Retrospective: Assassin’s Creed Revelations

assasins creed revelations
End of the Road for Ezio and Altair

It’s almost that time of year again. Later this month Ubisoft will release the next chapter in what must be the most intelligent video game series ever made, Assassin’s Creed III.  And this year we are in for a special treat; having concluded Ezio’s story it is time for a new protagonist and a new historic era. The first chronologically numbered Assassin’s Creed game in three years, Assassin’s Creed III, has us witness the violent birth of the United States of America thought the eyes of our conflicted half-English, half-Mohawk hero, Conner Kenway.

I’ve already spent some time on Assassin’s Creed III and it’s PlayStation Vita counterpart, Assassin’s Creed Liberation. I had a lot of fun with both games at the recent press event in Sydney, which you can read about in more detail on Game Console and Shane the Gamer. My preview of Assassin’s Creed III reminded me that I still needed to finish of some elements of the last game. Even though I reviewed Assassin’s Creed Revelations for Techday.com, the pressures of deadlines and a little too much time spent with the multiplayer mode, meant that I had little time to savor the game. A game like Revelations, which offers so much for players to do, needs to be savored in order to be truly appreciated.

assassins-creed-revelations-constantinople-artwork-small
Assassin’s Creed Revelations concept art

Time constraints meant I had to write the review as I played. On rereading my Assassin’s Creed Revelations review – which is reproduced, unedited, below – it does come across a bit light on details. With more time I’d have like to have noted that Assassin’s Creed Revelations is more than just the conclusion of Ezio’s story (actually Ezio’s story really concludes in the animated Assassin’s Creed Embers), it is also the bookend to the tale of Altaïr from the first game, as well.

 

My recent Assassin’s Creed Revelations playthrough has also afforded me the opportunity to experience Ezio’s adventures in stereoscopic 3D. I’ve been replaying a few games in 3D recently, with Revelation being one of the best implementations of the technology so far (even if it does you the faux-3D TriOviz method). Ezio’s rooftop antics, tower climbing and leaps of faith are perfect fodder for 3DTV owners. Viewing the world of Assassin’s Creeed in 3D also brings out some beautiful details, like the bumpy cobbled surface of the streets, that I’d have otherwise overlooked. I am told that Assassin’s Creed III won’t have stereoscopic support, which is a shame.

assassins_creed_revelations_constantinople
Constantinople concept art

Taking my time to experience Assassin’s Creed Revelations properly and in stereoscopic 3D enabled me to fully appreciate the games rich story. It also enabled me to watch the Assassin’s Creed Embers animation and thumb through the Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia, that I got with my Animus Edition of  the game, without spoiling things.  You can also check out my Assassin’s Creed Revelations Animus Edition Unboxing here.

Revelations effectively closes a huge chapter in the Assassin’s Creed story. This is a massively important point that I never even touched on in my original review. With Ezio and Altair’s part in the story over, Ubisoft were free to shift the game in a new direction; which seems to be exactly what they are doing with Assassin’s Creed III.

My original Assassin’s Creed Revelations review from 2011 is provided below, warts and all. My subsequent playthrough revealed hidden depths that I completely missed the first time around. Revelations is a mini-masterpiece when viewed in isolation, but it is only part of the grand opus that is the Assassin’s Creed series. If you’ve not played the game, I suggest you rush out a get in now, you’ve only got just over a week until Assassin’s Creed III.

Now on to the review. Enjoy.

 

Assassin’s Creed Revelations brings to close the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Over the last two years, and though three games, we have followed the Italian nobleman from adolescent playboy to master assassin.

Ezios adventures have taken him from his hometown of Florence to Venice and on to Rome itself.  This closing chapter sees Ezio, now middle-aged, journey to the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople.

zipline
Zipping about!

The Assassin’s Creed series is really in a class of its own when compared to its peers. Whilst the game is for the most part played in a rich, well researched historic setting, at its heart it is a work of science-fiction. The idea is that we all hold within or DNA the genetic memories of our forbearers. Modern-day bartender, Desmond Miles is the descendant of a line of Assassins going all the way back to Altaïr ibn-La’Ahad, an assassin who lived in the Holy Land during the time of the Crusades.

The assassins were sworn to protect civilization from the Knights Templar, who (and this is where historic fact gives way to fantasy) wish to use ancient high technology to shape the course of human civilization to serve there aims. This shadow war between the Templars and assassins had been ongoing for centuries when the Templar owned corporation, Abstergo Industries, kidnaps Desmond Miles and connects him to a device called the animus which lets him live out the memories of his ancestors.

assassins-creed-revelations-screenshots-41
Altair’s back!

I’d be lying if I told you that the plot of Assassin’s Creed was a simple affair; it’s one of the most complex tales ever told via the medium of video games. That being said, thanks to the geniuses at Ubisoft, the player can take from the games, what he or she wishes. This means, even though Assassin’s Creed Revelations is the fourth game in the series, player can still jump in and play. If you want to delve into the esoteric lore of the game you can, but if you just want to run across the rooftops of a gorgeously modeled medieval city and do the missions without worrying about all the history and details, you can do that as well.

Whilst the game picks up Desmond’s story straight after the events at the end of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, the historic setting of Ezio’s story moves forward ten years from Rome to Constantinople in the year 1511. This allows new players to jump straight into a new chapter in Ezio’s life whilst veterans of the series continue the adventure.

The Assassin’s Creed series’ gameplay is mixture of stealth, exhilarating rooftop free-running and street-level combat (that sometime starts and ends on the rooftops). All this is set within some of the most detailed and richly populated cities ever seen in videogames. Later games in the series introduced more puzzle-based platform elements. All this gameplay goodness returns for Assassin’s Creed Revelations.

assassins-creed-revelations-screenshot
I see ships!

I found the he opportunity to visit 16th Century Constantinople very welcome: a return to the more exotic Middle-Eastern flavour of the first game, rather that the Italian setting of the last two. Ubisoft have once again allowed us to dip our toe into a gloriously realised videogame-come-pseudohistory lesson. Whilst the game plays fast and loose with historical facts in order to create an interesting narrative, the rich feel of the locale and all that is going on still comes across as rather authentic.

The game’s graphics have been further polished up this outing, making me wonder where Ubisoft find all this extra graphics processing power each year. Metal armor shines so realistically it almost hurts your eyes when the sun catches it. Cloth is also beautifully rendered, which is a good thing as it allows us to fully appreciate the exotic fabrics of the era in all their splendor. Environmental effects have also been jazzed up with misty streets and smoking incense burners.

Assassins-Creed-revelations-ACR
A long way down

Ezio has been provided with some new toys to help him get about Constantinople. Parachutes, awarded to players later on in the previous game, are this time available right from the start of the game.  Whilst the parachutes allow Ezio to get around faster, it is his new hook-blade that really speeds things up. The hook-blade not only enables Ezio to climb more efficiently, but he can also use it to slid along conveniently located cables between rooftops. These new items go some way towards making up for the absence of horses in the game, which made getting about Rome so quick in the last installment.

From memory, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood shared the same menu and control system as its predecessor. It does seem strange that Revelations, the last game in this chapter of the franchise, departs from the established template. It’s not what I’m used to and seems to be change for the sake of change. Again, whilst Brotherhood streamlined the combat, allowing for more satisfying and dynamic clashes, the combat in Revelations has been further tweaked this in such a manner that I’d suggest actually over-simplifies things.

AssassinsCreedRevelations_1
Assassination!

The Assassin’s Creed multiplayer mode introduced in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood returns once more. Again, the multiplayer mode isn’t simply shoehorned into the game; it is actually integrated into the wider Assassin’s Creed mythos. You are an elite agent of Abstergo sent into the animus with other agents. The more you play online and level up, the more of Abstergo’s story gets revealed.

The multiplayer game is an acquired taste, especially if you are more used to the run and gun antics of first person shooter multiplayer games. The various different game types really boil down to simple cat and mouse affairs .Players take on the role of assassin or target, and sometimes both. Deaths occur suddenly, as assassins careful stalk their prey, making for some nail-biting gameplay. It is about as far removed from the normal point and shoot antics of the Call of Duty fraternity as you can get. Thankfully, Ubisoft have included several training areas and tutorials to ease in new players.

All in all Assassin’s Creed Revelations offers more of the rich gameplay that we expect from Ubisoft.  The only disappointment is that in some places it doesn’t seem to hold up as well as its predecessors. Minor tweaks, no doubt implemented with honorable intentions actually detract from the experience players enjoyed in previous installments. But it may be that Ubisoft are just a victim of their own success; they have raised the bar so high with their previous efforts that my expectations are unlikely to have ever been accommodated. After four games, it is almost unreasonable to expect such a fresh experience as that previously delivered.

AssassinsCreed_Revelations_Concept_Art
Animus Island!

My criticisms aside, Assassin’s Creed Revelations is still a far more superior game than most. If I wanted to excuse Ubisoft for the gameplay alterations, perhaps the need for a change of pace is justified by this game being the third act of a three part narrative structure; things calming down, loosing intensity, as the story draws to a close and reaches its resolution.

For fan of the series buying Assassin’s Creed Revelations is a no brainer. Whilst the game is a standalone episode in Ezio/Desmond’s adventures, and new players will still have a great time, I think it probably best to start with the (now bargain priced) earlier installments, before moving on to this final chapter in Ezio’s career.

Graphics: 9.5

Gameplay: 8.5

Sound: 9.0

Lasting appeal: 8.0

Overall: 8.5

An edited version of this review originally appeared on the Game Console pages of techday.com.