Assassins Creed Revelations

Xbox 360 Version

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is back for a third round of platforming and stealth action espionage in Assassin’s Creed Revelations; the third (and final) game in the Ezio trilogy. Unlike its predecessor, Revelations features three different protagonists playable in different historical settings, with Desmond Miles returning in the games 2012 A.D. era. In addition to brief gameplay segments starring Desmond, the player is able to take control of Altair, the first ever Assassin’s Creed protagonist in the series.

Although Desmond and Altair are both playable characters, the core of the game focuses on Ezio and his quest to uncover the truth behind the Assassin’s Creed. In the modern era (2012) Desmond Miles has been unintentionally put into a comatose state as a result of induced trauma from the events of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood; Revelations predecessor. As veterans of the series already know, Desmond has the ability to use a specialized machine called the “Animus”, created by modern day Templars, giving him the ability to relive the events of his ancestors. Regardless of the fact that Desmond was captured and coerced into operating the Animus in the original game, the machine itself still had the ability to provide him with an option of whether or not he wanted to enter into it. This time around, however, Desmond is placed into a special division of the Animus (by force), called “The Black Room”, in order to preserve his mind.

Upon entering “The Black Room”, Desmond is greeted by the consciousness of an individual named “Subject 16”, who occupied the Animus just before Desmond. Subject 16 explains to Desmond that his mind has been fractured, and that the only way to restore it (and exit the Animus) is to relive the events of his ancestors. Desmond agrees to go through this process, with the game then letting you take control of master assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze for the third and final time in the AC saga.

As the player assumes control of Ezio Auditore, series veterans will find themselves on familiar territory with the game starting Ezio’s journey at Masyaf; the location of the assassin stronghold in the first Assassin’s Creed title. Ezio travels to Masyaf to discover the secret behind the Creed – but the sworn enemies of the assassins – the Knights Templar, end up beating Ezio to the location and put out a kill order on the master assassin. Story has it that Ezio doesn’t go down without a fight, or to put it more clearly: doesn’t go down at all. Eventually he finds himself standing in front of a massive stone door leading to Altair’s secret library. Ezio quickly learns that five disc-like keys are required to open the door, with one of the keys already having been acquired by the Templars, and the remaining keys hidden in a city (called Constantinople) by a trusted ally of the Assassin’s named Niccolo Pollo. Each of the five keys contain playable memories featuring the original assassin of the franchise: Altair. Determined to beat the Templar’s to the keys, Ezio sets his sights on Constantinople.

The majority of the game takes place in the city of Constantinople featuring Ezio, but with an occasional stint as Altair and (even more rare) playable segments as Desmond, each in their respective historical times. Assassin’s Creed Revelations is the fourth official console-based Assassin’s Creed game following the same plot, so it’s obvious to assume that there would be an evolution of gameplay mechanics, weapons, and features from one game to the next. The previous game in the series, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, gave Ezio command over a full legion of Assassin’s with the ability to train and manage them. Revelations continues this trend in order to solidify Ezio’s role as master assassin, and to maintain his status as a historical leader in the creed.

Another key feature carried over from Brotherhood, yet expanded upon in Revelations, is the ability to capture Templar controlled dens throughout Constantinople, by taking out each dens Templar commander. Taking control of a den from the Templars and handing it over to the influence of the Assassin’s Creed unlocks a wide range of shops in that particular district, such as tailor shops, blacksmith shops, and so forth. Each of these shops can be opened up for players to use and purchase items as they see fit, and the fact that players are the owner of the shop (after purchasing it) brings them income deposited into their bank account every twenty minutes, of which can be withdrawn at any time. The more property players own in Constantinople, the more income will be generated for the Assassin’s Creed. The key difference between capturing dens in Brotherhood and Revelations is the fact that dens (in Revelations) can now be RE-captured by the Templars in a constant struggle for territorial control. If a den you’ve already captured is being contested by the Templar’s, it will show up on the in-game map. You have the opportunity to go to that location and fight them off through a mini tower defense styled game, and if you win the game, you have recaptured the den for the Creed. At the end of the day, this new mini game isn’t all that bad, but it can become a little tedious having to constantly stay on the defensive through a series of stylistically different mini games. However, it’s worth noting that these mini games are optional, and do not destroy the atmosphere of the game.

As Ezio continues his search for Altair’s hidden keys, he develops some key alliances. One of the first people he meets is a fellow member of the Assassin’s Creed named Yusuf, who happens to be one of their leaders in the area. Throughout the story, Yusuf turns out to be one of Ezio’s strongest and most trusted allies.

Ezio meets a wide range of allies along the way, with one of his strongest being Prince Suleiman. But equally in value to his ally’s, Yusuf and Suleiman, is a beautiful young woman named Sofia, who happens to run a book shop in Constantinople. Matching Sofia’s external beauty is her innate passion for knowledge and intelligence. She comes across as gentle, highly knowledgeable and noble; not understanding the nature of Ezio’s operation at first. As Ezio forms a closer alliance with her, she turns out to be the single most valuable ally in locating Altair’s keys, which are scattered throughout Constantinople. Upon discovering the location of each of the four keys, Ezio enters into a secret underground chamber having to perform a wide range of platforming to reach the physical artifact itself. Upon recovery of each artifact, Ezio is prompted to return back to his headquarters, where the game travels back in time to the era of a playable Altair, and the discovery of more Creed secrets.

Those who have been following the series since the original title will remember how spectacular Altair was in his original form. Young, arrogant, and somewhat stubborn, Altair built a reputation as one of the most feared assassins in history, yet still found a way to get on his masters bad side, due to his disobedience. Altair eventually discovers that his master, Al Mualim, has obtained an ancient artifact from the “first civilization” called a “Piece of Eden”. During Al Mualim’s possession of this artifact, he slowly becomes corrupted; eventually leading his ideology to match the Templar’s perception of the world. With the Assassin’s Creed being sworn enemies of the Templar’s, Altair then makes the decision to challenge and kill Al Mualim in a fight to the death, where the master is killed in the fight.

The Altair segments pick up right after the death of Al Mualim, with Altair literally carrying his dead body through a crowd of suspicious observers’ in the middle of Masyaf: the Assassin stronghold. Story has it that many people accepted the fact that Al Mualim had turned from the Creed, but others remained skeptical. Throughout these Altair memory fragments, the player is able to play through the struggle of power following the death of Al Mualim (the Creed leader), where Altair assumes control of the Creed. I’m assuming the developers intended the memory fragments, starring Altair as once again playable, to be nostalgic and exciting for long time series fans, and there were a few interesting moments here and there. You learn the fate of Altair’s sons, wife, and family. You also get to see Altair progress into an old man leading all the way up to what he stores in his library for future generations. But these gameplay sequences are lackluster in nature, and the change in Altair’s voice actor didn’t make the situation any better. The new voice actor for Altair isn’t horrible, but compared to the original, it’s like a 5/10 voice actor compared to a 10/10. And for the record, I’m all for making changes to a long running video game franchise. A recent example is how Kiefer Sutherland replaced veteran voice actor David Hayter as Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid V. David Hayter has been voicing (both) Big Boss and Solid Snake throughout the Metal Gear Solid series for a very, very long time, and (just like every fan of the series) I was skeptical of the switch at first. But after listening to Mr. Sutherland for about five minutes, I was already a fan. After listening to the new voice actor for Altair, however – one of the biggest icons of the Assassin’s Creed franchise – it reminded me of an NPC actor more than anything else.

Aside from my obvious gripe with Altair’s new voice actor, the basic gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Revelations remains true to its original formula; for better or for worse. The Assassin’s Creed franchise infringes on the stealth action genre, which in terms of gameplay, happens to be one of the most unique genres available. This particular genre offers players the ability to implement stealth to defeat and deceive your foes, as opposed to a classic third person shooter where you go in guns blazing. Traditional stealth titles like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell focus on physical stealth elements, such as camouflage or hiding behind an object, in order to stay out of the enemy’s sight. Assassin’s Creed, on the other hand, focuses on a form of social stealth to blend in with crowds of people (NPCs). Just like previous AC titles, Revelations has strategically positioned hiding spots: like a bale of hay, a well, or a tent; which players can use to physically hide from enemies.

Elements of the game that have mostly been left unchanged are the combat and movement mechanics. One of the most fundamental aspects of the Assassin’s Creed titles, compared to other genres, is the ability of players to climb towers and cities throughout historical settings, whether it be for exploration, or to avoid enemies. Climbing the historical architecture is certainly interesting, but often feels just as clunky as it did in previous AC titles. I’m not saying Ezio needs the fluidity of a super hero like Spiderman, but I think the AC series is long past due for mechanical climbing improvements. Equally as unimpressive as the climbing mechanics, is the viewpoint diving system. Whereas this feature was exciting in the original title, it now seems underwhelming with its mechanics being virtually identical to past AC titles. Is there a way to give these epic diving sequences more of a punch in today’s era of gaming? I think the answer to this question is absolutely yes…

Despite the lack of general climbing improvement in Revelations, there is an all new climbing device called the “hook blade”. Not only does the hook blade offer new combat, escape and zip line traveling for Ezio, but it also gives the ability to traverse larger areas during upward climbing. Anyone who’s played Assassin’s Creed 2 knows how frustrating it can be when you see a ledge just outside your reach when climbing upward. The hook blade in Revelations, however, makes these ledges easy to reach; giving Ezio the ability to climb just a little bit better, despite the fact that the mechanics still feel clunky. Although the hook blade is a refreshing new device to Ezio’s arsenal, I can’t help but view the evolution of climbing mechanics throughout AC titles as lackluster.

Another core element of Assassin’s Creed, remaining nearly identical over its four game saga, is the combat system, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The combat of the original game, to the untrained eye, may come across as unrefined. It was admittedly simple, but had a method to its madness. The counter and striking moves were different compared to other third person titles, but with mastery of this system came feelings of satisfaction. In that sense, Revelations combat is true to the original title but with some additions. Ezio still has the ability to use certain projectile weapons from a distance, such as throwing knives, a crossbow or a gun, but when close range fighting gets nasty, Ezio is better equipped than ever. As you progress through the game, more diverse weapons become available for purchase; with anything from small, medium to heavy weapons at your disposal, many of which have their own unique kill animations.

Following the theme of previous titles, Assassin’s Creed Revelations features a wide range of collectables and side missions to explore. Earlier games in the series gave players the option of locating hidden areas and collectables, such as flags or other items to unlock key story related messages. The hidden message in Assassin’s Creed 2, for example, was interesting in the overall scheme of the games story. Not only does Revelations feature boring and lackluster side quests, but the games main collectables (called Animus Data Fragments) end up leading to one of the most disappointing rewards in franchise history.

Despite the fact Desmond is locked into the Animus, players still have the ability to exit Ezio’s campaign at any time and return to a place called “Animus Island”. The Island only has two main features: a portal leading back into Ezio’s memories, and a circular stone structure at the top of the island featuring unlockable Desmond missions. But don’t get your hopes up for these missions; they’re some of the most horrible sequences in franchise history. These sequences practically change genres (for the worse) turning Revelations into a first person platforming experience, and the main problem is that it happens to be a bad one. Desmond travels through a series of extremely boring, lackluster environments while story related information is relayed by sound and occasionally projected onto a nearby wall in front of the player. These sequences were so boring that I was only able to play through one of them, and it was such a poor experience that I almost ended up quitting it out several times on my way through. So for long time series fans looking forward to some interesting Desmond sequences in addition to the main story, you can forget about it this time around.

Despite the fact the games story is good, Revelations suffers from the same problem of its three predecessors, which is mediocre story presentation. There are some interesting characters Ezio, Altair, and Desmond meet throughout their quest, but the way in which the story and character interactions are presented seems lacking. Compared to a game like Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid, with these games featuring SPECTACULAR cinematic sequences, Assassin’s Creed titles haven’t even been in the same league. This issue, combined with the fact that many story missions feature boring, tedious, and petty objectives, doesn’t help to give AC players a better overall impression of the franchise.

Switching gears back into the gameplay is an all new ability called bomb crafting. After arriving in Constantinople and meeting Yusuf for the first time, Ezio is introduced to this process. This new mechanic is worth a whole paragraph due to its emphasis in the main campaign. I only took the tutorial once and didn’t use any bombs for the rest of the game, partially because the process was overly complicated. Ultimately, it came across as an unnecessary gameplay mechanic with too much depth, whereas developers could have simply added these specialized weapons as pickup (or purchasable) items to make it a more straight forward process. What the developers did, instead, was give players the option of crafting dozens of bomb combinations used for anything from killing a foe, to distracting enemies.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for a video game with a great ending, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations has exactly that. Technically the third game in the series starring Ezio, Revelations isn’t exactly the cream of the crop. But the ending to Ezio’s legacy is both surreal and spectacular when he discovers the true nature of Altair’s library. Assassin’s Creed 2 featured Ezio as a young man, and featured some of the best character development I’ve seen in modern gaming. Since that time, the same level of character development has not been matched in the franchise, but the genuine wisdom of Ezio Auditore throughout the story of Revelations, and especially at the end of the game, really does give him that final exclamation point on how great of a character he was. Whereas many people may snicker, laugh or unwisely fiddle with the power of ancient artifacts vaguely talked about in legends, Ezio comes across as having the innate wisdom of an Indiana Jones like character, realizing that warning signs described in these legends may hold merit. At the end of Ezio’s long journey, Desmond is finally able to exit the Animus for a final scene. This ending sequence isn’t bad, but it comes across as a ‘to be continued in Assassin’s Creed 3’ message more than anything else.

With Revelations being the second console AC title featuring online multiplayer, any review wouldn’t be complete without a discussion on its player to player competition. The theme of the multiplayer features players working as a Templar agent inside of the animus. Building directly off of Brotherhood, Revelations features new characters, maps, gameplay modes, perks, and abilities; all of which become unlockable as players progress through the leveling system. Simply due to better weaponry and perks being unlockable at higher levels means that new players are forced to jump into the games competition and learn the hard way, in many cases not having a clue what’s going on. In that sense, the action can come across as chaotic at first, and favoring the higher ranked player.

Few multiplayer titles offer a more unique experience than Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Throughout each gameplay mode, players are forced to rely on social stealth, as opposed to using physical methods. Unlike its stealth action rivals, Revelations doesn’t only feature you and your opposing team on the map, since players operate on a battlefield with scores of innocent bystanders; each of these bystanders based on character models you (and your opponent) may have chosen. Obviously the game is modeled this way to force players to hunt their opponents more carefully. But watch out! Because many game modes feature players as both the hunter and the hunted at the same time.

There’s plenty of potential for Assassin’s Creed online competitive play. That said: the multiplayer component is an interesting change of pace from modern shoot em’ up titles. Some of the nuances of multiplayer include the ability to customize your character and appearance. My only gripe with this feature is that many of these customization options aren’t available until you progress far into the ranking system. Simple let downs like this, in combination with the fact that competitive multiplayer is Templar specific, really makes me wish I could select some of the main campaigns heroes.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations certainly has its weak points, and I wouldn’t label it as the best in the four-game series, but like many other great titles, the pros far outweigh the cons. The solid campaign, excellent voice acting, and unique multiplayer dovetail together to create another memorable and successful Assassin’s Creed title in an excellent and long running saga.

Overall Rating

8.5/10