Assassin’s Creed Hexepromises to introduce new elements to the franchise that the developer hasn’t shared yet, but at least one Ubisoft employee has stated there’s a “strong feminine energy” that has been unprecedented in the series. The teaser trailer blatantly hints at witchcraft with the word hexe meaning “witch” in German, implying the game will be set in Germany. As the country was a center of witch hunts during the 16th and 17th centuries, fans have speculated this will bethe time period theAssassin’s Creed Hexewill be set in, which would place it at the height of the Holy Roman Empire.
Witchcraft is a theme that theAssassin’s Creedfranchise hasn’t approached in detail, so players are anticipating more information onAssassin’s Creed Hexe.Notably though,eagle-eyed fans have spotted that the trailer’s pentagram text uses the Alphabet of the Magi, again seemingly confirming the time period. While other installments in the franchise have focused on more RPG or action-adventure styles of gameplay, Ubisoft has shinted thatHexewill move away from both of these genres, leading to speculation that it will become the first horror game in the franchise.
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The History of Witchcraft is Female
While the trailer featuring a dark, dank forest with a pentagram doesn’t appear to be all that feminine on the surface,Assassin’s Creed Hexetaps into millennia of women-led historyand culture seeped in femininity. Witchcraft is a very old tradition that transformed fear of women’s unknown power into something more tangible, and that fear translated into the real consequences of witch hunts and executions of thousands of innocent women across the Christian world. As witchcraft cannot exist without women, the two are inextricably linked, and so reflects a part of femininity that is not explored as often as it should.
Witchcraft cannot be separated from femininity; women who practiced medicine were accused of witchcraft and executed for it, while others formed cults that rebelled against their place in patriarchal societies, whether that be in Ancient Greece or 17th-century Germany. Witchcraft in Western civilization dates back toAncient Greece, with the goddess of witchcraft Hecatebeing linked to the household, the moon, crossroads, and as a goddess who held the keys to the doors of death. Those who worshiped her were primarily women, and many of the symbols associated with her, such as the moon, torches, and the crossroads carried over into witchcraft of the 16th century and later.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe Has The Potential to Transform The Franchise
Society now has a very different viewpoint on witchcraft, but it still hasn’t lost its ties to femininity. It’s welcome across multiple genres, most notably horror, with evenindie games likeHades 2shifting its focus onto witchcraftby including the goddesses of witchcraft Hecate and Melinoe. As the industry becomes more diverse, different types of stories will come to the fore, and it appears Ubisoft has decided that the world is not only ready for a game centered on witches, but hopefully, one that embraces everything that accompanies it.
With the focus on witches,Assassin’s Creed Hexewill hopefully have a female protagonistleading the way. With the statement that it’ll “leave a lasting mark on the franchise,” the potential for what Ubisoft is planning with the setting in terms of gameplay, story, and character is incredibly exciting.
