It’s hot to reveal that Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 is called Final Fantasy VII RebirthI’ve been thinking a lot about remakes, their purpose in video games, and what games need and don’t need them.
Bottom line is, I’m not opposed to any remake. If a studio wants to make a new crack for an old game, especially if it’s the studio behind the original release, why not? It’s not like I have to buy the game, and who knows, it might be a new favorite for me. That’s what happened with the FF7R. I love Final Fantasy 7 and I worry the remake won’t make it. Well, it turns out FF7R is one of my favorite games. Plus, at the end of the day, in many cases the original game is still there for me to play so I want to do that.
However, all the talk and speculation surrounding Final Fantasy VII Rebirth made me think of another game rumored to be getting a remake: Assassin’s Creed. There are many rumors about this enduring franchise: Assassin’s Creed Infinity was rumored much before the official reveal. There are rumors about a remake of the first Assassin’s Creedand there are also rumors that maybe this year we might get a smaller scale game called Assassin’s Creed Rift with a focus on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Basim (thanks, Bloomberg). One rumor that I’m most excited about and equally worried about is the Assassin’s Creed remake.
Remaking the adventure of Altair that started the entire series is a good idea. It’s hard to play these days on relatively modern consoles, and if someone’s a newer fan of the series thanks to Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla’s role-playing efforts, they’d probably love to check it out. See where it all started. However, if someone wants to do that, I believe they will meet a game that is not so great to play in 2022. Assassin’s Creed is an important first step, made even better with improvements in terms of Assassin’s Creed II quality of life. However, even that much better game is harder to play today as its age is definitely showing. That’s doubly the case with Assassin’s Creed. The fight is simple and not very attractive. Visually, it could at least use the resolution boost, and the overall gameplay loop is rather monotonous.
It’s playable, but it’s not an ideal experience. That’s where the power of the remake can come into play. And even more so, I think the Assassin’s Creed remake should go the FF7R route. Basically, a remake would probably improve all the surface issues I have with Assassin’s Creed these days. Ubisoft can improve gameplay, update controls and visuals, and bring games to easily accessible platforms.
As a franchise, Assassin’s Creed has strayed a bit from its original vision, especially the narrative, but I think an FF7R-style remake could provide some commentary. meta is essential to the series. Just as FF7R is a synthetic discussion of the purpose of remakes and the importance, or sometimes lack of, fan voice in remakes, I think Assassin’s Creed needs to do the same. Today’s Assassin’s Creed is a far cry from (heh) what Altair’s first adventure was about, but not necessarily in a bad way. I just thought it would be impossible to connect the dots between Altair’s journey and its importance to the latest Assassin adventure from Eivor. Assassin’s Creed is no longer about the worldwide confrontation between the Assassins and the Templars. And that’s okay. The series is almost 15 years old – things are always changing and evolving. I’m interested in that evolution and what Ubisoft can say about it with the Assassin’s Creed remake.
Let Altair’s actions speak volumes for how things are not black and white in the conflict between the Assassins and the Templars. Let him mention former Professional Assassins like Bayek, Kassandra, and Eivor. Let him warn about some Assassins that will unmask themselves if the order continues to be rigid in its way. Let the battle feel like today’s action RPGs and give a climbing feel that matches the series’ latest efforts – I’m a trained assassin ready, let me climb anything and everything.
That’s a big question, especially considering this rumored remake, if accurate, will almost certainly be a book-standard project – not every studio has it. Tetsuya Nomura Ready to cut the beloved canon. But imagine if it was more. Imagine if it dramatically altered some of the fan-favorite events and moments to document the big ideas of the franchise, like FF7R did for Final Fantasy 7, it all looks much nicer and play better as well. It could give new meaning to Assassin’s order and its place in history, it’s a story beat that’s been lost amid the glitz and glamor of the new open-world RPG star found in… movie series. And it can reconnect entries that fans like me have struggled to connect to the broader modern storyline we’re still searching for answers to to this day.
Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest franchises of all, and a remake like this could renew the interest of die-hard fans and attract new players, who who doesn’t feel that there is a good starting point in the series today. That’s the purpose of a good remake, right? Hopefully, Ubisoft realizes that.
