Lets Discuss: Assassin’s Creed 3 Ending and Future of Series (MASSIVE SPOILERS)
Even though it’s up there in massive capital letters in the title, I feel inclined to warn you again that we will be discussing massive spoilers that will include the ending of Assassin’s Creed 3 (and possibly other games within the series). If you haven’t finished the game yet I highly suggest you do so before reading any further.
Still with us? Alright, LETS DO THIS!
Assassin’s Creed 3 is a massive turning point for the series as a whole. It’s the first numbered entry in as many years and it features a brand new assassin protagonist and undeniably wraps up the story arc that we’ve gone through in the last 5 games and ties it all together with a neat little bow (that perhaps is not such a neat little bow). Anyone still reading this article knows that one of the last descendants of the First Civilization and our erstwhile memory spelunker for every game thus far is shown clearly dead at the end of the game. That is correct, for those who did not heed my warning and now whose mind cannot be un-blown: Desmond has indeed been killed and Juno, one of the First Civilization and looks to be future baddy of the series is freed upon the Earth. All by Desmond Mile’s hand.
There are several issues that one might have with the ending. For me it felt a little contrived and out of left field. It felt more than a little to me like this was written in there and pushed so we could have a new protagonist in the next game in the series and to wrap up Desmond’s story. We all can love and admire the sacrifice of a heroic figure, but this was just a really weird way to do it. In addition, while there were slight hints about how Juno could stop the world from being fried, it was really never expanded on and what it is exactly that you are touching in the end not truly explained. Why did it kill you? What was its purpose? Why did touching it free Juno and how can she now truly affect the world? These are questions we really don’t have the answers to.
Also, did anyone feel that the more interesting route would have been the one Minerva suggested? Again for those still reading that don’t know, Minerva details a future where you don’t save the Earth from the Sun and instead we see a post-apocalyptic scenario where most of the Earth’s population is wiped out by the Solar Flares. Desmond becomes a ray of hope and the leader of not only the assassin’s, but indeed a large portion of mankind throughout these trying times. Not only would this be a really cool and unexpected set up for future games, but we could continue the growth of the hero we’ve come to know over the series and that we finally just got to tear up some Templars with in this game. It would be a neat setting that would easily allow for free running through a ruined society that could take place 5 years or so after civilization fell.
Not only would it have provided a cool setting to explore, it would also allow Desmond to continue to use the tools of the assassin. I’ve always wondered and fretted over the time when we come to an inevitable current period and guns are the main tool of our assassins, but this would be a perfect sidestep for that. Bullets and guns could still exist of course, but ammo would be rare and mostly inefficient over melee weapons. The militia or Templars that you found that did have automatic weapons or hand guns would be a real challenge that would further encourage stealth.
As the story lies now with Juno’s release and the world surviving with a couple of brownouts, it’s unclear the direction the series will head in now, or how appealing the setting might be. Sure we can easily jump to another assassin, there are many of them of course, but would they go back in their memories again to play ancestors in another time? On one hand it would be odd if the series didn’t follow its roots and let us play around in another time and place, but on the other they really wouldn’t have much reason to. Desmond spent his time in the animus to track down what the Templars were planning and find a way, through the pieces of Eden scattered throughout the world, to stop the end of our civilization as we know it. Now, with some ultimate super baddy released to enslave humanity wouldn’t it be more prudent to remain in the here and now and use assassins trained within compounds their whole lives to confront the threat?
Only options I can really see is a return to the Animus to visit the memories of a human during the First Civilization (which would be more like a trip to the future with the technology present), a race against time in a current time period to stop Juno using firearms and such in a modern themed environment, Desmond pulling some sort of super hero deal and is resurrected, or some protagonist going back into the Animus to find a way through ancestors memories to find a piece of Eden or some other way to stop Juno. The last option seems most likely, but seems too much like the plot of the last 5 games.
As for the immediate future I think everyone would be shocked if they didn’t follow Assassin’s Creed 3 with a couple un-numbered sequels as they did with Brotherhood and Revelations. Again it is unclear how they mean to do this. I always enjoy the opportunity to continue playing in a game I’ve beat, but even in Connor’s epilogue case it doesn’t make sense. If Desmond is truly dead, and everything indicates he is, than how are we still playing his ancestors memories? Either way if they continue the series I would love to visit the past of another character in AC3: Achilles Davenport. Even unto his death Achilles was an interesting character with not a lot known about his exploits and seemingly intentionally so. Did Ubisoft leave his database and past somewhat a mystery and open so we can revisit him? Man I hope so. It could be something as simple as a long DLC or a full-fledged experience based around him as the first colonial assassin. I believe there is a lot of potential there and it would be a shame if they didn’t capitalize. On top of all the other reasons I would find it appealing it would give us a reason to use a new person peeking into their memories since Achilles wasn’t a Desmond ancestor.
So time to do a little discussion. What did you think about the ending? Do you feel it was well explained and are you happy with the outcome? How do you think they will proceed going forward, both in a new numbered edition and in the almost inevitable AC3 follow ups? Hit us up with your ideas, comments and thoughts in the comments below.
Will
December 5, 2012 @ 11:32 am
Well I have my own theory on how you are still able to play as Connor after Desmond’s supposed death. In AC3’s multiplayer, it is revealed that Abstergo had released the Animus commercially and in AC3 Liberation they have abstracted memories from subjects and actually released those extracted memories commercially. So back to AC3, when you return as Connor, you are greeted with a new voice and Animus Hacking, which seems to go along with the Hacking Organization, Erudito, who also has played a role in AC Brotherhood, AC3 Liberation and AC3’s multiplayer. It seems like the next title may have a Protagonist who is disconnected with the Assassin-Templar conflict, due to the ” Vegas here we come baby” comment. This Hacker seems more motivated with money than what is actually going. The modern day assassin’s may even be put on the back burner, to be later stumbled upon perhaps. It would be interesting to see someone disjointed from both factions stumble upon this war and the latest release of Juno. But that’s just my theory right now.
Daniel Flatt
December 6, 2012 @ 5:08 am
That is a good theory. I haven’t gotten many of the hacks yet due to just having finished the game recently, but I definitely remember the details you are talking about. Erudito sure would be a likely suspect so it may be interesting to see how it plays out.
I wonder if it was a hint to the future or just the developers gameplay solution so you could continue playing after the end of the game. Guess we will know next year if Ubisoft keeps cranking these out like factory lines.
tyson2ko
December 6, 2012 @ 6:42 am
i like to go with the Desmond Resurrection theory in the next game cause they cant jst kill the hero whose been ther from the first game ( asc) thats jst not right so i want desmond to come back, dnt know about u guys bt my mind’s set on desmond coming back 😉
Daniel Flatt
December 6, 2012 @ 10:40 am
It’s certainly a possibility. The whole thing was rather vague and Desmond pretty much just dropped after touching the globe. With all these first civilization artifacts with all these varied powers perhaps he will come back. Maybe they find a piece of Eden that Lazarus was raised with or something.
Personally, and this is just me, I have a rather large distaste for forced resurrections of characters. If a writer chooses to kill off a character I believe they should stay dead. Narrative wise death has to be something final and serious or otherwise it’s weight is lost. If Desmond can just pop back to life than his sacrifice was ultimately meaningless.
If you commit to killing a main character in a book, movie, TV show or video game than I believe that they should remain dead. Otherwise every death begins to be questioned by your audience, every body a raised eyebrow to wait and see if the character is really dead.
Kazuma
December 7, 2012 @ 11:07 am
I never really liked Desmond, the only times he actually did anything himself was in number two and now three. Even still, he was still holding somebody’s hand throughout the whole process (Lucy in person, and Rebecca on the com-link). *Surf slang* Dude was a real tool bro. What did Altair do? he got permission to work and then collected information about his targets on his own. He then changed the way the Assassins way of life, and how they operate henceforth. What did Ezio do? He stumbled along recieving minor instruction all the while firguring out (for himself) how to be a good Assassin, eventually becoming the best, and even making the brotherhood bigger and stronger than ever in their history. What did Connor do? He rose from tragedy and fought his own father and best friend in order to defend his people. ALSO, despite recieving orders from others quite often, he still went about the missions in his own chosen way, successfully captained his own ship on his own missions, and even built an entire town, litterally from the dirt, up. Desmond? he was kidnapped by Abstergo, kidnpapped by Assassins, explored some ruins, went into a coma, and killed a few people. Woopty-fucking-doo.
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:32 pm
I can see your point, I wasn’t extremely fond of Desmond either, but you have to think that the accomplishments you are looking at for the assassins he plays in memory you are looking at large time spans in which these people accomplished all this. In fact with Altair it was his entire life.
Desmond we are seeing things unfold over the manner of weeks and months instead of decades. Of course he won’t get as much done in that time, but he did go from being someone who had run away from all his training to using the bleeding effect to become an assassin able to take out an entire building full of armed guards.
Even with the bleeding effect to do so in that time was impressive. Also if you look at the future that could have been Desmond would have been all that and more, a leader and pariah of the assassins order and the human race itself.
Kazuma
December 12, 2012 @ 2:08 pm
You make a good point about the time span, but even so, taking an entire building was only thanks to the Apple. Assassin’s can hold their own in open combat, but pitted against modern weapons and tactics, Desmond (or any of the other Assassins he used for training) would have been killed. Hell, he would have been before that if Cross wasn’t so arrogant, and shot Desmond from a distance while he was stealing the first artifact, rather than walk point blank to him. And even with all that having happened the way it did, Desmond’s accomplishments would not have been particularly great compared to his ancestors. Basically causing the creation of an even darker civilization than we have now. WOW, I just gave myself even more reasons to dislike him… I’m not gonna continue after this, but I hope you can give me something good to think about.
blazinchimp
December 7, 2012 @ 4:12 am
Well in ASC 3 when you talk to Desmonds dad before going back to the animus he tells Desmond that after ‘all this’ is over he would like to try to go back even further than Altair and see what the first civilisation was like, so maybe the next game will go back there like you suggested. That would be very interesting.
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
Just to be nitpicky it was actually Shaun who suggested it. Either way the more I think about it the more excited I am to see a city within the First Civilization. It would give Ubisoft free reign to create something magnificent not held back by the restraints of what has come before.
I think that the series would still do great without history to prop it up and to me seeing something truly original like that would almost be more exciting. Not to mention that we would get to see a futuristic setting.
Kazuma
December 7, 2012 @ 10:37 am
I would like to know more about the ending device as well. I like your idea of revisiting the first civilization. For the present time I think they should have Juno take over the Templars and the world as a whole. This would also make the Assassin’s situation even more depressing and desperate. It would also be a good idea to have the protagonist not just have the apple (like previous games focused on) but since there are so many Pieces of Eden and so many Assassins, have each group of Assassins work on locating and collecting them with their Animus’s, in the hopes of combatting Juno with an arsenal of P.O.E.s all with different functions and abilities. This would also lay a foundation for multiplayer’s story, like training new templars with the bleeding effect, only it’s the Assassinss who are training. you could even have the P.O.E.s be new tools, perks and abilities in multiplayer. This could even set up a backdrop for the single player story, pitting equally trained templars and assassins against each other in modern times. I could litterally go on typing for another hour about my theories for AC’s future, but I won’t. let me just say, that the ending wasn’t nearly as mind-blowing as previous games, but I loved how open it was leaving no truly predictable set-up, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:42 pm
This is all really great stuff you’ve suggested.
Kazuma
December 12, 2012 @ 1:26 pm
Well, thanks dude. Let me know if you or anyone you know comes up with something. I love hearing about other people’s ideas, good or bad.
flagg
December 8, 2012 @ 7:42 pm
i disagree with the portion that it might have been better had desmond chosen the minerva alternative.
it would probably end the realism behind the series because on 21st of December the world does not see a huge wipe off of the human race.
so i think what the series does is better, since it always keeps the realism atop.
what should follow next, would be a story where we see more of the history of Juno and the first civilization for sure. This will also reveal itself probably in the same way this trilogy has done, i.e. another figure would pop up and travel the cities in the last 2000 years.
I believe we will see some distant past from the 1st civilization, and some future as well. On the other hand, if Ubisoft pushes it too much, i doubt if the series should still be called assassin’s creed, since I think there is more than just Assassin’s and Templar’s struggle when you enlarge the time interval. I mean, I hope Ubisoft looks at the setting in a more open minded way, and does not limit itself with the first trilogy. That would be really nice and more interesting to my eye.
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:38 pm
I can certainly see your point, but I have to disagree. Once we start throwing around a futuristic civilization that has been around since before Adam and Eve and the release of what is essentially an all powerful god, well I think we’ve left reality far behind already.
Of course I’ve since reconsidered my stance on Minerva. Both now seem rife with possibility and could contain a number of ways it could go. The more I think about the ending the more I like how open it was. We literally have no idea where we are going to go from here, and to me, that’s very exciting.
The Effect
December 9, 2012 @ 2:57 am
That ending was the sort of horror that gave us Mass Effect 3. It was deliberately trying to sweep Desmond under the rug to give a predictable setup to the predictable milking machine that the AC franchise will now transform into unless a miracle occurs. It wasn’t just a slightly-disappointing ending that left a few things unexplained. It was an all-out betrayal, made up of broken promises, half-baked afterthoughts, and cliches that failed to be successful even as cliches. This was far from necessary. It was far from being the right way to go. And the worst part is there’s a million different ways the entire story could have and should have been rewritten all the way back as far as Bortherhood. And many other ways still that Revelations should have been handled. But even though those plots were severely under-par, they could have very easily recovered at least a portion of their once-great narrative by changing ACIII. The options are obvious, folks at Ubisoft. Start getting your act together. You’re getting worse and worse each game.
By the way, you’re a real genius for thinking of the possibilities if Minerva’s route had been followed. And you’re right. If he had let the sun go, it would have taken care of Abstergo’s satelite (which has pretty much become an old sub-plot that’s going nowhere), but still left plenty of room for Templars and other threats. Perfect opportunities to expand… and without Desmond, too, if they really insist on holding to their dumb, completely unfounded and nonsensical ideal that, “Things that go on too long lack resonance.”
Not when they’re done right. Does Ubisoft even remember how to do this anymore?
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:46 pm
I think that you are right in some respects. The games do seem to have been getting slightly weaker story wise, but I still love the series as a while and I really don’t feel that the ending was as poor as Mass Effect 3.
The reason people hated ME3 ending so much was because they had so many choices and personal ownership of the story. It would have been impossible to please everyone, but so many people were let down and it’s because they felt their personal connection was severed.
AC on the other hand has always been Desmond’s story, and the overarching story about the Templars and Asassins conflict. It was always linear and always meant to end eventually. I do feel they kind of swept Desmond under the rug at the end and I don’t agree with how they did it, but I’m still excited for future prospects in the series.
With Desmond gone and the game ending the way it has there is so much left open to us as far as possibilities.
Quackers
December 9, 2012 @ 7:47 am
There’s a lot of talk in the game of the first civilisation uploading their brains to computers, I figure that might be what the device he used was – maybe even a Desmond / juno body swap – maybe we’ll be trapped in cyber spirit land for the next game, reliving memories as we try to escape and stop Juno – he’s certainly had plenty of experience in that area!
Or could be the final decision he made was a vision of the alternative option and he’ll go for the apocalypse option after all
First civilisation memories seem likely but I hope they’re not the whole game, much of ACs charm is from recreating interesting eras of history!
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:47 pm
Wow! You know I’d completely forgotten about that and it’s entirely possible that somehow Desmond had uploaded his brain into the computer in the same way the “gods” had. It certainly would give us a way to continue with Desmond and wouldn’t be completely unprecedented.
Good thinking.
Quackers
December 9, 2012 @ 8:52 am
Or another idea that would be awesome / a major game changer – reverse the situation!
Play as Adam / Eve leading the human resistance in the first civilisation and interacting with one of your future descendants in the modern day (or some other historical era) through their prediction engines / the animus
Daniel Flatt
December 9, 2012 @ 1:48 pm
This could be a unique idea that if done well would break a bit of the staleness that the series has been accumulating. However I would be really surprised if Ubisoft went this route.
It’s more likely we would end up in the shoes of Adam or Eve looking back through someone elses memories.
Your idea is great though.
Quackers
December 14, 2012 @ 2:56 pm
I also like the idea of playing entirely as the Templars in the new game, the world of assassins creed has always been a bit grey, there’s no reason you can’t be a hero and a Templar.
The general story would be; the assassins f***ed up, that terrible event we were trying to prevent for millennia has occurred, those idiots let Juno out of her box, now we have to unite the world and gather artefacts to save it!
You play as an assassin turned Templar grand inquisitor who has been shown the light by the heads of the templar order – this would be a great way to explore what the Templars’ big master plan is and to advance the series in new directions.
I love the themes of moral ambiguity that would inevitably go with this – if anyone on the other side questions your morals just point to the lengthy trail of innocent security guard bodies stretching out behind them
Could really start playing with the sci-fi elements here too if they let you into their big vault full of POEs and equip them on missions 🙂
altair
December 21, 2012 @ 11:46 pm
im not very happy with the ending, it didnt seem right all the work for him to die and the world under a new threat. leaves room for a new sequence but i liked desmond personally as the hero
Daniel Flatt
December 23, 2012 @ 6:48 pm
I never had a problem with Desmond like some, and I believe he really came into his own at the end.
Personally, I agree that him dying was kind of a cop out on Ubisofts part to set up a new protagonist. Although there are plenty of theories flying, some right on this thread, that maybe his conciousness is stored on the computer now like the deities were.
szam auditore
December 24, 2012 @ 8:16 pm
Perhaps the sacrifice that juno mentioned is that desmond loses his memories & is dumped in a country far away & he tries pieces back his forgotten memories & everytime he goes to sleep the bleeding effect brings him into the animus state finishing conners story then perhaps accidently finds a pieces of a memory eden …. Like altair’s dating back to the first rebeillion ??? Just a idea ??
Lord Thyne
December 25, 2012 @ 1:22 pm
16 Says “Find Eve”. He also mentions her in terms of ancestry. Could we be playing the next game as a woman? A daughter of Eve?
Giant's Lament
January 1, 2013 @ 9:10 am
What if this whole time we’ve been playing through the mind of a distant relative of desmond who lives in a time when Juno has already taken over the world. What a kicker that would be, eh?
Kelsey Miller
January 2, 2013 @ 2:32 pm
I suggested this to some friends after playing the very first game… it was one of those Inception moments. Like, what if you’re experiencing a memory inside the memory of a memory of another ancestor’s memory? :O
ConnorDavenport
January 14, 2013 @ 1:32 am
Dont forget: William Miles (Desmond’s dad) shares the same set of ancestors. The probable DLC route to explore connor’s story will have to come from William’s memories.
logo
January 30, 2013 @ 5:50 pm
my theory, how coplex it is, but i played ac revalations after ac 3. and the part in which subject 16 asks desmond if they both go back when desmond was finished with ezio and altiar. what if subject 16 became apart of desmond at the end of ac revalations. So when desmond sacraficed himself to juno, in ac 3, subject 16 actally went instead of desmond.