I Want To Be a Templar

Throughout the Assassin’s Creed franchise the templars have always been portrayed as the central antagonist. While Ubisoft has given players the chance to experience Assassin’s Creed universe from the perspective of  Abstergo  Industries, these times were limited to either multiplayer or, in the case of Assassin’s Creed 3 and Black Flag, small parts of the campaign. Never have we witnessed  the war from the eyes of a Templar for an entire adventure. Now with rumors spreading that Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Comet, will star a Templar as the main character I can’t help but get excited. This change  would allow for a fresh take on the franchise and finally show that the Assassin - Templar War is more of a battle between contrasting ideologies.

The templars seek to create an ideal world where the freedom of the individual is sacrificed for order and control while  the Assassin Order believes that free will is necessary for the growth of new ideas and development. While both philosophies have their pros and cons it’s the templars that have been villainized in order to create clarity and focus. We love to know who the heroes  and villains are because it’s central to creating a stable story that we can understand easily. The Templar - Assassin War isn’t about which side is good or evil, but which ideology will reign supreme.

Now I’m not attempting to claim that the Templar Order is pure, instead that the war should be experienced from both sides. Despite mixed reviews Assassin’s Creed III is currently the best representation of the Assassin - Templar War from an actual Templar. This representation allowed players  to see that the divides between Templar and Assassin are more blurred. Both value the companionship of one another, seek to achieve their own goals and commit brutal atrocities. How many people did Ratonhnhake:ton kill throughout his campaign, did they all deserve to die?

The ability to play as the opposing side has been used in other video games successfully to give the player a better understanding of the game’s story. In Halo 2 players were cast into the role of a disgraced elite called The Arbiter and in Breath of Fire IV Ryu’s other half, Fou-Lu, was playable during certain sequences. These games allowed the player to experience the game’s lore from both sides, and develop a better understanding of how both sides believe the other is wrong.

It would be a refreshing take on the franchise to see an assassin as the primary antagonist over a templar. To show that not everyone within both organizations are clearly separated into a good or evil sphere, but instead have settled between the venn diagram as simply neutral. Instead of only seeing the Assassin Order attempting to stop the evil Abstergo from controlling the world, also see that both sides have their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully the rumors about this change are true because I really want to be a templar.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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