Last Post: 9:13:40pm, 09/17/2025
[LFAQs-redacted-quote]
Yes. There's been previous mainline games that have had no modern outside-the-Animus gameplay, only cutscenes or not even that, little brief interludes.
AC1, 2, Brotherhood and 3 all had significant story work in present day material.
Revelations was the first one that didn't, but it did feature stuff that wasn't in the historical setting. Ironically, for a game called Revelations, it didn't really have any... except in the DLC.
Black Flag had first person segments that tied into what the previous games were building up to, as well as direct links to characters involved in the in-Animus story. One of the characters you interact with in the present day stuff is one of several reincarnations of a Precursor/First Civilization/Isu named Aita, and there are three other of the reincarnations in the in-Animus story.
Rogue has the same first person gameplay as Black Flag, but with a different player character.
Unity is the first to have no present day gameplay, only cutscenes and video segments. Syndicate is the same way, no present day gameplay.
Origins introduces us to a new present day player character named Layla Hassan, and actually ties into the live action movie that they did with Michael Fassbender. Her story continues in Odyssey and ends in Valhalla, which actually ties her back in with Desmond working to stop the apocalypse from happening again.
There's no present day gameplay in Mirage, but the character you play is one introduced in the in-Animus gameplay in Valhalla.
There's no present day gameplay in Shadows, but there's some in-Animus content with "anomalies" happening and the player is talked to by some entity about the new Animus Hub stuff as well as the "anomalies."
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Behold the angry wizard putt-putt-putting away.