throughout the game. The side content in Syndicate was designed to reflect
31500-545: The game has no multiplayer mode, and does not feature a companion app, which was introduced in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag . In 1868, at the tail end of the Industrial Revolution , with the Assassin Brotherhood all but eradicated in Victorian London , twins Jacob ( Paul Amos ) and Evie Frye ( Victoria Atkin ) leave Crawley for London and arrive to find a city controlled by the Templars , with both
31725-500: The game's season pass . The Darwin and Dickens Conspiracy expansion pack, which adds three missions involving Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens , was available for players who pre-ordered the game and was later bundled into the Streets of London DLC, featuring several new outfits and gears, on January 19, 2016. The first story-driven pack for the game, Jack the Ripper , loosely based on
31950-421: The game, they found the ship-to-ship combat system fitted with the story and redesigned the setting to incorporate it further. Another major change in Assassin's Creed III was transitioning the parkour and freerun systems to work in the natural woodlands of 18th-century Massachusetts and New York . This further allowed the adding of trees and other vegetation within the city areas themselves, not just as part of
32175-558: The gameplay elements also evolving. There are three overarching story arcs in the series. The first five main games follow Desmond Miles , a descendant of several important Assassins throughout history, who uses a machine called the Animus to relive his ancestors' memories and find powerful artifacts called Pieces of Eden in an attempt to prevent a catastrophic event, referencing the 2012 phenomenon . From Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag to Assassin's Creed Syndicate , Assassin initiates and employees of Abstergo Industries (a company used as
32400-540: The gameplay from The Sands of Time into an open-world approach, taking advantage of the improved processing power to render larger spaces and crowds. Narratively, the team wanted to move away from the Prince being someone next in line for the throne but to have to work for it; combined with research into secret societies led them to focus on the Order of Assassins , based upon the historical Hashashin sect of Ismaili , who were followers of Shia Islam , heavily borrowing from
32625-482: The genre as works "written at least fifty years after the events described", while critic Sarah Johnson delineates such novels as "set before the middle of the last [20th] century ... in which the author is writing from research rather than personal experience." Then again Lynda Adamson, in her preface to the bibliographic reference work World Historical Fiction , states that while a "generally accepted definition" for
32850-655: The genre for its other thematic and critical interests. Historical fiction as a contemporary Western literary genre has its foundations in the early-19th-century works of Sir Walter Scott and his contemporaries in other national literatures such as the Frenchman Honoré de Balzac , the American James Fenimore Cooper , and later the Russian Leo Tolstoy . However, the melding of historical and fictional elements in individual works of literature has
33075-547: The genre has evolved since its inception, the historical novel remains popular with authors and readers to this day and bestsellers include Patrick O'Brian 's Aubrey–Maturin series , Ken Follett 's Pillars of the Earth and Dorothy Dunnett 's Lymond Chronicles . A development in British and Irish writing in the past 25 years has been a renewed interest in the First World War . Works include William Boyd 's An Ice-Cream War ; Sebastian Faulks ' Birdsong and The Girl at
33300-408: The guise of creating entertainment products. In Black Flag , players assume the role of an unnamed Abstergo employee tasked with researching the memories of Edward Kenway , a pirate-turned-Assassin and Connor's grandfather. During their work, the player is blackmailed by a fellow employee, John Standish, into acquiring and delivering sensitive information on Abstergo's activities to the Assassins. John
33525-517: The historical novel is a novel "about a time period at least 25 years before it was written", she also suggests that some people read novels written in the past, like those of Jane Austen (1775–1817), as if they were historical novels. Historical fiction sometimes encouraged movements of romantic nationalism . Walter Scott's Waverley novels created interest in Scottish history and still illuminate it. A series of novels by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski on
33750-424: The history of Poland popularized the country's history after it had lost its independence in the Partitions of Poland . Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote several immensely popular novels set in conflicts between the Poles and predatory Teutonic Knights , rebelling Cossacks and invading Swedes . He won the 1905 Nobel Prize in literature . He also wrote the popular novel Quo Vadis , which was about Nero 's Rome and
33975-418: The introduction of Hassan in Assassin's Creed Origins due to the lack of main character and the number of studios involved, and Infinity is aimed to reestablish the modern-day side of the series. The first two games to be included in Infinity will be Assassin's Creed Shadows , set in Japan during the Sengoku period , and Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe , rumoured to be set in Central Europe during
34200-401: The last maharajah of the Sikh Empire ; Sergeant Frederick Abberline ( Sam Crane ) of the Metropolitan Police Service (known for his investigation of Jack the Ripper ); and Queen Victoria ( Ellen David ). Additionally, Jacob's granddaughter, Lydia Frye (Lisa Norton), appears in a separate World War I segment, where she aids Winston Churchill ( Rick Miller ) in defending London against
34425-445: The latter, Desmond uses the Animus to relive the memories of two of his ancestors who were in possession of the key at various points in time: Haytham Kenway , a British Templar from the 18th century who travels to the American colonies to establish a strong Templar presence on the continent and find the Grand Temple; and Ratonhnhaké:ton (later known as Connor), Haytham's half- Mohawk son, who becomes an Assassin to exact revenge on
34650-421: The line between fiction and history, in order to get closer to the truth. The novel is set 60 years before it was composed, and alongside researching the war through primary and secondary sources, he spoke with people who had lived through war during the French invasion of Russia in 1812; thus, the book is also, in part, ethnography fictionalized. The Charterhouse of Parma by Marie-Henri Beyle (Stendhal)
34875-426: The main protagonist and introduced the ability for players to recruit NPCs as Assassins and manage them in missions. Assassin's Creed III originated from both Ubisoft Montreal, who wanted to progress the series' narrative forward in time, and to an unattached project that had been developed at Ubisoft Singapore and featured naval ship combat. As the main team had settled into the American Revolution period for
35100-518: The main story, switching between them both during and outside of missions. After launch, the game was supported with several releases of downloadable content (DLC), including three story expansions . The most notable of these, Jack the Ripper , is set twenty years after the main campaign and involves Evie's pursuit of the titular unidentified serial killer . Assassin's Creed Syndicate received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its visuals, characters, narrative, and level design. However,
35325-402: The memories of Ezio, who, a few years after the events of Brotherhood , travels to Constantinople to find five keys needed to open a library built by Altaïr, which is said to contain the power to end the Assassin–Templar conflict. In Constantinople, Ezio becomes caught in a war of succession between Sultan Bayezid II 's sons, Selim and Ahmet , and must confront a conspiracy masterminded by
35550-459: The modern era, in which the Templars have established the mega-corporation Abstergo Industries. Abstergo has developed a device, the Animus, whose users can relive the memories of their ancestors through their genetic material. Abstergo has kidnapped people who are descendants of past Assassins to locate the missing Pieces of Eden via the Animus. A user of the Animus can move about in simulated memories as their ancestor, but performing actions outside
35775-434: The modern-day, the city guard of previous iterations is replaced by a Victorian-era police force, who will rarely attack the player unless a crime is committed in their presence; the player's main enemy is instead a Templar-controlled street gang called the "Blighters". The game lets the player control two characters: twins Jacob and Evie Frye . Jacob is a hot-headed brawler, specialising in close-ranged combat, while Evie
36000-537: The modern-day, which follows Desmond Miles ; and one set in 1191, which follows Desmond's ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad , a member of the Assassin Order during the time of the Third Crusade . Desmond's story begins with his abduction by pharmaceutical company Abstergo Industries, whose lead scientist, Dr. Warren Vidic, forces him to explore Altaïr's memories through a machine called the Animus that allows him to connect with his ancestors' DNA. In doing so, Abstergo hopes to find powerful artifacts called Pieces of Eden, which
36225-498: The most recent being Assassin's Creed Mirage in 2023. Main games in the Assassin's Creed series are set in an open world and played from the third-person view . Gameplay revolves around combat, stealth, and exploration, including the use of parkour to navigate the environment. The games feature both main and side missions, and some titles also include competitive and cooperative multiplayer game modes. A new story and occasionally new time periods are introduced in each entry, with
36450-400: The name 'Monte Cristo' into their titles." Tolstoy's War and Peace offers an example of 19th-century historical fiction used to critique contemporary history. Tolstoy read the standard histories available in Russian and French about the Napoleonic Wars , and used the novel to challenge those historical approaches. At the start of the novel's third volume, he describes his work as blurring
36675-450: The notorious crimes committed by the titular serial killer in the Whitechapel area of London in 1888, was released on December 15, 2015, for consoles, and December 22, 2015, for Windows. It adds a new narrative campaign which is separate from the base game and follows Evie's efforts to end the Ripper's reign of terror over London and track down Jacob, who has been kidnapped by the Ripper. The second story-driven pack, The Last Maharaja ,
36900-412: The novel Alamut . Ubisoft developed a narrative where the player would control an Assassin escorting a non-playable Prince, leading them to call this game Prince of Persia: Assassin , or Prince of Persia: Assassins . Ubisoft was apprehensive to a Prince of Persia game without the Prince as the playable character, but this led the marketing division to suggest the name Assassin's Creed , playing off
37125-497: The novels The Sot-Weed Factor (1960) and Mason & Dixon (1997) respectively. A few writers create historical fiction without fictional characters. One example is the series Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough . Historical prose fiction has a long tradition in world literature. Three of the Four Classics of Chinese novels were set in the distant past: Shi Nai'an 's 14th-century Water Margin concerns 12th-century outlaws; Luo Guanzhong 's 14th-century Romance of
37350-402: The number of playable sequences for her character compared to previous games but gave them more meaning, such as allowing the player to explore Layla's laptop with background information on the game's universe. Origins was followed in 2018 by Assassin's Creed Odyssey , which shifted the setting to Classical Greece and followed a similar approach to its predecessor but with more emphasis on
37575-574: The order in which they kill their main targets, the mission design was seen as linear and repetitive because players had to complete several side quests before each assassination. The side quest prerequisite was one of the most criticized aspects of the game, so it was abandoned in future games. Assassin's Creed II is a direct sequel to the first game and was released in November 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in March 2010 for Windows, and in October 2010 for OS X . The modern-day narrative again follows Desmond, who escapes from Abstergo (revealed at
37800-502: The outbreak of World War I , the Brotherhood removes Jacob and Evie to the countryside while Lydia's husband, a fellow Assassin, is enrolled in the British Army , leaving Lydia to defend London from German spies. In 1916, at the behest of Winston Churchill , Lydia eliminates a German spy facility in Tower Bridge . In the process, she discovers the Templars have infiltrated the Germans' spy network, and hunts them down. In exchange for her services, Churchill promises Lydia that he will ensure
38025-425: The parkour systems, but to add more varied environments, which would continue as part of the series' ongoing design. For Assassin's Creed III ' s sequel, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag , the Ubisoft team built upon the foundation of its predecessor, particularly with regards to the naval gameplay, merging it seamlessly with the land-based gameplay. The team also used the game as a chance to address aspects of
38250-399: The passive revenue generated by the gang over time. At the start of the game, London is controlled entirely by the Blighters, but as the player completes optional liberation missions (which can range from freeing child labourers to kidnapping or assassinating a high-profile Templar), each borough slowly comes under the control of the Rooks, culminating in a gang fight to definitively take over
38475-440: The past". The Iliad has been described as historic fiction, since it treats historic events, although its genre is generally considered epic poetry . Pierre Vidal-Naquet has suggested that Plato laid the foundations for the historical novel through the myth of Atlantis contained in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias . The Tale of Genji (written before 1021) is a fictionalized account of Japanese court life about
38700-529: The past. Some subgenres such as alternate history and historical fantasy insert intentionally ahistorical or speculative elements into a novel. Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because of readerly criticism or genre expectations for accurate period details. This tension between historical authenticity and fiction frequently becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics, while scholarly criticism frequently goes beyond this commentary, investigating
38925-444: The patriotic passion, and their novels, full of rhetoric and melodramatic excesses, are today barely readable as historical documents. A significant exception is The Confessions of an Italian by Ippolito Nievo , an epic about the Venetian republic 's fall and the Napoleonic age , told with satiric irony and youthful brio (Nievo wrote it when he was 26 years old). In Arabic literature, the Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan (1861–1914)
39150-483: The player achieves better synchronization results by performing the mission in a specific manner, such as by only killing the mission's target. The Animus also imparts special abilities to the modern-day character that helps them to see their target in a crowd or other unique points of interest. While playing as the Assassin characters, the games are generally presented from a third-person view in an open world environment, focusing on stealth and parkour . The games use
39375-404: The player is contacted by the modern-day Assassins and invited to join them as an Initiate and help them locate the body of an 18th-century Sage. The main story is set in Paris during the French Revolution , and follows Assassin Arno Dorian as he embarks on a quest for redemption after his foster father's death, which leads him to discover an internal conflict between the Templars as a result of
39600-441: The previous game Assassin's Creed Unity. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of missions, the player can freely roam the open world . Composed of the greater area of Victorian London , consisting of seven boroughs, the world of Assassin's Creed Syndicate is larger than previous entries in the series. In keeping with a historical context that more closely resembles
39825-410: The previous two games returns in Assassin's Creed III with new game modes, characters, and maps inspired by Colonial America, but this time no major narrative elements are included. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was released in October 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U and in November 2013 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Following the events of Assassin's Creed III , at
40050-447: The production of an addictive tonic; Malcolm Milner, the owner of Starrick's omnibus company; Pearl Attaway, Starrick's cousin and owner of a rival omnibus company; Philip Twopenny, the Governor of the Bank of England who was secretly robbing it; James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan , who planned to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli ; and gang leader Maxwell Roth, who initially supports Jacob, but later reveals himself to be
40275-457: The publication of the 2nd edition in 1903, Buddenbrooks became a major literary success. The work led to a Nobel Prize in Literature for Mann in 1929; although the Nobel award generally recognizes an author's body of work, the Swedish Academy's citation for Mann identified "his great novel Buddenbrooks " as the principal reason for his prize. Mann also wrote, between 1926 and 1943, a four-part novel Joseph and His Brothers . In it Mann retells
40500-472: The real-world player of the game, showing them elements like health bars, a mini-map, and target objectives as if presented by the Animus. Additionally, should the player cause the historical character to die or fail a mission, this is rectified as desynchronization of the genetic memory, allowing the player to try the mission again. Through the Animus interface, the player can retry any past mission already completed; for example, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood ,
40725-420: The rebellion of the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr (AD 1400–16), while Porius takes place during the Dark Ages, in AD 499, just before the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. Powys suggests parallels with these historical periods and Britain in the late 1930s and during World War II . Other significant British novelists include Georgette Heyer , Naomi Mitchison and Mary Renault . Heyer essentially established
40950-416: The rebuilding of a city through purchasing and upgrading of shops and other features. At times, the player is in direct control of the modern-day character who, by nature of the Animus use, has learned Assassin techniques through the bleeding effect, as well as their genetic ability of Eagle Vision, which separates friend, foe, and assassination targets by illuminating people in different colors. The games use
41175-444: The release of a patch for Syndicate that will allow players to play the game at 60 fps on PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 Pro . Assassin's Creed Syndicate received "generally favorable" reviews for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, while the PC version of the game received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Alexa Corriea from GameSpot praised
41400-427: The remains of Eivor Varinsdottir, a 9th-century Viking , and from her memories, she learns of an Isu temple in Norway . Layla travels to the temple and enters the Grey, a virtual world created by the Isu, where she meets both the Reader (implied to be Desmond's preserved consciousness) and Basim Ibn Ishaq , a Hidden One and the reincarnation of the Isu Loki , who was trapped in the Grey by Eivor. Basim helps Layla stop
41625-483: The respective platform(s) they released on: ^a Released under the title Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014. ^b Originally released as DLC for all versions of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag in 2013. ^c Originally announced as part of the season pass for Assassin's Creed Unity . ^d Released as a compilation titled Assassin's Creed Chronicles Trilogy Pack . ^e Released exclusively for
41850-423: The rest of the series. Players can freely explore the game's open world , making use of Altaïr's parkour and climbing skills to navigate the environment. The game also features refined hack-and-slash combat, with players able to block and counter-attacks, and stealth mechanics, such as hiding in crowds of people, which allow players to avoid detection by enemies or lose pursuing foes. Although players can choose
42075-427: The role of Templars in training and as they level up and rise in the ranks, they are told more about Abstergo's history. Assassin's Creed III was released in October 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and in November 2012 for Wii U and Windows. A remastered version of the game with enhanced visuals was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One in March 2019 and for Nintendo Switch in May 2019. This
42300-439: The role of a nameless individual controlled from a first-person perspective . The team chose this approach because they believed it allowed players to more easily identify themselves in their character. This trend would continue in the series until Assassin's Creed Syndicate . Development of Assassin's Creed Unity began shortly after the completion of Brotherhood in 2010, with the core development team splitting off during
42525-437: The role of an unnamed Abstergo employee, tasked with researching the memories of Shay Patrick Cormac , an 18th-century Assassin who, for reasons unknown to Abstergo, defected to the Templars. During their investigation, the player accidentally trips a hidden memory file that infects the Animus servers. They must complete Shay's memories to clean the servers while Abstergo is put under lockdown. The main narrative takes place during
42750-448: The role-playing elements. 2020's Assassin's Creed Valhalla , set in Medieval England and Norway during the Viking Age , continued the same style as Origins and Odyssey . The developers recognized feedback from the previous two games and brought back the social stealth elements, as well as the concept of a customizable home base that was first introduced in Assassin's Creed II . In 2023, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Mirage ,
42975-425: The romantic-historical novel. Victor Hugo began writing The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in 1829, largely to make his contemporaries more aware of the value of the Gothic architecture , which was neglected and often destroyed to be replaced by new buildings, or defaced by replacement of parts of buildings in a newer style. The action takes place in 1482 and the title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which
43200-413: The same features as the previous game though it takes place primarily in one city: Rome. Like the Villa Auditore, the player can spend money to buy and upgrade shops and other facilities throughout the city to increase the revenue they can collect from it; however, the player will be required to destroy Borgia towers that control various sections of the city before they can do so. The Brotherhood of Assassins
43425-437: The score for the Jack the Ripper downloadable content, in which a soundtrack album was released on December 1, 2015. Information on the game, then titled Assassin's Creed Victory , first leaked on December 2, 2014, through the website Kotaku , which published details and screenshots from a seven-minute "target gameplay footage" video the site had acquired. Kotaku received a large amount of backlash for this article due to
43650-472: The second period of development to make engrossing single-player games similar to the original titles but with features to allow players to share achievements and content with others, all backed by the Infinity hub system. The first Assassin's Creed game originated out of ideas for a sequel for Ubisoft's video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time , aiming for the seventh generation of video game consoles . The Ubisoft Montreal team decided to take
43875-490: The series needed a major reinvention across both gameplay and narrative. It was decided to make the next game, Assassin's Creed Origins , closer to a role-playing video game than a stealth-action game , which would also bring a game with many more hours of play than previous titles. Some long-standing features of the series were eliminated for this purpose, such as the social stealth mechanic. This changed how missions were presented — rather than being linearly directed through
44100-701: The series was released in 2016. While the games in the series have had several narrative arcs, Ubisoft views the series as currently having three periods of development and design philosophy. Until 2015's Assassin's Creed Syndicate , the franchise was structured around single-player content, and while centering on open world spaces and incorporating several role-playing elements, were more action-adventure and stealth-oriented. Period two, covering from Assassin's Creed Origins to Assassin's Creed Mirage , brought in more role-playing elements and live-service features to increase player engagement. Period three will launch with Assassin's Creed Shadows , using lessons from
44325-424: The series' storyline. Choosing to focus on an outsider's perspective to the Assassin–Templar conflict, they set the game around the Golden Age of Piracy , with the protagonist, Edward Kenway , starting out as a pirate who initially becomes involved in the conflict with the prospect of wealth. Similarly, after the conclusion of Desmond Miles ' story arc in Assassin's Creed III , the modern-day segments put players in
44550-432: The ship-based exploration and combat. For the first time in the series, naval exploration is a major part of the game; players can captain Edward's ship, the Jackdaw , and battle rival ships or hunt sea animals . The game includes a large open world spanning the West Indies , with players able to explore the cities of Havana , Nassau , and Kingston , as well as numerous islands, forts, and sunken ships. A multiplayer mode
44775-436: The siblings ( canonically Kassandra), still alive due to being sustained by the Staff. Kassandra relinquishes the Staff to Layla, who is prophesied to one day restore balance to the world, and passes away. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla , Earth is facing yet another disaster, as its magnetic field has been continually strengthening since Desmond's activation of the global aurora borealis device eight years prior. Layla exhumes
45000-432: The sieges of Cawnpore and Lucknow , the book details the siege of a fictional Indian town, Krishnapur, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from the perspective of the town's British residents . The main characters find themselves subject to the increasing strictures and deprivation of the siege, and the absurdity of maintaining the British class system in a town no one can leave becomes a source of comic invention, though
45225-629: The story is centered. Alexandre Dumas also wrote several popular historical fiction novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers . George Saintsbury stated: " Monte Cristo is said to have been at its first appearance, and for some time subsequently, the most popular book in Europe." This popularity has extended into modern times as well. The book was "translated into virtually all modern languages and has never been out of print in most of them. There have been at least twenty-nine motion pictures based on it ... as well as several television series, and many movies [have] worked
45450-617: The strength of it. The Finnish writer Mika Waltari is known for the historical novel The Egyptian (1945). Faroes–Danish writer William Heinesen wrote several historical novels, most notably Det gode håb (1964, "Fair Hope") set in the Faroe Islands in 17th century. Historical fiction has long been a popular genre in Sweden, especially since the 1960s a huge number of historical novels has been written. Nobel laureates Eyvind Johnson and Pär Lagerkvist wrote acclaimed historical novels such as Return to Ithaca (1946) and Barabbas (1950). Vilhelm Moberg 's Ride This Night (1941)
45675-451: The studio, who had assisted in the making of the six prior games as well as The Tyranny of King Washington and Freedom Cry , downloadable content for Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag respectively. Marc-Alexis Côté serves as the creative director for the game after working in various positions on Brotherhood , Revelations , Assassin's Creed III , and Freedom Cry while François Pelland returns as
45900-412: The subgenred films based on the Arthurian legend such as Pendragon: Sword of His Father (2008) and King Arthur (2004). Assassin%27s Creed Syndicate Assassin's Creed Syndicate is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft . It was released on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , and on November 19, 2015, for Windows . It
46125-462: The subtitles ("The Threat" and "The Violence") by 1987 by the director Lyudmil Staykov. In June 2015, " Time of Violence " was chosen as the most beloved film of Bulgarian viewers in "Laced Shoes of Bulgarian Cinema", a large-scale consultation with the audience of Bulgarian National Television . One of the best known Scandinavian historical novels is Sigrid Undset 's Kristin Lavransdatter (1920–1922) set in medieval Norway. For this trilogy Undset
46350-560: The text is serious in intent and tone. In Welsh literature, the major contributor to the genre in Welsh is William Owen Roberts (b. 1960). His historical novels include Y Pla (1987), set at the time of the Black Death; Paradwys (2001), 18th century, concerning the slave trade; and Petrograd (2008) and Paris (2013), concerning the Russian revolution and its aftermath. Y Pla has been much translated, appearing in English as Pestilence , and Petrograd and Paris have also appeared in English. A contemporary of Roberts' working in English
46575-406: The town was then anxious about the possibility of invasion by Napoleon. In the United States, the first historical novelist was Samuel Woodworth , who wrote The Champions of American Freedom in 1816. James Fenimore Cooper was better known for his historical novels and was influenced by Scott. His most famous novel is The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826), the second book of
46800-423: The use of the Animus, relive the genetic memories of Renaissance Templars in various game modes. It was the last game to feature Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets , as the creative director of the series. Assassin's Creed: Revelations is the final installment of the Ezio Trilogy and was released in November 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows. Following the events of Brotherhood , where he
47025-470: The year prior, and decided to end the annual release cycle for the series. The next main entry, Assassin's Creed Origins , primarily set in Ptolemaic era Ancient Egypt , was released in October 2017, and acts as a soft reboot which introduces more role-playing mechanics and a new modern-day storyline. Assassin's Creed Syndicate is an action-adventure , stealth game played from a third-person perspective , that features similar gameplay elements to
47250-695: The yearly release cycle and frequent bugs, as well as the prioritising of role-playing mechanics in later titles. The series has received multiple awards and nominations, including multiple Game of the Year awards. It is commercially successful, selling over 200 million copies as of September 2022, becoming Ubisoft's best-selling franchise and one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. While main titles are produced for major consoles and desktop platforms, multiple spin-off games have been released for consoles, mobiles, and handheld platforms. A series of art books, encyclopedias, comics, and novels have also been published. A live-action film adaptation of
47475-411: Was a Bulgarian author who is considered by many to have been the best-selling Bulgarian historical fiction author ever. Her books sold in record numbers in the 1930s and the early 1940s. However, she was eventually sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by the Bulgarian communist regime because of some of her writings celebrating Hitler , and though released after only eleven months for health reasons,
47700-541: Was as background detail to set the period, and did not usually play a key role in the narrative. Heyer's characters often contained more modern-day sensibilities, and more conventional characters in the novels would point out the heroine's eccentricities, such as wanting to marry for love. Some historical novels explore life at sea, including C. S. Forester 's Hornblower series , Patrick O'Brian 's Aubrey–Maturin series , Alexander Kent 's The Bolitho novels , Dudley Pope 's Lord Ramage 's series, all of which all deal with
47925-430: Was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928. Johannes V. Jensen 's trilogy Kongens fald (1900–1901, "The Fall of the King"), set in 16th century Denmark, has been called "the finest historical novel in Danish literature". The epic historical novel series Den lange rejse (1908–1921, "The Long Journey") is generally regarded as Jensen's masterpiece and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944 partly on
48150-630: Was changed from Assassin's Creed Unity , and now focuses on chaining together fast-paced attacks and blocks. The stealth system also saw several improvements with the addition of new gadgets and a kidnapping mechanic, which allows the player to take an enemy hostage and blend in with them to remain unseen, as long as they are not in close proximity to another enemy. Syndicate also builds upon Unity 's "Black Box" design for assassination missions by introducing more opportunities for infiltration and distraction, as well as "cinematic kills", which are unlocked after certain parameters are met. For navigation,
48375-474: Was forbidden to publish anything between 1943 and 1972. Stoyan Zagorchinov (1889–1969) also a Bulgarian writer, author of "Last Day, God's Day" trilogy and " Ivaylo ", continuing the tradition in the Bulgarian historical novel, led by Ivan Vazov . Yana Yazova (1912–1974) also has several novels that can be considered historical as " Alexander of Macedon ", her only novel on non-Bulgarian thematic, as well as her trilogy " Balkani ". Vera Mutafchieva (1929–2009)
48600-555: Was given the diamond by Henry's own father , Arbaaz Mir . The twins later head to a B.I.C. factory and stop the company's production of chemical weapons. In the process, they discover that Brinley Ellsworth, a B.I.C. representative and childhood friend of Singh's, is a Templar and behind the recent plots against the Maharaja. Singh arranges a meeting where he confronts Ellsworth, who tries to murder him. Evie subdues Ellsworth, but Singh chooses to spare his former friend's life and allows him to leave, claiming that they would be no better than
48825-402: Was inspired by Walter Scott's Ivanhoe but, compared to its model, shows some innovations (two members of the lower class as principal characters, the past described without romantic idealization, an explicitly Christian message), somehow forerunning the realistic novel of the following decades. Set in northern Italy in 1628, during the oppressive years under Spanish rule, it is sometimes seen as
49050-585: Was later announced as cancelled on July 15, 2011, after Ubisoft decided to expand the idea further, cancel the 3DS development and shift all development duties towards PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC to release the game as a full-fledged main installment of the franchise. The original premise remained and evolved into the plot seen in the final game. Included were many new systems and additional weapons such as bomb-crafting and an expanded Assassin recruitment system. The multiplayer mode returns in Revelations , with more characters, modes, and maps; players once again assume
49275-535: Was officially revealed on May 12, 2015, and was released worldwide on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , and on November 19, 2015, for Windows . Life-size toy replicas of weapons used by Evie and Jacob in the game, the "Cane-sword" and the "Gauntlet with Hidden blade", were available for purchase at launch. On May 13, 2015, five different editions of the game were announced for Europe. Ubisoft supported Syndicate with several releases of downloadable content (DLC), most of which are included in
49500-488: Was possessed by Juno and forced to kill Lucy (who, unbeknownst to him, was a Templar double agent ), Desmond has fallen into a coma and was put back into the Animus to save his mind. Within the computerized core of the Animus, Desmond meets the preserved consciousness of Abstergo's previous Animus test subject, Clay Kaczmarek , who explains that Demond's mind must achieve full synchronization with Altaïr and Ezio, or else he will fall into dementia . Desmond continues exploring
49725-445: Was quite popular in 20th century Latin American literature , including works such as The Kingdom of This World (1949) by Alejo Carpentier , I, the Supreme (1974) by Augusto Roa Bastos , Terra Nostra (1975) by Carlos Fuentes , News from the Empire (1987) by Fernando del Paso , The Lightning of August (1964) by Jorge Ibargüengoitia , The War of the End of the World (1981) by Mario Vargas Llosa and The Autumn of
49950-423: Was released in November 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in March 2011 for Windows, and in May 2011 for OS X. The game begins immediately after the events of its predecessor, at the end of which Desmond was warned by Minerva, a member of the First Civilization, about a solar flare that will hit the Earth and kill most of humanity in a few months. Desmond and his team travel to Monteriggioni, where they set up
50175-556: Was released on March 1, 2016, for all platforms and focuses on Jacob and Evie helping Duleep Singh in his quest to reclaim his heritage. The final story expansion for the game, The Dreadful Crimes , was initially a PlayStation 4 exclusive until March 2016. It was released for Windows on April 11 and is the only expansion not to be included in the season pass. The DLC builds upon Assassin's Creed Unity ' s murder investigation system and tasks players to solve multiple murder cases across London. On November 18, 2024, Ubisoft announced
50400-454: Was the most prolific novelist of this genre. He wrote 23 historical novels between 1889 and 1914. His novels played an important in shaping the collective consciousness of modern Arabs during the Nahda period and educated them about their history. The Fleeing Mamluk (1891), The Captive of the Mahdi Pretender (1892), and Virgin of Quraish (1899) are some of his nineteenth-century historical novels. A major 20th-century example of this genre
50625-412: Was the second worst-selling game of the franchise in the UK, only outselling Assassin's Creed Rogue . According to reports from Ubisoft, these lower sales in the first week were due to the release of Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) having a negative impact on the sales due to its notorious number of bugs and glitches at launch. Syndicate ' s second week sales beat those of Unity ' s. The game
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