Assassin's Creed (2007): The Game That Started It Al

A Leap of Faith: Revisiting Assassin's Creed (2007)

Back in 2007, the gaming world witnessed the birth of a franchise that would go on to redefine historical storytelling in video games—Assassin’s Creed. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the game introduced us to a mesmerizing blend of parkour, stealth, and a secret war waged across centuries. But how well does the original Assassin’s Creed hold up today? And more importantly, why did it leave such a lasting mark?

The Birth of a Brotherhood

Set during the Third Crusade in 1191, Assassin's Creed puts players in the boots of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a master assassin disgraced by arrogance and tasked with redeeming himself by eliminating nine key targets across the Holy Land. From the dusty streets of Jerusalem to the towering walls of Acre, Ubisoft's attention to architectural and historical detail created a world that felt alive and immersive.

But Assassin’s Creed was more than just a medieval murder simulator—it introduced players to a bold science-fiction twist. Through the Animus, a device allowing users to relive ancestral memories, players were thrown into the shoes of Desmond Miles, a modern-day bartender with assassin lineage. This dual-layered narrative became one of the game’s most unique features, blending past and present in a way rarely seen in games at the time.

Gameplay That Scaled New Heights

At its core, Assassin’s Creed offered a simple loop: investigate your target, stalk them, and deliver a silent kill. What made it stand out was how you got there—scaling buildings with parkour fluidity, blending into crowds, eavesdropping on conversations, and using stealth as your greatest weapon.

Climbing iconic landmarks like the Dome of the Rock or the Cathedral of Acre felt revolutionary in 2007. The “leap of faith” into a haystack became an iconic mechanic, now synonymous with the series. The freedom to explore vertically and interact with historical cities gave players a sense of agency that few other games offered at the time.

Still, Assassin’s Creed wasn’t without flaws. Many criticized its repetitive mission structure and clunky combat. But even its shortcomings laid the foundation for the franchise’s future—one that would refine, expand, and ultimately reinvent itself many times over.

A Game Ahead of Its Time

Assassin's Creed (2007) was a daring experiment, looking back. It seemed bold, novel, and even a little dangerous in the way it blended action, science fiction, historical fiction, and stealth. What if history could be performed instead of just studied? was the question it ventured to pose.

Over ten years later, the franchise has introduced us to Norse mythology, Ancient Egypt, and Renaissance Italy. The hooded figure sitting on a rooftop, the mysterious conflict between Assassins and Templars, and the fluid open-world exploring, however, all started here.

Why It Still Matters

It's like reading the first chapter of an epic narrative when you revisit Assassin's Creed now. Altaïr's journey has a grounded and genuine quality, even though more recent editions have refined the model and included RPG elements. It was a more subdued, concentrated experience—one that boldly combined sci-fi intrigue with historical subtlety while honoring it.

It's a sentimental look back to the origins of the credo for devoted followers. It's an intriguing artifact of game design that demonstrates to newcomers how far we've come and how courageous that initial move was.

Final Thoughts

Assassin’s Creed (2007) wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t have to be. It was the spark that ignited a global phenomenon. It showed that video games could be intelligent, culturally rich, and mechanically innovative. In many ways, Altaïr’s legacy lives on not just in the series, but in how we think about interactive storytelling today.

So if you haven’t played it—or it’s been a while—maybe it’s time to take another leap of faith.