The current popularity of the Assassin’s Creed franchise stands as one of the biggest success stories of this current console generation; what originally began as a conceptually promising but critically panned title soon rose to both quality and popularity with its subsequent sequels and spin-offs. If Street Fighter II can be considered the first “real” game in Capcom’s series, then so too is Assassin’s Creed II deemed with equal relevance.
Now, though, there is a growing concern as to whether Ubisoft can keep the quality consistent; like any other major franchise this generation, AC is subjected to annual releases that run the risk of milking the proverbial cow dry. With Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, the third yearly release promises to close the book on Ezio Auditore, while also re-introducing original hero Altair as part of an Inception-level “memory within a memory” mechanic, as principal character Desmond is stuck in Animus limbo after the shocking events of Brotherhood.
But the bulk of screen-time, once again, belongs to Ezio, who is now in the twilight years of his life… “Old Ezio” would have been an appropriate nickname. Revelations follows the aged assassin to Constantinople in the 1500s, a melting pot of cultures that has fallen into political corruption, courtesy of the Templars. By joining forces with the younger breed of Assassins stationed there, Ezio must utilise the tools and tricks of the new generation in order to obtain five keys housing a mystical artefact that could turn the tide on the war between the Assassins and Templars.
Though grey of beard and brittle of bone, Ezio’s senior status is only relevant from an aesthetic standpoint; the actual game treats his appearance like a character skin, as Ezio can still dispatch legions of enemies, scale the tallest towers, and wield an arsenal of weapons and firearms without a single spring lost in his step. This fact goes a long way to describing Revelations from a gameplay perspective: little has changed.
As the fourth game in the series, Revelations feels more like a collection of gameplay mechanics, rather than a refinement; all of the techniques for assassination and subterfuge are all present here, from using the hidden blade to silently stab foes from behind, poison darts to cause a violent distraction, recruiting various factions to do your dirty work, and a number of conveniently-placed hiding spots in the form of haystacks, benches, or groups of people (apparently, standing next to at least three other persons makes you instantly invisible to your pursuers… as video game logic goes, it’s only partially absurd). The highly popular Assassin-recruiting system from Brotherhood also returns in full, and it is still every bit as satisfying to summon a group of henchmen with a single bird call.
In fact, all of the core mechanics are just as solid as they were in previous games, but as far as new additions go, it’s a mixed bag all-around; the most significant upgrade in Ezio’s arsenal is the hook blade, a modified version of his hidden blade that allows him to scale buildings quicker, make longer jumps, and redirect his landings when swinging across chasms. The special blade also includes a new escape manoeuvre that allows Ezio to leap over (or toss aside) enemies, but this technique isn’t nearly as useful (and almost never required).
Another addition to Ezio’s arsenal is the ability to craft bombs; using materials collected in chests or sold by black market merchants, players can create different types of bombs used to take out enemy guards or distract them in various ways. You’ve got your standard bombs that can incapacitate enemies with explosive powder or shrapnel, diversionary bombs that emit a loud noise or shoot fireworks, or tactical bombs that can poison a whole group at once or release fake gold to attract greedy townspeople, just to name a few. On its own, the bomb crafting mechanic is highly customisable (with players able to determine whether the bomb explodes on impact or on a three second timer, for example) and adds further entropy to the game, but ultimately serves little purpose beyond giving Ezio more items while already possessing three games’ worth of tools. If anything, the bombs make the game even easier, as the crafting materials are generously provided at all times, and none of the enemies have been given any upgrades to combat the decked-out Assassins.
About the only advantage the Templars have is in their numbers, as a new system for den dominance requires players to keep constant tabs on their controlled outposts; occasionally, the enemy will try to take back their stolen dens, which result in a new Tower Defence-style mini-game where Ezio must strategically place different types of Assassins (such as crossbowmen, riflemen, air Assassins, etc) around the surrounding rooftops while fending off waves of attackers before they overtake the HQ. Each Assassin, along with additional barricades and cannon strikes, cost morale points that are accumulated throughout the battle. Like the bombs, this mini-game is an unnecessary addition that neither strengthens nor weakens the core game, and can also be largely ignored for players who prefer to just take back the den by killing the Templar Captain patrolling it (another carry-over from Brotherhood).
If you haven’t yet grown tired of AC’s core mechanics, these minuscule enhancements shouldn’t disappoint too much, as the series maintains the same level of gameplay polish that began with ACII and peaked at Brotherhood, with the usual amount of collectibles, quests, and challenges to keep you busy well after the main story has wrapped up.
Unfortunately, the story may just be the biggest bummer in Revelations, as the events occurring in this detour to ACIII doesn’t quite live up to the title. There are some trademark Ezio moments, particularly in his interactions with Yusuf (the leader of the Assassin guild in Constantinople, and a decent foil that respects Ezio’s distinguished career while also berating him for not keeping up with the new generation) and Sofia (a beautiful bookworm who offers to help Ezio locate the Masyaf keys and becomes a potential love interest despite the apparent age difference between the two), but ultimately much of the story involves him being the go-to guy to fulfil different requests to either fetch a certain item or kill a certain person (though on the bright side, the quests are as entertaining as usual, particularly the underground hunts for the keys). Altair’s playable flashbacks are also brief in length and even more fleeting in relevance, while Desmond is practically twiddling his thumbs while partaking in dull Portal-like first-person puzzles, lacking the witty banter and interaction of his fellow team-mates, who are relegated to off-screen snippets of conversation (who would have imagined how much one would miss the snooty Brit and hipster hacker?).
The multiplayer component, which proved a surprising success in Brotherhood, returns with its own new enhancements, most of which are greatly appreciated but will do little to sway anyone who didn’t like the first attempt. Chief among these improvements is a new training mode, where players can practice the different modes with AI bots at their leisure, while a new “honourable death” mechanic gives marked players a chance to obtain some pity points after unsuccessfully fighting off their attacker. Other small changes include being able to hear an approaching pursuer’s heartbeat (better turn that music down), along with the ability of tossing ranged weapons like smoke bombs. Overall, the core game remains unchanged, and requires the same amount of skill and patience to blend in with the AI crowds in order to fool your target and/or pursuer. Even should you perform a successful take-down, get used to having your pursuer immediately stab you in the back, followed by their eventual undoing, resulting in a virtual pile-up of bodies in the streets.
Ultimately, the leap from Brotherhood to Revelations is not nearly as significant as the jump from the original Assassin’s Creed to the sequel, much less the jump from ACII to Brotherhood. However, if you’re hankering for one more go-around with Ezio, and don’t mind that the core gameplay is showing its age at this point (particularly with the screen-tearing, AI glitches, and of course, the elderly protagonist himself), Revelations delivers the best that the AC series has to offer… but only marginally so.
