-Nothing is true, everything is permitted.- These are the powerful words that have tied together Ezio Auditore Da Firenze’s life. It saddens us that this will be the end of his story but that fact is easily overshadowed by the quality of the latest installment of Assassin’s Creed.
“Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” is the latest edition of Ubisoft’s brainchild. A third person free-roaming game, focusing on hand-to-hand action and acrobatics. For 2 games now we have been allowed to follow the challenges and losses of Ezio Auditore, a wealthy Italian. From young adult, thrown into the assassin lifestyle, to leader of the entire order. In this game you travel to Constantinopel to unravel the secrets his ancestors left behind in a hidden library under Masyaf castle. The story is a blend of modern times and ancient times as you follow not only Ezio and another recurring assassin, Altaïr, but also Desmond and his backstory and how he repairs his sanity using the Animus. The introduction is as beautiful as it is clever. Ubisoft succesfully summarises the story so far in a few minutes so that gamers new to the plot aren’t left out, but advanced gamers will enjoy it nevertheless. The same goes for the first moments of gameplay. There is a sort of tutorial focusing mainly on the basics, clearly pointing out Ubisoft reaching out to the loyal fans who are already familiar with the controls. But with every acrobatic move or kill you also retain the option of watching a small tutorial so that the new fans are up to date with the moves.
Assassin’s Creed is a succesful game, the numbers speak for themselves. And we are happy to see the formula hasn’t been drastically altered. You are free to explore the city, get into fight, pick up some girl, save your fellow assassins and then continue the storyline. You can still renovate shops and landmarks, giving you both more income and discounts on upgrades, weapons and armor. And just like in Brotherhood there are several Templar buildings that you must conquer in order to establish a new branch for the Assassins. There is no more horse though but you get around fast with the network of tunnels. Completely new to the game are the bombs, the Den Defense-minigame, the hookblade and the fact that Ezio is now older and has traveled to Constantinopel (duh!).
Ezio discovers the benefits of bomb-crafting. Bombs can be used in infinite amounts of ways and in infinite amounts of situations but you are limited to carry 3 of each kind: lethal, diversion, tactical. You can kill your enemies with shrapnel or how about some good old thunderbombs, with some extra kick added to the blast? Useful when taking out groups of enemies or shielded guard. And why not set off a plume of smoke to lure that pesky patrol away from you potential kill? And my personal favorite: the caltropbombs. When being chased by guards you just drop one of these bad boys and they stop the pursuiters right in their tracks.
Another cool new feature is the minigame, Den Defense. When Ezio claims a Templar hideout for the assassins it can be attacked by the very same templars he just chased away. An assassin’s den can be permanently secured by assigning a master assassin. But those take time to train and in the meanwhile you might get into some trouble. Every kill or sometimes completing a mission puts you on the radar of the templars. Once they notice your presence too much, they take action and attack one of your dens. At that point it becomes contested and you must reclaim it by playing the minigame. It’s alot like a tower defense game. Enemies spawn in waves and rush the street and you have to kill them by strategically placing assassin’s and barricades armed with weapons varying from crossbows and hidden blades to flamethrowers (yes, you read that correctly) and rifles.
And last but not least we have the hookblade. This fancy new upgrade allows you to jump up and grab the next grappling point in mid-climb. That’s not exactly a new ability but the utensil is. Another fun new hobby of mine in this game is bugging the guard with my new toy. The hookblade allows you to jump up and over a guard or when you sprint toward him, you can even toss him to the ground with one simple button. The new hookblade shines the most when chasing a target or sliding down the cool new ziplines spread throughout the city. Remember to stock up on parachutes!
Remember those pesky puzzles from Brotherhood? Huge rooms filled with ledges and conveniently placed ladders just to get to that special ultimate armor? In Assassin’s Creed Revelations I got the armor almost halfway through the game because I could really enjoy the tombs and catacombs of the city. It feels like playing an action-packed movie: the movement and the climbing is so naturally and fluent. No more searching for the right ledge or pertruding brick, falling several times and trying again. Ezio has got the moves, baby. Back on the surface of Constantinopel you feel like you are in the middle of a real living and breathing society. The dynamic enviroment is amazing. The colors of the city make it such an interesting game, you are honestly never bored. Ubisoft has thrown in a new kind of mission type. At random moments you will be called for by civilians to do certain tasks. They do not appear on your map or radar and therefor it makes it seem like you have to watch your surroundings at all times. Not only to notice the hidden missions but also to make sure you don’t die. In Assassin’s creed revelations, you are not the only assassin. There is a price on Ezio’s head and when in public you can get stabbed if you don’t pay attention. The templars really must want this guy gone.
Gaming Boulevard has had the joy and honor to play the Multiplayer in bèta, both in the comfort of our living rooms and in the exciting Gamescom Ubisoft booth. The predecessor, Brotherhood, had a very promising multiplayer and was very enjoyable. The developers have upgraded the Revelations Multiplayer with a couple of new game-modes and a couple of new maps, including some revamped versions from Brotherhood. You can choose your killer from an all new set of characters, all of them freshly with their own story out of the campaign. There is still an experience-system in place, giving you more abilities and customizations as you play and you can still complete challenges by using your abilities and skills in certain ways. New to the game in comparison the the previous one is the storyline. Ubisoft has created a little backstory for the multiplayer and as you go you unlock little bits of templar information concerning the story.
In conclusion Assassin’s Creed Revelations is an ace. But the fact that after several games the recipe hasn’t changed is both its strength and its weakness. I love it, I’ve always loved it and I’ll keep playing it no matter what. But it didn’t make me jump up and down. The difference between the first and second assassin’s creed is enormous. I had several nerdgasms just playing it. The same thing happened when playing Brotherhood but the gap between that and its former installment was already a bit smaller. And it seems they are drawing to a close. Revelations deserves all their credit, they’ve definitely earned every single penny. But I’m glad Ezio will no longer be the main character. It’s time for something new and fresh, like 16th century China or a female assassin. If you have played even one of the games in the franchise, you owe it to yourself to play Revelations. Believe me, you won’t regret that decision.
