Throughout its history, the Assassin’s Creed series has featured multiple historical settings, all rich in charm and mystery. There are several ways for players to explore the wonders recreated by Ubisoft, but what are the best means of transportation for the Assassins ?
Let’s start from the origins: the Horse
We cannot refrain from mentioning the horse, which already in the first chapter of Assassin’s Creed constitutes the fastest and most immediate means of transport between Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus . Enjoying the suggestive panoramas of the Holy Land during the Third Crusade on Altair’s horse was certainly a memorable experience for the time, however in the forefather of the saga it was not possible to enter the cities.
This option was introduced only starting from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood , with Ezio Auditore who was free to ride through the streets of 16th century Rome. With the subsequent transformation of the series and the adoption of RPG styles, the horse began to play an increasingly crucial role , considering the notable extension of the explorable maps Assassin’s Creed Origins , Odyssey and Valhalla .
Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Flying Machine’
One of the most spectacular and exciting moments of the entire saga is certainly the one in which Ezio Auditore manages to infiltrate the Doge’s Palace in Venice using the ingenious ornithopter designed by Leonardo da Vinci . The “flying machine”, as it is officially known in the canon of the franchise, is the first attempt by man to build a vehicle that allows movement in flight, and in fact its design is intended to recall the features of a bird.
The ornithopter was able to remain suspended in the air for only a few meters and seconds , however by lighting several bonfires scattered around the city of Venice it becomes possible to exploit the propulsion of the heat sources and reach the destination, reaching your target in one of the most memorable missions ever.
The revolution of ships
The first major revolution in terms of moving between areas of the game world was introduced in Assassin’s Creed with ships , a means of transport that allowed you to travel by sea and explore the increasingly vast environments of the series in a more functional way. Although these had appeared since the dawn of the series, and with the exception of the gondolas of Venice in Assassin’s Creed 2, large combat ships only became truly interactable starting from Assassin’s Creed 3 , which offered missions on the open sea and allowed you to take part in exciting naval battles for the first time.
However, this was a first approach, an experiment that paved the way for Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag , which made this aspect one of its founding elements. With the RPG turn of the series, ships returned to being fundamental during the exploratory phase, as demonstrated once again by the triptych Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla.
Bayek’s Chariots
After having already offered a variation on the theme with the caravans of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate , Ubisoft introduces an interesting new means of transport with the arrival of Assassin’s Creed Origins. We are talking about chariots , designed by the Hittites, a population that competed with Egypt for dominance in the Middle East.
Mainly used on the battlefield by the countries of the Mediterranean and Western Asia, chariots were also used for very theatrical racing competitions , since the times of the Romans and the Greeks. In Assassin’s Creed Origins we can take part in these races at the Hippodrome of Lageion in Kanopos, but the chariots are also freely usable by Bayek during the exploratory phases of Ancient Egypt wonderfully recreated by Ubisoft.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Tank
Used mostly as a breakthrough weapon and in a very contextual way, Leonardo da Vinci’s tank is one of the most peculiar vehicles we have ever had the opportunity to pilot in the Assassin’s Creed series. Clearly it will not be very useful for Ezio Auditore’s exploratory purposes , but the Florentine Assassin will know how to make good use of the prototype tank designed by the genius of Leonardo da Vinci.
Veering onto unexpected paths for the typical game structure of the series, the tank briefly transforms Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood into a sort of war shooter, albeit a very basic and approximate one. At the end of his mission, Ezio, in agreement with Leonardo, will destroy the tank and the written project of a war machine deemed too dangerous to be left in circulation.
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