Assassin's Creed III: What About Shao Jun?

[Ganondork]

Greetings, Ganondork here. For everyone who has ever spoken to me about my gaming preferences, you will know that Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite series - just behind the Legend of Zelda. With Ezio and Altair being done, they have shown Desmond all they had to offer, and we have seen both of them die, so who's the next assassin? Rumors have said that it will take place during the American Revolution. This setting, although interesting, isn't what I'm looking forward to quite yet. Assassin's Creed has been taking place in earlier times, jumping to the 1700s would be too hasty for my tastes. I'm hoping that they decide to put that setting on hold and use a different Assassin.

I spent a very long time wondering who exactly could be the next assassin, until watching Assassin's Creed Embers and talking to Destiny - another big Assassin's Creed fan - about the movie. She expressed an interest in having Shao Jun as our next Assassin. The more I think about it, the better it would end up being.

Shao Jun is a Chinese Assassin - Asia is an entire continent that hasn't been touched by Assassin's Creed just yet. She has qualities that neither Altair nor Ezio have - she is small and very agile. Altair was closer to being close to her in body size, but Ezio was a tank. Ezio was far more offensive; Altair had to take the defensive and rely mainly on his countering to survive.

Having Shao Jun would be feel fresh; not only is she the most agile Assassin we've controlled just yet, but she's also the first female Assassin that we would be able to play as. This could open up the possibility of more female Assassins, which would inevitably mean more agility and less power.

This would be a different feel combat-wise. I'd imagine Ezio's dodge and run skill that he learns in Revelations would become something more agile, like we saw in Embers - perhaps she slides underneath the enemy, and delivers a crippling blow from under them. Free running could also become more combat-oriented. She could climb the wall, jump off and perform an air assassination, killing a maximum of two guards in a simplistic free run maneuver.

Her small physique would also mean that she would either take more damage per hit, or have less health to begin with. This would make buying powerful armor a must have for those who don't want a high death count. It could offer a challenge for anyone who wants to test their abilities without the use of stronger armor and weapons.

As for the location, it should be obvious; China. However, at what point in her life we will see her will be the question. Will we see her before she speaks with Ezio, or after? Naturally it could broken up into parts if they decide to give her multiple games like they did for Ezio and (partially) Altair. It would offer a bit more diversity like what we saw in the first Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II; multiple different locations with different environments and different guards.

The only problem would be a glaring one; how will Desmond see her memories? Perhaps - and this is a small chance - she leaves behind memories much like Altair's Masyaf keys, allowing Desmond to see her memories without the use of the Animus. From what I gather from the ending of Revelations, it seems Desmond will embark on his own journey, and would encounter these links to her life along the way. This would be very much like Ezio's encounters with the keys; his original intentions were simply to open Altair's library. This could create a recurring theme in Assassin's Creed - one I would happily accept.

So what are your thoughts? Should Shao Jun be the next Assassin?

 

[A Link In Time]

No. Desmond is a more major assassin and there is no reason he should be replaced by a minor female assassin. Proposing a minor female assassin over the third and final piece of an assassin trifecta is pure nonsense, Ganondork.

 

[Destiny]

No. Desmond is a more major assassin and there is no reason he should be replaced by a minor female assassin. Proposing a minor female assassin over the third and final piece of an assassin trifecta is pure nonsense, Ganondork.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'major' and 'minor' assassin, but besides that, it almost seems like you didn't read this whole post. We're not talking about who is going to replace Desmond as a present day assassin, we are talking about the next ancestor that will be visited in the past. Shao Jun would not replace Desmond at all, Ezio doesn't 'replace' Desmond. The whole point of visiting other memories is so that Desmond can learn something from them through their lives and experiences. Although Desmond and the other members of the Assassin Brotherhood's main goal is achieving knowledge of the Piece of Eden, there may be something else of historical significance in Shao Jun's life, considering the mysterious item she obtains from Ezio at the end of Assassins Creed Embers.

I'm also not quite sure why you keep sticking the words minor and female on Shao Jun. Just because she has been introduced into the series recently, does not mean she is minor assassin. In the field of character development she could perhaps be considered as minor, but we haven't really seen enough of her story to figure that out. The fact that she is female means quite little to the Assassin world, many females were Assassins, so I'm not quite sure why you keep emphasizing it. Seeing Shao Jun fight you can tell she is a pretty seasoned warrior. In fact, it's not nonsense at all; medieval China would be an amazing place to have another Assassin Creed game be based. Huge buildings, sprawling cities and interesting history make for an interesting game.

When I first heard the rumor about it being set in the American Revolution, I really couldn't help being disappointed. I would rather an Assassins Creed game have large sprawling cities that are perfect for free running. There wasn't much of that in a developing country, and not to mention the certain appeal of a medieval setting. Sure the politics and things are interesting, but it doesn't really hold that much appeal for me. About the subject of advancements in weapons technology, I don't really think it will be much of a problem. Guns back then were loud and took forever to reload in order to be used again. Sure the hidden gun in the other games was okay, but it had it's ups and downs. I think only a small amount of our traditional swords will be forfeit as far as assassinations go. In confrontational combat, there might be the opportunity to use a gun, but like I said, those things took a very long time to reload, and they weren't the easiest things to carry around.

I would love to see Shao Jun expanded upon as a character, and as an assassin. Her weapons are very interesting, she has a hidden foot blade and she lacks the traditional hidden blade. Instead she has needle like blades strapped to her forearms. Not to mention one of her pursuers has a bazooka type thing, now that would be pretty cool. China would have an amazing place for free running with the giant cities. Her fighting style is very acrobatic, and I would love that to be introduced into controls instead of just the standard attack, grab, counter. Shao Jun has a motive, mystery and intrigue, all the things that would make a great character for this series. I'm dying to know what Ezio gave her. I like your theory with the keys, that would be awesome and work considering it's unlikely that Desmond is directly related to her.

I would much prefer Shao Jun and ancient China than the American Revolution. An interesting character like her deserves her own game and a bigger place in the Assassins Creed universe.

 

[A Link In Time]

Shao Jun is a Chinese Assassin - Asia is an entire continent that hasn't been touched by Assassin's Creed just yet. She has qualities that neither Altair nor Ezio have - she is small and very agile. Altair was closer to being close to her in body size, but Ezio was a tank. Ezio was far more offensive; Altair had to take the defensive and rely mainly on his countering to survive.

Having Shao Jun would be feel fresh; not only is she the most agile Assassin we've controlled just yet, but she's also the first female Assassin that we would be able to play as. This could open up the possibility of more female Assassins, which would inevitably mean more agility and less power.

This would be a different feel combat-wise. I'd imagine Ezio's dodge and run skill that he learns in Revelations would become something more agile, like we saw in Embers - perhaps she slides underneath the enemy, and delivers a crippling blow from under them. Free running could also become more combat-oriented. She could climb the wall, jump off and perform an air assassination, killing a maximum of two guards in a simplistic free run maneuver.

That certainly is an interesting proposition and China could also serve as an important link to the European continent seeing as how during this period the Ming Dynasty was actively involved in trade with Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. That being said, if American Revolution rumors are true that would be even better allowing the game's story mode to take place on three continents. Then again, I'll need some verification that this isn't just a day dream but possible to be enacted. And alright, Shao Jun is a respectable figure to include but the problem is if we will ever see her return again in subsequent adventures.

Her small physique would also mean that she would either take more damage per hit, or have less health to begin with. This would make buying powerful armor a must have for those who don't want a high death count. It could offer a challenge for anyone who wants to test their abilities without the use of stronger armor and weapons.

As for the location, it should be obvious; China. However, at what point in her life we will see her will be the question. Will we see her before she speaks with Ezio, or after? Naturally it could broken up into parts if they decide to give her multiple games like they did for Ezio and (partially) Altair. It would offer a bit more diversity like what we saw in the first Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II; multiple different locations with different environments and different guards.

I've always felt that this whole idea of multiple games with one assassin weakened the main story line. This certainly should not occur again. A one and done deal is best for this series. Though if a new view is presented on an old character like Altair in Assassin's Creed Revelations, that could possibly work again. Also, Assassin's Creed III and any direct sequels should put the franchise on a hiatus because Ubisoft is gearing it towards destruction with annual installments. But then again this continues working for not only this series but also Activision's Call of Duty therefore this may be paranoia on my part.

In the field of character development she could perhaps be considered as minor, but we haven't really seen enough of her story to figure that out. The fact that she is female means quite little to the Assassin world, many females were Assassins, so I'm not quite sure why you keep emphasizing it. Seeing Shao Jun fight you can tell she is a pretty seasoned warrior. In fact, it's not nonsense at all; medieval China would be an amazing place to have another Assassin Creed game be based. Huge buildings, sprawling cities and interesting history make for an interesting game.

Fair enough. Only a rough glimpse was caught of her. However, I would argue that Chinese history isn't as interesting as you make it out to be but your arguments are reasonable. Beijing and Shaghai it is then.

Also, this isn't directed as a reply towards anyone in particular but what is with you people hating on the American Revolution? A front with loads of guerrilla warfare involved would certainly be interesting.