Summary
Since the 1980s,Ubisofthas been responsible for developing and publishing many video game series that have become instant classics and long-time favorites for a wide variety of gamers. These notably include action titles likeFar Cry, Assassin’s Creed,and the later games in thePrince of Persiaseries, but they also have explored plenty of different genres and less serious plots.
These include theRaymanandRabbidsseries, and they also work with South Park Digital Studios to publish some hilariously inappropriate games for the iconic television intellectual property. With so many years of experience and so many titles under their belts, it is no surprise that Ubisoft have plenty of incredibly immersive games under their belts.
Unfortunately for fans of the IP,Frontiers of Pandorareceived average reviews at best, with gameplay and narrative being particularly criticized. That being said, Ubisoft’sAvatargame does have a particularly immersive element going for it.
On a purely aesthetic level, the game is beautiful to look at, and players who want to delve into this well-known and well-loved world will still have a lot of appreciation for the exploration aspect. For Ubisoft fans who want a visually stunning cinematic world to be immersed in,Frontiers of Pandoradefinitely does the job!
Ubisoft have countlessTom Clancygames to their name, but the longevity of their online tactical shooter,Rainbow Six:Siege, speaks to the immersive elements of the series' gameplay. The gameplay inSiegethrives on its flexibility. With a huge variety of operators to choose from, each with wildly different play styles, whether on the attacking or defending team, players are free to use their own tactics to gain the advantage for their team.
That’s to say nothing of the impressive environmental destruction within the game. For an online shooter likeSiege, it’s the varied approaches to combat as well as satisfying environmental feedback that are sure to immerse players in the experience and keep them coming back for more.
For a complete change in tone, Ubisoft are alsowell known for theirJust Danceseries, which has been ongoing since 2009, with new content released every year since. While these upbeat party games aren’t overly interested in immersing players in an epic storyline or a vast world, they are undoubtedly interested in fully immersing their players in the fun of dance!
They achieve this by making players become the controller, with their movements being tracked by certain remotes, cameras, or apps, depending on the game version they’re playing. By physically involving players in the game, and by setting the dances to popular songs from the year, players have no choice but to dance their hearts out!
For players who want to be immersed in aserious and emotional narrative,Valiant Hearts: The Great Warprovides exactly that. As the name suggests, the game takes place during the First World War. The game is a wonderful combination of simple side-scrolling puzzle mechanics and a beautifully somber cartoon-like art style.
Rather than detracting from the narrative, the simplistic nature of the style and mechanics seems to enhance it. With very little dialogue and a lot of visual storytelling, this narrative immersed many players in the horrors of warfare when it was first released in 2014 and is still worth a play for those who haven’t experienced it yet.
From a heart-wrenching war narrative, to perhaps the most inappropriate game on Ubisoft’s roster, the hilariously namedSouth Park: TheFractured But Wholeis a superhero RPG based on the belovedSouth ParkIP. BothThe Fractured But Wholeand the previous game in the series,The Stick Of Truth, heavily involved series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in their development, which helps to preserve the essentialSouth Parktone that players are looking to be immersed in.
However, on a pure gameplay level,The Fractured But Wholeimproves its immersive qualities fromThe Stick Of Truthby offering players more choices and agency for customizing their character, or ‘New Kid.’ This includes many superhero class options to pick from, each with very different play styles and abilities, but also allows players to determine their New Kid’s gender, ethnicity, and even sexuality. These don’t have much of a bearing on gameplay - outside the famous example of New Kid’s ethnicity being the game’s difficulty slider - but they are a nice touch to make the New Kid feel unique to each player’s story.
TheWatch Dogsseries is one of the IPs that Ubisoft is particularly well known for, andWatch Dogs 2improved on its predecessor in most ways, including immersion.Watch Dogs 2drops players in its rebellious San Francisco world with fast-paced hacks and gunfightsthrough classic series mechanics,where protagonist Marcus Holloway can hack virtually anything (or anyone) in the world with just his cellphone.
The sandbox-like freedom that players have regarding the hacking mechanics is immense. Each of the many objects that players can hack will also have multiple hacking options available to suit every play style, from brazen combat to stealth. This allows players the freedom to tackle missions in a wide variety of different ways and playstyles and, much likeSiege, this is howWatch Dogs 2achieves its immersion.
Ubisoft bought the rights to thePrince of Persiaseries back in 2001, and have developed many entries since then, although the series was in a lull until very recently. Their latest entry isThe Lost Crown,released in January 2024. With Metroidvania-style gameplay, stunning music, and an engaging plot, there are already a lot of ways thatThe Lost Crownimmerses players in its tale of Persian culture and mythology.
However, one of the most immediately captivating elements is the art style. Designed to look bright, unique, and modern, the stunning visuals play a huge part in immersing players in the latestPrince of Persiastory. Once the artwork draws them in, the tight and exciting gameplay will keep them coming back.
The games on this list have been immersive thanks to everything from their mechanics, to their art style, to their overarching narrative, butFar Cry 3’simmersion is driven primarily by the strength of its antagonist. As some of Ubisoft’s most iconic games, this list would be incomplete without aFar Cryentry, andFar Cry 3seemed to leave one of the biggest marks not only in the series, but perhaps in Ubisoft’s entire catalog.
Far Cry 3has a variety of playstyles and multiplayer modes that add hours of fun and immersion for players who wrap up the main campaign, but itsparticularly immersive and memorable moments come from conflicts with Vaas, the game’s most terrifying villain. Vaas delights in pushing the boundaries of sanity, which has startling effects on both Jason Brody. the game’s protagonist, and the player. For open-world action games,Far Cry 3’scompelling conflict makes it one of the most immersive.
The stealth-based action seriesAssassin’s Creedis another one of the most famous and beloved of Ubisoft’s titles, immersing many players in their simultaneous history andscience fiction-themed worlds. Of all the games in the series,Assassin’s Creed 2received some of the most favorable reviews, with many of its open-world mechanics being praised for drastically improving on the first game.
While improved fluidity of mechanics is bound to improve immersion, the second game also introduced players to Ezio, who has become one of the most iconic characters in the series. When players connect so readily with the player character, they will much more easily immerse themselves in the narrative. While theAssassin’s Creedfranchise is generally quite effective at drawing players into their settings,Assassin’s Creed 2seems to be the one that has had the biggest impact on a lot of fans of the franchise.
Along with theRabbidsseries, theRaymanseries could be considered Ubisoft’s mosticonic family-friendly games, and is up there as one of the best-reviewed Ubisoft games on Metacritic. These games are beloved for their bright, colorful visuals, snappy platforming levels, cooperative gameplay, and cheerful music.
Rayman Legendsincludes all of these beloved features from the previousRaymangames, as well as features that have been used to immerse players in other Ubisoft games throughout this article. The cartoon art style is perfectly approachable for a family audience and, just likeJust Dance,Rayman Legendsintroduces rhythm-based levels set to well-known songs, which really draw players into the experience.
