Assassin’s Creed Virtual Photography: 1st to 12th April

Welcome to the biweekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from the AC Partnership Program.

Every two weeks we will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community.

This theme has been run by the TOWCB VP team. We have been monitoring the hashtag and the community hub to see all your wonderful shots.    

Keep an eye on the site as more shots are added, we are looking for captures across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to #ACFirstCivVP for a chance to be featured.

Theme: Assassin’s Creed

The Mask

Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

VP Artist: @Jaco8ee

The Ones Who Came Before Photo of the Week

Judge: Jack (@_Virtualtourism)

This headset happens to be one of my favourites from the game, so I was happy to see it this week. It’s such a great piece and very menacing in the right light. Jacobee nailed the lighting in the image as it plays the crucial role of highlighting the vibrant colours and bringing out the details of the headpiece. Couple that with the contrast between the vibrancy and the cold, metallic surface it creates a striking visual. The subtle expression in the eye adds some sort of humanity giving the otherwise lifeless exterior a sense of emotion.

Aaron (@FalconSwift87)

“The cult is nothing without me, even the gods cower in my wake.”.

Dramatic outfits and concealing masks have always featured prominently in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Most notably the order, who often conceal themselves in a manner fitting of the deeds they carry out. Here we have such an awesome shot of Alexios hidden behind the mask. The portrait is perfect with that striking black background. The details are insane, with both mask and fabric looking so good. Despite this being the hero, it feels like a menacing shot and instantly reminds me of the Origins cinematics. A glorious portrait that fully deserves photo of the week.

Lookout

Game: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

VP Artist: @visionevp

“Baghdad and its surroundings call to me”.

Stunning scenery has always been one of the huge pulls for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. We get to experience so many beautiful worlds that many of us will never see in real life. Mirage and its colour palette are simply gorgeous, and when roaming the wild you cannot help but stop and stare. For me this shot is so peaceful and reflective. I often find myself doing this when riding my horse in the desert. Visione has captured the moment the flamingos have taken off which is always a delight. I love the blue and sandy tones with Basim looking on over the water. A very captivating picture that brings a little calm.

Hidden Blade

Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

VP Artist: @playpausephoto

“The world is changing, and we must change with it”.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla features for me one of the coolest looking hidden blades. It’s a shame that it often gets overlooked due to Eivor not actually becoming an Assassin. Either way it is still awesome, and I am curious why Basim does not use the same one. Here we can see Eivor thrusting the blade in what looks like a training session. I really like the use of fog as it reduces the noise in the background. The purple flowers add a softer touch to the capture in contrast to the hidden blade and Norse tattoos on Eivor’s body. An elegant shot which is quite unique for a Viking simulator.

Lone Warrior

Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

VP Artist: @redmaiden_vp

“We are all lonely and all seek a hand to hold in the darkness.”

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla struck a perfect balance between solo and team play. I really enjoyed that you could just ride your horse around the breath-taking landscapes, and take it all in. Equally you could travel by longboat with your crew and raid as part of a war band. The capture we have here is one of those beautiful solo moments within the game. I think the shot is elevated by using black and white, it adds both mystery and grace. I love how the photo has been split by the land and the sky, and how Eivor is riding up the incline. The sunrays bursting through from the left look magical and having the stone structure and Sýnin in the distance adds further context to this exceptional capture.

Vengeance

Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

VP Artist: @UnfazedVP

“You would fight me?”

The range of outfits in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is quite something. You can be a nimble Assassin or full-blown gladiator. Either way you will look like a badass as you traverse the Greek landscapes. The moment I saw this capture I could not think of anything else but the arena scenes from Gladiator. This is absolutely a movie poster shot. The details on the helmet are incredible, especially the dents and scratches. But for me that background is ferocious and gives the heat of the battle vibes. It is all consuming and sums up this warrior’s tale.

And that sums it up for this Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list!

Thank you for checking out the photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next time keep those shots coming in!