The Assassin’s Creed series is heading further east than ever before with Assassin’s Creed Chronicles, a three-part downloadable game series that will take players on a historical tour of 16th-century China, 19th-century India, and early 20th-century Russia.
Ubisoft announced the first game of the trilogy, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, last fall as part of Assassin’s Creed Unity‘s season pass. It stars Shao Jun, the sole remaining member of the Chinese Assassin’s Brotherhood, who trained under Assassin’s Creed 2 protagonist Ezio Auditore in some off the franchise’s expanded universe spinoff media. Set in 1526 as the Ming Dynasty is starting to fall, it is a story of revenge, though we do not yet know whom she is avenging.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Russia will feature assassins named Arbaaz Mir and Nikolaï Orelov, respectively. Both characters have appeared in Assassin’s Creed graphic novels. India takes place in 1841 during the Sino-Sikh War, and Russia will be set in 1918, in the immediate wake of the October Revolution when the Bolsheviks seized power.
All three games differ from the main franchise in terms of gameplay as 2.5-dimensional side-scrollers. Each has its own visually distinct and painterly aesthetic that reflects the culture in which it is set.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China will be available on April 21 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It will be free to anyone that purchased a season pass for Assassin’s Creed Unity, or $10 to purchase otherwise. The two subsequent games will be released separately at a later date, yet to be announced.
The next main entry in the series, Assassin’s Creed Victory, will head back toward the occident for a Victorian London setting. Ubisoft has confirmed the leaked assets as accurate, but has not yet provided a timetable for release any more specific than the rumored late 2015.
