Assassin's Creed Should Draw Inspiration From Star Wars Outlaws' Stealth

Despite all the combat options it makes available to players, Star Wars Outlaws is more of a stealth game than anything else. This might be a disappointment to some, simply because stealth isn't for everyone, and it could be considered especially disheartening for a Star Wars game to prioritize stealth gameplay when there is so much potential for more aggressive playstyles. Nevertheless, stealth does fit Star Wars Outlaws' premise, as its protagonist Kay Vess is an outlaw and a nomad on the run with no allies but her adorable merqall companion Nix. For all intents and purposes, it works, though it's not quite on the same level as Assassin's Creed's stealth. However, that might actually be a good thing.

Ubisoft has long been at the forefront of stealth gameplay, with its Splinter Cell series being one of its more notable franchises. However, Assassin's Creed is undoubtedly the developer's pride and joy, which has established a solid formula for stealth gameplay and influenced popular titles such as Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel. Even so, while Assassin's Creed's stealth mechanics have become a benchmark in the gaming industry, it could still learn something from Star Wars Outlaws' approach to stealth.

What Assassin's Creed Could Learn From Star Wars Outlaws' Stealth

Star Wars Outlaws' Stealth Mechanics Are Much Less Forgiving Than Assassin's Creed's

The Assassin's Creed franchise may be one of the forerunners for stealth gameplay, but it still has its issues. One of its most prominent shortcomings lies in the forgiving nature of its stealth mechanics. Most of the time in an Assassin's Creed game, it's far too easy for players to get away with stealth kills. Generally, players can perform multiple assassinations without ever being noticed, due to these games giving them nearly 200 degrees to move around enemies completely undetected. It's also possible to run up behind an enemy and assassinate them before they even have time to turn around, making it easy to get a kill on the go.

Star Wars Outlaws' stealth mechanics make it far more challenging to remain hidden while silently taking out enemies. Firstly, if enemies detect a dead body, they are on much higher alert than a guard might be in an Assassin's Creed game, to the point that it's difficult to evade them once they've begun their search for Kay. These instances are made even more challenging by an inability to hide dead bodies as players typically can in an Assassin's Creed game. It's also almost impossible to perform stealth kills while on the run, as enemies in Star Wars Outlaws are alerted to the player's presence much quicker than they might be in Assassin's Creed.

Star Wars Outlaws Punishes Players for Failing Stealth Sequences Much More Than Assassin's Creed Ever Has

The importance of stealth in Star Wars Outlaws is even more emphasized once players get in over their heads. If players are detected inside an enemy base, they can be overwhelmed by reinforcements within a matter of seconds, often leaving them with no choice but to flee the scene, as things will only get far worse if they choose to fight back. In Assassin's Creed, it's generally fairly easy to avoid this by eliminating every enemy in the area or simply hiding until everything blows over. Assassin's Creed has implemented reinforcement mechanics before, but they are overall much easier to overcome than they are in Star Wars Outlaws.

The key to bringing Assassin's Creed back to its roots for good is to make its stealth much more important than it has been in recent memory, and Star Wars Outlaws has the perfect recipe for that. The unforgiving nature of Star Wars Outlaws' stealth mechanics, as well as the level of punishment players receive for failing stealth may be the inspiration Assassin's Creed needs to get back on its feet.