Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise has understandably spent the bulk of its time having players occupy the role of the titular Assassins, the good guys in the cloak and dagger war that has been waged for centuries. But there have been a handful of instances when players have had the opportunity to play as the Assassins' adversary, the Templars.
[Warning: Spoilers for the Assassin's Creed games follow.]
Assassin's Creed has long focused on the conflict between two organizations: the Assassins and the Templars. The games have been set throughout history, from Ancient Egypt to the French Revolution. Players usually are tasked with thwarting the plans of tyrannical Templars, liberating areas from their rule and collecting powerful artifacts before the Templars can find them. The core of the conflict stems from the fact that Templars believe humanity needs to be firmly controlled by a select few in order to thrive, while Assassins believe humans should have free will.
The first Assassin's Creed game to give players control of a Templar was actually a bit of a surprise. Assassin's Creed III begins with players controlling not main character Connor Kenway but his father, Haytham Kenway. Players are led to believe that Haytham is another Assassin, given that he uses all of the trademark Assassin abilities, including the famed Assassin's Creed hidden blade weapon. It is eventually revealed, however, that Haytham is actually a Templar. An Assassin's Creed spinoff novel, Assassin's Creed: Forsaken, later revealed that Haytham, son of Edward Kenway (lead character of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag) had been taken in by the Templars after his father was murdered and was raised as one of their order. The game eventually shifts the focus from Haytham to Connor, who becomes an adversary of Haytham and eventually kills him.
The first and only time an entire game focused on a Templar character was Assassin's Creed: Rogue. The game is set between Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III. Shay Patrick Cormac was originally an Assassin who became disillusioned with the organization when one members obsession for finding the Pieces of Eden artifacts caused an earthquake that destroyed a city. Shay spends time as a vigilante before eventually being recruited by the Templars, including Haytham Kenway. Assassin's Creed: Rogue had similar mechanics to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but often tasked players from stopping assassinations instead of committing them.
Players have also occasionally been given control of minor or nameless Templar characters, mostly in small prologue missions, or as an employee of the Templars' modern-day front, Abstergo. But for those looking to play as the bad guys of the Assassin's Creed world, the opportunities available are unfortunately few.
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