Assassin’s Creed: Pivotal Franchise Characters Finally Return in Valhalla

Fans continue to buy and enjoy the Assassin’s Creed games because of the vast lands and historical periods that each installment brings to the table. Ever since the Ezio Trilogy ended, each new Assassin’s Creed game has explored a new story in a new time period. However, the connective tissue that binds all of these games together is the story that’s told in modern day, outside of the Animus. The newly-released Assassin’s Creed Valhalla finds a way to not only continue the story of Layla Hassan from Origins and Odyssey, but also tied it back into the world of Desmond Miles by bringing two classic Assassin’s Creed characters back into the fold for the first time in six years.

At the beginning of Valhalla, in the first scene outside of the Animus, Layla is revealed to be living in a remote cabin up in the woods of New England, and she’s accompanied by a new team from the Brotherhood. Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane are now working alongside Layla, bringing joy to longtime fans of the franchise.

Shaun and Rebecca have been around ever since Assassin’s Creed II, where they teamed up with Desmond to help him save the world. Both of them became recurring characters throughout the franchise, even after Desmond’s death, but haven’t been seen in any of the games since Assassin’s Creed Syndicate in 2014.

Assassin’s Creed Origins acted as a soft reboot of the franchise, changing up the gameplay a bit and introducing a new present day protagonist in Layla. After beginning as a rogue employee of the villainous Abstergo Industries, Layla was recruited by William Miles, Desmond’s father, to join the Brotherhood. Layla returned in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, as did her teammate and good friend Victoria. Sadly, Layla was corrupted by the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, causing her to lose control of her emotions and kill Victoria. The rest of her team left her after the incident.

Shaun and Rebecca have joined Layla to replace her previous team, and to help keep her safe and under control throughout her investigation of Eivor’s story. Earth’s magnetic fields are failing and causing the planet to slowly fall apart, and Layla was sent a cryptic message with coordinates to a grave in New England. This is where she found the remains of Eivor, though there is no explanation early in the game of how they ended up in America.

By connecting Shaun and Rebecca with Layla, Assassin’s Creed has bridged the gap between the generations of the franchise.

Have you been enjoying Assassin’s Creed Valhalla so far? Let us know in the comments!