The 20 BEST Assassin's Creed Cutscenes

20 Best Assassin’s Creed Cutscenes

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the funniest, most important, and most memorable cutscenes in the “Assassin’s Creed” series.

The Ark of the Covenant

“Assassin’s Creed” (2007)

The first game doesn’t have big, complex cutscenes like its sequels, but its scripted, story beats are close enough. Right at the beginning, Altaïr and two fellow Assassins infiltrate the tunnels underneath Temple Mount in Jerusalem, only to find the Biblical Ark of the Covenant. The Ark has been unearthed by the Templars, led by the game’s villain, Robert de Sable. Seeing the Ark so early made it clear that there was a lot more to these games than just reliving history, priming players for the huge Apple of Eden plot twist at the end. This also leads into another iconic cutscene, when Altaïr, having failed to get the Ark himself, is demoted, and must work his way back up through the Brotherhood.

The Cyclops

“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” (2018)

Though this happens early in “Odyssey”, before Kassandra leaves Kephallonia, it’s easily one of our favorite scenes from the entire game. Having stolen the Cyclops’s Obsidian Eye, Kassandra arrives to deal with him just as he’s trying to drown Barnabos. People give Ubisoft a lot of flak for its facial animations, but it’s hard to fault either Kassandra or Alexios in this scene, as both actors gave excellent performances. The best moment is, of course, Kassandra getting her revenge by sticking the eye in the rear end of a nearby goat. Even funnier, there’s an achievement called “Stink Eye” that you get for killing the goat and retrieving the eye yet again.

Showdown with Charles Lee

“Assassin’s Creed III” (2012)

Decades after he ordered the massacre of Connor’s people, the Assassin finally catches up with Charles Lee, who’s now the Templar Grand Master following Haytham’s death at the hands of a brutal quick-time event. After a long chase and various encounters, a wounded Connor finally confronts Lee – who’s also on the brink of death – in a remote tavern. They wordlessly share a drink and Lee resigns himself to his fate, letting Connor stab him as his death is now inevitable. It was a fittingly dramatic end for such a reprehensible character, as Connor doesn’t allow him any last words before despatching him.

The Wicker Man

“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” (2020)

This grisly cutscene happens at the end of the Gloucestershire arc, in which Eivor journeys west and finds an area of England where pagan traditions are still thriving. They witness an early version of Halloween and even go trick-or-treating, but the finale is one of the franchise’s darkest moments. The region’s ealdorman has reached the end of his career and faces his destiny: being burned alive in the wicker man. Historically, it’s not clear whether real-life wicker men were used for human sacrifices, or whether this was anti-Celtic propaganda spread by the Romans, but it makes for shocking viewing.

Ezio Tricks Lucrezia

“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (2010)

This memorable moment appears in “The Da Vinci Disappearance” DLC for “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood”. Ezio is trying to track down some stolen paintings of Leonardo’s, and the trail leads to Lucrezia Borgia, who’s now unhappily married to a nobleman. The Borgia family lies in ruins, and she has very little, but does try to ease her pain by having some afternoon delight with Ezio when he arrives. Ezio plays along and very nearly seduces Lucrezia, only to reveal that he was just doing it for information and has tied her to the curtains while she was distracted by his charms.

Arriving in London

“Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” (2015)

It’s 1868 and the Frye twins, having just torn up the English countryside, arrive in London on a mission to free it of Templar control. This cutscene has some of the game’s best moments of banter between Evie and Jacob, as they argue over their different strategies. It’s the moment that Jacob conceives of the Rooks, the street gang he’ll create and use to counter the Templar-backed Blighters who currently rule the streets. Evie spares no time in mocking him for this, pointing out that they should be going after the Piece of Eden and getting involved in gang politics is pointless, but Jacob is resolute.

It’s-a Me, Mario!

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

They just couldn’t resist. Upon leaving Florence, Ezio begins to gather allies, heading to his family’s decaying villa in Monteriggioni. There, he encounters a mysterious man with a scar over his eye, who comes to Ezio’s aid during combat. Ezio tries to offer him a sword, and the man wants to know why Ezio doesn’t recognise him. Cue this iconic line. We wonder if Ubisoft only named him Uncle Mario so that they could make this joke about everybody’s favorite Italian plumber. It’s a common enough name in Italy, though, and Uncle Mario became an iconic video game character in his own right, teaching Ezio the way of the Assassins.

Basim Learns the Truth

“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” (2023)

People who finished “Valhalla” were waiting throughout “Mirage” for Basim to realize that he’s a reincarnated Isu, and that moment didn’t disappoint. Basim fights Roshan and finally reaches the vault underneath Alamut Castle, where he finds the chamber that he’s been kept in for thousands of years. The game then goes full “Fight Club” and reveals that Nehal, his oldest friend, isn’t real; she’s a representation of his Loki personality, pushing him in the direction of chaos until he embraces his true destiny, remembering who he is. He’s shunned by the Brotherhood but still spends decades using it to achieve his true goal of getting revenge on Odin.

Robespierre

“Assassin’s Creed Unity” (2014)

During the Thermidorian Reaction, Robespierre barricaded himself in the Hotel de Ville. On this fateful night, Arno and Élise infiltrate the building to reach him because he has information they need about Germain. Robespierre says he’ll never tell them, which prompts this incredible moment from Élise. This proves that Élise is the real main character of “Unity”, or, at least, she SHOULD have been, because otherwise, they would have given Arno this line. But it’s all true: Robespierre HAD been shot non-fatally in the jaw by the time he was taken prisoner, and still had the injury when he was executed the next day.

Testikles

“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” (2018)

Another classic “Odyssey” moment, Kassandra is asked to take the Spartan champion, Testikles, to the Olympic Games so that he can compete. But as if his name wasn’t absurd enough, things step up a gear when they arrive. Testikles, who’s raging drunk by this point, demands that Kassandra oil him. He then tries to hug her and she ducks, so he falls straight in the harbor. But either he can’t swim at all, was so drunk he forgot how to swim, or the sharks arrived that quickly, because Testikles is soon fish food. He’s devoured by the sharks, prompting Alkibiades to announce that Kassandra is going to have to be the champion now.

The Heron

“Assassin’s Creed Origins” (2017)

This is the first time we meet Bayek, and it’s possibly the most memorable introduction of an Assassin since Ezio’s birth at the beginning of “AC II”. Bayek has hunted down one of the Order, the Heron, whose name he has tattooed on his arm. To show how serious he is in his commitment to killing the men who killed his son, he scratches the Heron’s name out with an arrow, leaving him with a scar for the rest of the game. Though the Heron continues to threaten Bayek with the Order, and even has one last knife ready to throw, it’s for nothing. With the knife still stuck in the mask, Bayek stabs him in the face.

The Auditores Die

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

As part of the Pazzi Conspiracy to oust the Medicis in Florence, Ezio’s father and two brothers are arrested and sentenced to death. Though Ezio tries to save them by delivering documents to Uberto, it turns out that Uberto is the one who’s betrayed them. Ezio dons the iconic Renaissance-era Assassin armor, but it’s too late. He has to see his family executed, setting him on a path of vengeance. This is brutal and tragic, as we spend the introduction getting to know each member of Ezio’s family. But it gave players real stakes in the story after witnessing this, fully on board with Ezio’s mission to avenge his family.

How D’ya Like Them Apples?

“Assassin’s Creed III” (2012)

From one family to another, THIS shocking twist came at the beginning of “Assassin’s Creed III”. Its notoriously long intro put players in the shoes of Haytham Kenway, as he sails across the Atlantic to start building the Assassin Brotherhood in the Americas – or so you think. The intro sequence ends with Charles Lee being initiated into the Brotherhood, at which point we hear them pledge their true allegiance to the Father of Understanding. Yes, they were Templars all along, and we’ve just been introduced to two of the game’s antagonists, one of whom is the main villain. To rub salt in the wound, the achievement for reaching this story beat is called “How D’ya Like Them Apples?”

Blackbeard’s Death

“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” (2013)

Before there was Haytham, there was Edward, making his fortune in the Caribbean as one of the most notorious pirates on the high seas. Along the way, Edward encounters many historical pirates and privateers, among them Anne Bonny, Charles Vane, Bartholomew Roberts, and, of course, Blackbeard. But the end of piracy is drawing near, and that becomes clear to Edward when he goes to help Blackbeard in South Carolina. History buffs knew ahead of time that Blackbeard was destined to die there in a battle with the Royal Navy, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Edward is powerless to help as Blackbeard is beheaded in front of him.

Ezio’s Initiation

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

He thought his vengeance was a personal quest, and that he just so happened to meet various people to train him in combat and stealth. But by the end of “Assassin’s Creed II”, when Ezio has claimed the Apple of Eden, we learn that everyone has been a member of the Assassin Brotherhood all along. His allies show the breadth of the organization, as it doesn’t just need skilled assassins, but the mercenaries, thieves, courtesans, and informants, too. They take him to be initiated once and for all, marking his finger and performing a leap of faith from the top of a Venetian tower. Finally, Ezio is a Master Assassin, ready to face Rodrigo Borgia in Rome.

Lucy’s Death

“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (2010)

Many people are still scratching their heads over this shocking cutscene, even years on. At the end of “Brotherhood”, the gang finds another Isu Vault underneath the Roman Colosseum. But Juno lies in wait, and in her first appearance in the series, she manipulates Desmond via the Apple into killing Lucy, who had been his closest ally so far. We didn’t get clarity on exactly what had happened until a DLC in “Revelations” revealed that Lucy really HAD defected to the Templars, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of this mind-blowing cliffhanger. Desmond collapses and the credits roll with Lucy dying by his side.

Eivor Meets Kassandra

“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” (2020)

Given the large timespans between games, it’s understandable that very few of our main characters have ever met. But “Odyssey” introduced us to the Staff of Hermes and its ability to grant the wielder eternal youth and immortality, meaning that 1500 years after the end of her game, Kassandra met Eivor on the Isle of Skye. Eivor believes Kassandra is responsible for the carnage and the two fight in a long, elaborate cutscene, until they begrudgingly realize that they’re not enemies and should actually be helping one another. The expansion that follows is short but sweet, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with Kassandra after all that time.

The Truth

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

If you didn’t find and solve all of the glyphs, you may not have seen the complete version of this cutscene. But considering the glyphs were all fascinating puzzles that provided unprecedented lore for the series, we’re sure everybody remembers this cutscene well. It follows Adam and Eve as they escape the Garden of Eden, showing us that not only did they exist, but they were enslaved by the Isu and staged a rebellion to free humanity from Isu control. We also learn that the Apples of Eden were designed by the Isu to keep humans constrained, but that some people – human/Isu hybrids – are able to resist and work to keep humans free. This makes Adam and Eve the first assassins.

Ezio Finds Altaïr

“Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” (2011)

All of “Revelations” is building up to Ezio unlocking Altaïr’s library underneath Masyaf Castle, and at the end, he finally gets there. Within, we get another encounter between two legendary Assassins – but unfortunately, Altaïr has already been dead for centuries. Ezio follows in Altaïr’s footsteps and relives his final memory, as he entombs himself to guard the Apple of Eden. Upon finding Altaïr’s Apple, Ezio decides that he’s seen enough for this life, surprising everybody, leaving the Apple for somebody else to wield, along with his hidden blades. He ends the game finally at peace, settling down with Sofia Sartor.

Ezio Meets Minerva

“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)

Is this the most iconic moment in “Assassin’s Creed”? Perhaps. Though we got a small taste of Isu technology at the very end of the first game, we didn’t encounter an Isu Vault or one of their eerie holograms until the end of the sequel. With both the Staff and Apple of Eden, Ezio enters the Vault, in which he meets Minerva, who explains to him what the Great Catastrophe was. But then she turns to speak directly to the camera and addresses Desmond Miles. This was a huge revelation, as we learned not only what happened to the Isu, but that they were clever enough to predict the Animus and that they needed Desmond to avert a repeat of the Great Catastrophe in 2012.

Let us know your favorite “Assassin’s Creed” cutscene in the comments.