Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a side-scrolling spin-off title starring Chinese Assassin Shao Jun that was announced as a bonus for players who purchase the season pass for Assassin's Creed Unity. The Chronicles property isn't just a one-off, though. There are plans to turn it into a series that will tell the stories of many minor Assassins from all time periods and corners of the world, according to Unity creative director Alex Amancio.
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Speaking to Eurogamer, Amancio said that the side-scrolling format of Chronicles would be a great way to tell the stories of Assassins who don't quite make it into the main series of games. The Assassin's Creed universe is filled with minor characters with the potential for great stories. With Chronicles, Ubisoft could get the chance to expand upon the stories of the Roman Assassin Aquilus, the Egyptian Assassin Amunet or the Russian Assassin Nikolai Orelov, to name a few examples of characters who have already been introduced elsewhere in the franchise's canon.
And with the changing time periods and geographical locations come changes in the game's art style. According to Amancio, the art style for Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China was inspired by Chinese ink, which led to the game's black and red color palette and watercolor aesthetic.
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"Once we have other characters and time frames, the art style will completely change to match that specific character," Amancio told Eurogamer.
Before the announcement of her side-scroller, Shao Jun had appeared in a couple pieces of Assassin's Creed's non-game media. Fans will be able to play as her for the first time in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, available as part of Unity's season pass or as a standalone download.
