Let's Talk Assassin's Creed

Welcome to the official Tumblr blog for Let's Talk Assassins Creed, a podcast all about Assassin's Creed. The show is co-hosted by James, Chris and Declan. Our links: https://letstalkassassinscreed.carrd.co/

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Happy #ACDay everyone!

Today we released our final episode of 2023: our very own (and better!) version of the Game Awards.

Can you guess what our favourite Assassin's Creed game of 2023 was? 😄

Available on YouTube, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Enjoy!

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Episode 174 - Matching TV and Film to Assassin's Creed

Episode 174 - Matching TV and Film to Assassin's Creed In this episode we are joined by returning guest Arshak from AC Landmarks to discuss films and television series which represent the time periods and settings of Assassin's Creed games

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Idk9gTZdopkk700JymZ69?si=f96f5c6342224ebd

YouTube: https://youtu.be/sPlkgRDw9WA?si=FeM5Fdw6z1y7zPVP

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PODCAST UPDATE:

Hi everyone, today I have published a short update on the podcast explaining a little about our absence.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/P8yKLL48Jf4?si=xD2kDx0M8OPbUEsc

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7akC3OJLTyNFj4cmP5xSQR?si=e3cf0008c9644df2

We will be back to regular recordings soon.

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NEW EPISODE

Our latest episode is now live! In this episode we are joined by Daughter of No One author Maria Lewis to chat all things Roshan. This was a great conversation, and we hope you enjoy it!

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Aru74QzqaCg

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2od29r

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NEW EPISODE

Today we've published Episode 170 where we chat with returning guest Hayete and new guest LeoK. In this episode we discuss and break down the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Mirage. This was a great conversation, and we end it with a quick discussion of Leo's early impressions of the new Assassin's Creed VR game, Nexus. YouTube link to episode: https://youtu.be/_ukag0ZSMIw Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0sRJfCvGPzjFHuo750Cimc?si=cdbdc5c7d1fa466c

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Back to the Routes? (A spoiler-free review of Assassin's Creed Mirage)

Thanks to the amazing people at Ubisoft I got a chance to play Mirage early, and after a few days, I am still playing with a huge smile. Because this game is such a joy to play and experience.

The game kicks off with an amazing intro that is up there with Bayek's opening speech In Origins, and then drops you into Basim's shoes and the game begins. And within the few moments of playing you can see how this world is built for parkour and stealth. There are a lot of NPCs milling about making plenty of options to blend but also creating a sense that this world is alive and thriving. There are also a lot of obstacles for the player to use to help them reach the rooftops, and with Basim's light and faster feel chaining parkour routes has never felt so fun.

I am now 10 hours into the story and it is one I'm heavily invested in because it's smaller and more linear, and it's a very good story, one full of mystery and suspense, and even with Basim's fate already set with Valhalla the writers still have managed to create dramatic moments for the character.

The only reservation I had when I started playing was the Back to the Roots marketing and how the team was going to make the game feel back to the roots. And I am happy with what they have achieved because to me it's not the 1:1 Assassin's Creed 1 gameplay that I associate with the series roots, instead the developers have taken the best parts of the recent RPG games and combined them with the best parts of the older titles, to create a perfect blend of old and new. With a sense of nostalgia in the gameplay I would love to see more games in this style.

I do feel there are a lot of positives about this title, from how the world encourages stealth and parkour and the amazing detailed world of Baghdad. But I do feel at some moments this game is let down by its over-challenging combat. For example, in my gameplay, I came to an area that was heavily fortified and my only tool was a throwing knife. At first, planning the route to stealth was exciting and fun, but when I tried to ledge assassinate a guard no matter how many whistles he never walked to the ledge. So I had to chance a combat encounter, which resulted in me being swarmed by 2 agile guards that are easy to pary which triggers an instant kill option like older titles. But there was also an armored guard who could only be damaged from behind. So trying to doge 3 attackers on low stamina with outfits that don't have damage reduction systems became difficult as 4 hits and game over. With more tools at your disposal, the challenging combat becomes a way to force players into navigating more stealthy and pre-planning tools and routes. I feel this approach is clever and can be great, but In early areas where your tools are limited to what you have unlocked combat becomes more of a chore than a fun mechanic to get you to play more stealthy.

Overall even with the challenging combat, there is more to this game that overshadows the combat. Mirage is a world begging to be explored, bright vibrant, and alive. The urban areas are filled with parkour routes or places to blend in making you feel more like a stealthy assassin. This is a game I would recommend to both newer and older fans, and I do hope Ubisoft attempts to make these types of games again.

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Hello everyone! Our latest episode is now live!

In this episode we are joined by new guest Shady, and returning guest Arshak, to explore what Mirage means for Arabs, Muslims and other fans from the Middle East.

Episode available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts etc etc etc

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Book Review - Assassin's Creed Daughter of No One

In this spoiler-free written review, co-host Declan gives his thoughts on the new Assassin's Creed novel Daughter of No One, written by Maria Lewis:

Before I start this spoiler-free review, I want to thank Aconyte Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book's review copy. Daughter of No One is due to be published around November 7th 2023, plenty of time to finish Mirage before you dive into this essential piece of reading.

Daughter of No One is an intriguing story filled with love, loss and deceit; your typical Assassin's Creed formula. However, continuing the recent trend of transmedia published by Aconyte Books, this story has enough new flair and take on the formula that it can draw you in and keep you invested from start to finish. This isn't an exaggeration. The start of the book throws you right into the deep end, and throughout the first chapter the author has managed to paint a vivid picture of the world that Roshan lives in. 

The book is also unique in the fact that it not only wants to give the reader a deeper understanding of all the trials and tribulations Roshan has faced, but also the current dilemma that has drawn her into the hidden conflict of the Hidden Ones. The way the author manages this was very clever. Instead of creating a single narrative that runs from 824CE, there is a second narrative that exists through a jump back in time to 819CE. The chapters flit between 819 and 824. What is interesting is that each time the author jumps back in time she also moves the past narrative forward, so that this past narrative from 819 to 824 ends just before the main narrative set in 824 begins in chapter 1, creating a very satisfying loop. By doing the story this way she can push the main 824 stories ahead with small callbacks to the past. To me this gave the author more room to play around with the main narrative without any worries that they had missed any details that would flesh out Roshan's past. I did enjoy this style of story as each time skip back dragged me more into Roshan's story and life, and I started to feel I understood the character on a deeper level. I am curious how this early read will impact how I see Roshan when Mirage launches in October.

The story we see in 824 is an odd Assassin's Creed story as it presents the idea that the Hidden Ones need something and they enlist Roshan's help, but that's where they stop. There are only 2 Hidden Ones mentioned, but after a few chapters they are no longer involved in the plot which was interesting because when I reached the end I started to get bad feelings about how this type of Brotherhood operates and it made me wonder if they have good intentions at heart. But even with the Hidden Ones missing from the later narrative Roshan makes up for it. She is a natural-born assassin with an inherited ability to see things that can't be seen by others, and her tenacious and hard-working nature has turned her into the perfect assassin, who is not only skilled in combat but also in movement. There were also a good few moments where we see Roshan's mental reflection on what Philo says of the Assassin's enemies and it sets up the idea that Roshan makes the perfect assassin.

Overall Daughter of No One is an essential read for all fans of Mirage, it felt more like a DLC story than a companion novel. and upon finding the book I had a lot of respect and admiration for her character and I hope we see her feature in more works. I was expecting it to be a little longer as there was a few things I would have liked to see but I do feel its pace and ending were great and made for a read that I just couldn't put down. I also like how Daughter of No One is the latest Aconyte book that not only creates a fun tie-in to the games but also helps reshape the transmedia into a world that Ubisoft should expand. I would love to see Daughter of No One and The Engines of History translated into a live-action mini-series or even animated.

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Hello everyone, our new episode is now available under early access for our Patreons.

We will publish the episode to all listeners on Wednesday 6th September.

If you would like to join our supporter program please check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/LetsTalkAc

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Important Podcast Update - 7th August, 2023

Let’s Talk Assassin’s Creed

Podcast Update

Monday, 7th August, 2023

Hello Friends, Listeners and Followers,

I have an important update about the podcast to share with you all.

Declan has been struggling with his mental health for a while and needs extended time away; from the show, from chat, from social media, and from content creation so that he can focus on himself and his family.

Declan and I have discussed this at length over the weekend, and I suggested that he takes a complete break until the end of the year. We can then see how he is feeling and whether he feels ready to return, or whether he needs more time away.

Declan started this podcast in 2019, and ran this podcast on his own for two years before I joined him in September 2021. I have promised him that I will take good care of his baby while he is away.

I enjoy what we do together very much, and I will miss Declan a lot, but much more than that I want him to rest up and focus on himself. I am going to continue to manage and produce the podcast. But I cannot do it alone. Therefore, I am very pleased to welcome Chris to the show as our new co-host.

You might know Chris as the founder of the fan community Scholars of the Creed. Chris has been a guest on the podcast several times recently  and I think he will be a great addition to the show. Chris will be with us from now until the end of year, and then we will review how we are all feeling, and what we want to do next.

I want to assure you all that Declan is fine, and he is already feeling better with this weight lifted off his shoulders.

Please send your best wishes and kind thoughts to my friend.

Yours in Brotherhood,

James

Co-Host of Let’s Talk Assassin’s Creed

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Hi everyone, we are currently on our summer break but we will be back with new episodes in September. Meanwhile, here is our most recent episode: 🔗 YouTube 🔗 Spotify (Also available on all your usual podcast services)

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Found a NaNoWriMo 15 minit free writing challenge in my email, where you set a 15-minute timer and write anything, and I wrote this

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so this is more personal and has nothing to do with the LetsTalAc show, but I have published my first-ever short story on Amazon. I wrote this 10k short story during @nanowrimo July camp

this story is about a prince who must face a quest alone to find a legend

Kiss Of The Moon eBook : Rose, Declan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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Fight for Eden

They say the devil is the reason why we will never reach paradise, for he was the one who whispered lies and deceit into my ears. And slowly a seed was planted and from that seed an idea sprouted, an idea to steal an apple. A forbidden fruit that would banish us from Eden.

But Eden was no garden of emerald green grass or crystal blue lakes with trees and flowers forever in bloom, painting the landscape in a kaleidoscope of colours. No Eden was a building of white and grey, a tower of glass and metal erected on the empty plains that lay beneath a mountin that inspired hope that someday we will touch its highest point and from there the stars.

The truth is the story of Eden started years ago, when I was but a child. Every evening, when the others would return from work, they would sit around the table, waiting for their grey sticky slop to be served by beasts of metal. They would eat quickly and quietly, and when the doors were locked, they would come alive. Some sat around compiling about the harshness of their masters, showing off new marks and cuts. Others would cuddle and mourn the loss of a friend or family. But there was one uniting story that spread through Eden. A story of freedom where no man is a slave to another's desires, where man can sleep and eat when they need not when they are told. But others disagreed. They said freedom would make us lazy and we wouldn't survive. The life we have now is harsh and cruel, but there's order and stability, and that was enough.

The years would go by, and soon, I was carted out of Eden to be a slave to a master, one they called Samuel. One you evilised as the devil. He was a fair but firm master, one who was eager to do his own thing yet was also restricted by others. He was a person who never believed in freedom or even ordered, for he said these decisions were best left to those we had a choice. And one day I would have a choice. Those words were alien to me, I was a slave bound to others. How could I have a choice?

But then I met Adam, and I watched the world punish him for standing for what's right, I would watch from afar entranced by his courage to stand up for freedom. One day, I understood Samuel's words, I was alone with a little girl, no bigger than 7 cycles, and her father. I saw 2 men walk in holding a ball of gold and light, one of them directed it at the father and somehow forced him to his knees, and faster then I could react they drove a sharp blade through his neck. Their faces wore a mask of content and happiness at their action. And I couldn't take it. How was this fair to us? If this is what order can do to people, then aren't we better off free.

I rushed forward and clenched my fist and drove it into the first man's face. I felt their nose crushed, and warm blood brushed against my hand. Their friend turned on me and raised the ball in the air, I felt a wave pass through me like a cool breeze, and something was trying to claw at my mind. But it couldn't find a grip, the man looked confused. He anticipated that I was like the others and that these things would affect me. But for some reason, I was immune. Using their stunned silence to nh advantage, I rushed forward, snatched the ball from his hands, and bashed it against his skull. I gripped the little girls hands and fled, freeing everyone i could.

Soon, alarms rang in Eden, and a riot ensued. Slaves vs masters. But I didn't stop running and soon I was joined by Adam, I didn't have a chance to tell him what happened. Instead, we ran in silence. Along the way, I lost the little girl, but it was so distracted I never noticed until it was too late. Eventually, me and I made it to the rooftop, and as we looked back at the life we were leaving behind, we knew that we had started a chain of events that would ripple through time to never end.

And as years rolled by the world soon was engulfed by war, a war for freedom and for order. Some that we learned called themselves isu, and they fought to put their creations back onto a leash, and back to slavery, there were even humans that helped them. Then there was us led by Adam and me who wanted to be free to be equal even some isu joined our cause. But there was always one lingering question: What happened to Samuel after the fight of Eden, and did he want this war? But what we do know is that freedom should never be forgotten and should always be fought for. Even if all hope is lost, we can still be free