Review: Assassin's Creed Revelations

Looking back at the six years it has been since this console generation began many things have happened that have helped change the way game development is done.  Amongst the creations of things like the regenerative health system, cover-based combat and online cooperative play at home the gaming industry has, above all others, been the victim of an almost undesired innovation: sequelitis.  With the rising cost of video games seemingly taking Moore’s Law seriously it is dangerous for a developer or publisher to take a gamble on a new IP.  Should it fail it could possibly cost them the entire studio it was made in.

Despite this Ubisoft rolled the dice in 2007 with Assassin’s Creed, a time-bending title whose brilliantly secretive marketing campaign and remarkably unusual storyline drew fans into the fray stronger than most would have imagined.  It was two years before we saw a sequel to that flawed title but with it came massive improvements and the series’ woven story, like a knitter that doesn’t know when to stop, turned from a blanket into a tapestry of conflict and revenge.  Its sequel last year, Brotherhood, took protagonist Ezio Auditore da Fierenze to Rome to battle the infamous Borgia clan.  Ubisoft didn’t think that Ezio’s story was quite done however and as such we have Assassin’s Creed Revelations, the final chapter in his life.

But does the boy who we watched grow into a Master Assassin have what it takes to murder the competition?

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Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted

Shortly after Desmond Miles and company discovered and retrieved the Apple of Eden he fell into a coma after being forced to end the life of his mentor and partner Lucy Stillman.  Fearing for his life he was placed in the Animus.  Desmond awakens trapped in the Animus, stuck on a construct island designed to test the system’s ability to recreate the world of the past.  On the shores of this computative consciousness he finds out that the machine is having trouble differentiating his memories from both Ezio Auditore and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and until he can defragment himself from their memories he won’t be able to awaken in the real world.  Seeing no alternative, he dives right in.

Desmond finds himself in the shoes of Ezio once again, this time further along in his life than he or his Assassin team had seen before.  Five years have passed since he ended Cesar Borgia’s life and hid away the Apple of Eden and in 1512 Ezio, now in his fifties, finds himself questioning the life that chose him and what could have been different.  In search of knowledge, Ezio undertakes a journey to Masyaf, the birthplace of the Assassin Order, only to be overtaken by a Templar trap.  Barely escaping, Ezio finds the entrance to a hidden library left behind by Altaïr.  The door is locked and requires five keys, each of which were hidden in Constantinople long ago.  Determined, Ezio leaves for the Crossroads of the World.

The best analogy one can give about the Assassin’s Creed series is that it is the videogame equivalent the popular television series Lost.  Every episode, every cliffhanger you experience in the previous games eats at you until you know more.  It is almost addicting the way Ubisoft has been able to draw players in with its wonderful conspiracy-laden epic and Revelations is only partially different.  Unlike Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood there is a lot less focus on revealing the truth about the secret war that has spanned over a thousand years.  Instead what we have here is a far more personal story that tells of Ezio Auditore’s final days as an Assassin as well as what happened to Altaïr after the death of Al Mualim.

It is Altaïr’s tales that most Assassin’s Creed fans like myself are interested in almost more so than Ezio’s.  Despite having PSP and DS direct sequels to the original game that detailed his journeys after retrieving the Apple of Eden, it felt like Altaïr was shoved by the wayside in favor of Ezio.  Perhaps this was done so the mystery could be deepened but the absence was notable especially after Brotherhood was announced and that Ezio would be returning for not one, but two games.  Luckily our original hero gets his just dues in Revelations.

Throughout the story of Revelations you’ll collect the five Masyaf keys and each time you do so a part of Altaïr’s story is revealed, each one chronologically showing the various events in his life that both could and could not be shown through the traditional use of the Animus.  These vignettes, though short, are actually quite sweet in content and tell you quite a bit about the man who nearly ended the Third Crusade.  For a franchise fan like me it was great to step back into his boots and I’m sure my compatriots will feel the exact same way.

What you might be disappointed by though is the overall length of the game.  In roughly fifteen to twenty hours a series veteran can complete the main story as well as most of the side quests that pop up.  Despite this however the ending is a perfect lead up to next year’s title and is a must experience for fans.

The Apple and the Eagles

Ezio may no longer be the young man he was when he sought revenge for the death of his father and brothers but he still has what he needs where it counts.  In fact, it is fair to suggest that he is an even more capable warrior than when he was starting out thanks to a motley of new weapons, items and enhancements.  Revelations’ combat system, building on what was used in Brotherhood, keeps the killstreak ability while adding the ability to steal from the enemy in the middle of a counter move.  Ezio can also move and use his Eagle Vision at the same time now which is something the series has long since needed.

The biggest new addition to Ezio’s arsenal comes in the form of his new hidden blade: the hook blade.  Functioning exactly like a traditional hidden blade, this new version allows for both combat and movement enhancements.  For example, one can use it as a tripping tool when charging at an enemy, effective when attempting to knock down, but not kill, a fleeing enemy.  It also serves as an aid while climbing and jumping between ledges which make for faster free running.  Throughout Constantinople you will also find ziplines that you can use your hook blade on which is especially handy.

Also new to your arsenal are bombs.  Functioning much like grenades, you are able to concoct a variety of different bombs using shells, gunpowder and additional ingredients.  These resulting effects can vary strongly, from being able to make a loud pop that draw away guards to being able to wipe out a whole squad.  The only downside is that you can only hold three of each type before having to buy or construct more of them but they are still quite useful.

As a Master Assassin Ezio is one of the few who are capable of expanding the Assassin Order via territory control and recruitment.  Revelations builds on the already great Order creation system this time by allowing you to recruit both random victims of guards as well as specific members who already are skilled such as thieves and the like.  Constantinople is divided into a series of districts in the same way that Rome was divided in Brotherhood but unlike the previous game you don’t simply burn down the control tower.  Instead, you take it over.  These Assassin Dens you can get throughout the course of the game allow you to decrease Templar influence in the surrounding area as well as purchase shops and real estate.

You never had to worry about retaining your territory in Brotherhood after you had conquered it but in this new game it can be one of your biggest worries.  If you draw too much attention to yourself and don’t have a den locked down (which can only be done by leveling up the den’s assassin to master level) the Templars may just attack.  This triggers what is called Den Defense, a tower defense minigame in which you must hold off waves upon waves of attacking Templar conscripts.  During these events you collect morale by killing Templars with assassins from both rooftops and on the ground.  You can also set up barriers as well as call in a air strike from a nearby cannon to wipe out large groups of enemies.  The result is a fun yet tense mode that, while a small diversion doesn’t happen very often to cautious players, is something you will want to keep coming back to play.

One final item worth mentioning is Desmond himself.  Fans have demanded for years that Desmond be given a more important role in the Assassin’s Creed series and Ubisoft partially delivered in Brotherhood last year.  This year however, instead of exploring his capabilities you learn more about who Desmond is.  By collecting Animus data fragments scattered throughout Ezio’s world you can unlock memory segments from the base construct world.  These levels, five in all, give you more information about Desmond’s upbringing leading up to his capture by Abstergo before the beginning of the first game.  These levels are told from a first person perspective and are actually large puzzles that have you constructing and maneuvering using large blocks through areas that reflect what Desmond relates in his monologue that spans them.  These levels get increasingly harder as you go along but there is no cost to attempting them and you might find them quite informative.  If anything they are a refreshing break from the grind of climbing, exploring and killing.

The Blood of a Templar

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood introduced us to multiplayer for the first time in the series and while it seemed initially to be an almost shoehorned in gameplay element the end result last year was a flawed but promising and entertaining experience.  Revelations retains much of the same Turing Test multiplayer experience we had last year albeit with strong improvements.  No longer does the game encourage conga lines of death: you will find a much more balanced experience here.

New to the experience are several modes that help to balance out the hide-and-seek oriented gameplay we’ve previously played.  Artifact Assault is a take on classic capture the flag in which each time attempts to retrieve the opposite’s First Civilization relic.  Treasure Hunt functions much like a traditional domination gametype but probably the most interesting is Deathmatch.  Much like how you would have first envisioned Assassin’s Creed multiplayer to be, Deathmatch nixes replicated NPC skins in the world as well as your compass.  This forces you to rely on your observation skills and the result is quite fun.

There’s more to find than just new maps and modes though: the entire experience has been overhauled.  Matchmaking seems to work faster and better than it did previously and players will now be rewarded points if they die should they attempt to stun their attacker.  You can now unlock and choose different primary and secondary weapons to use in addition to the various perks you could use before.  Players call also build clans (called guilds) for organized competitive play.  An entire profile can be built now and expanded upon by spending cash earned in-game based on your performance.  It is clear that the system is built to last but given the amount of competition the game is facing it is questionable how long it will hold your interest.

Probably the most interesting integration to the multiplayer is its focus on being more narrative driven.  Periodically as you increase in rank a cutscene will play before a match begins that sees Warren Vidic, the series’ main Templar antagonist, talking to you and informing you of the Templar’s plans for the world.  Some of the characters from the multiplayer actually appear in Ezio’s story as well so you can now understand more about how Abstergo is able to train their forces.  The integration of the multiplayer more into the overall experience is a nice touch but the addition of singleplayer explaining, in part, the characters in the multiplayer is quite intriguing.

Overall the multiplayer seems much more enjoyable than it was with its freshman outing so for those looking for an alternative to traditional run-and-gun gameplay this might just keep you coming back.

Victory Lies in Preparation

Assassin’s Creed is a series that we are four games into in the span of five years.  Several series can lay claim to such a statement but few still can say they are AAA, story-driven experiences.  Ubisoft is already hinting that a new game awaits us next year and while the series doesn’t seem to want to be an annual franchise the past three years have been yielded quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.  Regardless of this Revelations serves as a departure for two well known and enjoyed characters and if the great ending’s indications are proven true then next year’s title may just be the Assassin’s Creed III we’ve wanted since 2009.  In the mean time however Revelations is a great singleplayer experience that, while not exactly newcomer friendly, is still a great time to be had for those looking for a god story.  It is the best title in the series to date and a must own for series veterans.