In 2017, Ubisoft launched Assassin’s Creed Origins after a two-year hiatus following Assassin’s Creed Syndicate‘s release. The title served as a soft reboot, introducing a new RPG style of gameplay and even turning the clock back to the Assassin Order’s beginning. However, while the game’s protagonist is Bayek of Siwa, another assassin appears: Bayek’s wife, Aya.
While on the hunt for their son’s killer, the two discover a larger conspiracy that bleeds into the worlds’ governments. By the end of Origins, the two forego their personal ties and commit to a new order as Hidden Ones, an early version of the Assassins. The game continues with Aya, who heads to Rome to assassinate Julius Caesar. Controlled by the player, Aya delivers the first strike to the tyrant and marks one of the Order’s most important assassinations. Not only is this a new beginning for the character, but it could also be the perfect start to a game focused entirely on Aya.
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The game shows history continuing after Caesar’s death without issue, but there are still many battles to be fought once his heir, Octavian, takes over. Aya’s game could cover her life under the new ruler and fill in the gap between the game and the comic written by Anne Toole and Anthony Del Col. In that comic, Aya’s journey in Rome begins with Octavian taking power and the realization that things are going to get worse. The story also flashes forward to Octavian storming Cleopatra’s home in Egypt and Aya adopting the name Amunet.
The game could cover the 14 years where Octavian grew the Roman Empire and began his conquest while Aya did her best to impede his uprising. She could use Rome as her main base of operations, but have the chance to return to Egypt for missions like in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. During these missions, Aya could reunite with her husband, Bayek, who acted as a Hidden One in Egypt, perhaps even embarking on missions with him. The game could conclude with a retelling of the comic’s ending, where Aya gives Cleopatra the poison as Octavian approaches. However, much like the ending of Origins, the game could let the player fight and sneak their way up to her location.
Gameplay-wise, Aya’s game could be similar to the current combat system. However, stealth should be the main focus as Aya becomes a more accomplished assassin. The brotherhood system could also make a comeback as Aya recruits more members to the cause that she can call upon for assistance, similar to Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
As a character, Aya is strong and committed to her beliefs. She also struggles with her love for Bayek and how it affects her role as a Hidden One. These elements, along with the important role she played in the franchise’s history, make her a great candidate for a full game of her own — particularly in light of the fact that she was originally meant to be the protagonist of Origins. Aya’s journey to become Amunet was teased all the way back in Assassin’s Creed II, and that story deserves to be explored.
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