What makes a video game successful? It could be the game mechanics, story, or even the graphics. Yet, the characters in those games play a huge role, especially the protagonist. Likewise, the Assassin’s Creed franchise is known for creating iconic protagonists, like Basim from Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but none of them comes close to beloved Ezio Auditore.
Ubisoft released the first Assassin’s Creed title back in 2007. It began as a failed concept to create a spin-off series for their renowned Prince of Persia games. But this series became the most successful venture for the French game developers spawning 13 successful installments, the latest being Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Ubisoft always tries to improve upon their offerings with each new release. But many still prefer playing the old classics, especially the Ezio Trilogy, due to the protagonist. Likewise, this article will try to understand why Ezio is better than other Assassin’s Creed protagonists.
Who is Ezio Auditore?
Ezio Auditore da Firenze needs no introduction to the Assassin’s Creed fans. After all, he is the protagonist for three main installments: Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations. He hails from a Florentine nobleman family during the Italian Renaissance, but in reality, his family was that of Assassins.
After witnessing his family executed ruthlessly for their beliefs, Ezio became a Master Assassin and eventually the Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood. This epic journey is chronicled across the three Ubisoft games: Assassin’s Creed II (2009), AC Brotherhood (2010), and AC Revelations (2011).
What makes Ezio the best Assassin’s Creed protagonist?
When we think about this famous Ubisoft game series, the image that comes to our head is that of a man in a white hood with two hidden blades. Now, every fan knows that this description is of Ezio Auditore. But why does he stand out the most compared to other protagonists from the franchise?
One of the best reasons behind Ezio’s popularity is the amount of time we spend with him. Compared to every other character in the series, we spend three mainstream games with this Italian Assassin. Being the protagonist for so many titles, Ubisoft got the opportunity to flesh out his character the most. Over the three games, fans witness the epic journey of the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore.
We first meet Ezio during his birth in Assassin’s Creed II. We later meet him again as a 17-year-old arrogant teenager who only thinks of alcohol and women. But after his father and brother’s wrongful execution by Templars, we see him becoming an Assassin and learning skills to avenge them in the first two games of the trilogy.
In Revelations, we meet Ezio once again. But he was no longer the arrogant man from AC II and Brotherhood, as he had become an old and wise Master Assassin. Ezio is no longer worried about the fun in life but seeks answers about the world and the long-running war between Assassins and Templars. There is no one else in the series who underwent a character development like Ezio.
Ubisoft tried recreating characters like him, and Edward Kenway was their best attempt at it. However, he failed to bring the same energy as the Italian Assassin. Even with Mirage, it felt that the developers tried to replicate the event of Ezio becoming an Assassin. After all, a young and arrogant Basim also witnessed the wrongful execution of his close ones and joined the Hidden Ones to avenge them.
Despite these various attempts, Ubisoft is unable to create a character like Ezio Auditore again. Because of this uniqueness, he might be holding on to the title of “best Assassin’s Creed protagonist” for a little longer. Yet, it would be interesting to see how long this remains.
