When Ubisoft first pulled back the curtain on Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, it did not take long for fans to piece together the clues that it would be set during the Witch Trials of the Holy Roman Empire, likely in Germany, but new details reveal everything from the protagonist’s ancestry and real name (as opposed to dev name) to the specific time period and setting of the game. Needless to say, if these Assassin’s Creed Hexe rumors and leaks prove to be true, then it’s incredibly exciting for fans—at least most of the leaks.
As with all leaks, they live and die by their source; in this case, the information comes via the known, if not fully proven, leaker called Rogue. For what it’s worth, some of their information is being corroborated by xJonathan who also posts a lot of Ubisoft leaks and has for Assassin’s Creed Hexe, Invictus, and other games before. That basic corroboration adds some weight, but by and large, I would suggest taking all of this with a healthy grain of salt.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe is a Better Story Without Magic
Magic has its place in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but despite Hexe’s historical backdrop, I don’t think it belongs in the upcoming mainline game.
Trapped in One of History’s Largest Witch Trials
Rogue claims that the AC Hexe protagonist’s name is not Elsa, but Anika, with Elsa simply being the internal name (which is believable). Reportedly, the game is specifically set during the Wurzburg Witch Trials of 1625-1631—not only was this one of the largest Witch Trials in history, but it was one of the biggest mass trials and executions to ever happen in Europe. Previous rumors and leaks suggested AC Hexe would be darker than the average game in the franchise, and that’s definitely darker.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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Gameplay-wise, Rogue also claims that blood pacts and poisons exist, that there are activities to find ritual sites and recover stolen relics, and a heightened NPC alert system. Enemies report suspicious activity much faster because, well, witches. One exciting feature is that there are said to be a lot of forests in AC Hexe, with “tree-to-tree branch jumping” being one of the parkour skills in the game. That callback to Assassin’s Creed 3‘s parkour is certainly welcome, but it’s not the only one. Rogue is corroborating reports that AC Hexe brings back Ezio Auditore and expands on how, namely that Anika is a descendant of Claudia Auditore (Ezio’s sister).
Apparently, and somehow, Anika is guided and mentored by Ezio as some sort of spirit and ghost. If true, I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this, but the AC Hexe development team has more than earned my patience. Several reported voicelines for the two, across various stages, have also leaked online:
- Annika to Ezio: “That white hood, it’s like the one in my mother’s drawings.”
- Ezio to Anika: “She wanted you to have a life.”
- Ezio line: “Come, leap with me. One last time for an old man.”
- Ezio to Anika: “They always fear what they cannot control. They called us demons once, too. But remember, Anika: “Nulla e reale, tutto e lecito.”
- Anika line: “They call me a witch. They want to burn me for what I can do. For what I know.”
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Other voicelines:
- “Form a circle, do not let her vanish!”
- “They say the forest moves at night.”
- “Check the shadows! She can’t have gone far.”
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
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Overall, this could easily be speculated or outright be a wish list of features for Assassin’s Creed Hexe; it’s impossible to say for sure right now. But if this is true, which all of the original Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced leaks could tangentially support the idea of, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic game. I feel a touch concerned about Ezio’s possible return, but if it’s explained right and Anika really is Claudia’s descendant, then it’s a very intriguing prospect nonetheless.