The first Assassin's Creed revolutionised open-world action. Fluid parkour in the Holy Land, bold altruistic assassin concept. Repetitive but foundational, the DNA of an essential saga is there.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
Series founder following Desmond Miles reliving the memories of his ancestor Altair during the Third Crusade in 1191. Published by Ubisoft, released in 2007 across North America, Europe, Asia, Japan, Korea, Russia and Poland. Fluid rooftop parkour through Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus, nine targets to eliminate for the brotherhood, the Animus machine bridging past and present, stealth infiltration and bladed combat.
Assassin's Creed review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Historical recreations of astonishing breadth, from the rooftops of Florence to the sunlit Caribbean: each era lives again with a dizzying care for detail. The architectural coherence and worked-over light turn History into a sumptuous playground. This visual ambition, vast and polished, defines the historical open world.
The birth certificate of one of history's biggest franchises, sold on a scale that leaves it everywhere and without value. Its collector interest is almost entirely historical, that of the zero point of a global phenomenon. Only the locally pressed editions, like the Polish, Russian or Korean versions, carry a scarcity worth the attention of a complete regional set.
Is Assassin's Creed still worth playing in 2026?
The first Assassin's Creed is best enjoyed today as a manifesto rather than a fully satisfying game. The fluidity of the parkour across the Holy Land still impresses, and the atmosphere of Jerusalem and Acre keeps a real historical density. Yet the repetitive structure, the mechanical investigation missions and the dated AI weigh heavily against current standards. We recommend it above all to the curious who want to understand where the saga began, or to fans keen to trace its roots. For sheer playing pleasure, its sequels are clearly the better choice.
