Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Review

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre: Action, Adventure

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Platform: PS3, PC, Xbox 360

Another year, Another Assassin’s Creed title

If I weren’t aware of their products clever release dates, I’d be worried about the yearly occurrence. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is out there and waiting for you to pick it up. It claims to reveal some deep dark secrets of the franchise as well as end the story of our previous protagonist, both Ezio Auditore de Firenze and Altair Ibn-La Ahad.

With as much as hype as it has gotten since its own reveal at E3, it has to either go big or go home. So which happened exactly?

Firstly, I would like to say Ezio, being as old as he is now, adds a good feel to the finality of his story. Being on this journey that will end this life long quest makes his trials and struggles that much more emotional. Over AC2 and AC:B, we’ve all grown a bit attached to Ezio and we’ve grow with him.

Now that we’ve gotten that mushy bit out of the way; I don’t know what it is but, Ezio just gets better with age. Just because he may have gotten a bit “grayer” since our last meeting, he is still the wise cracking and charming Italian that met some time ago.

Now, away from our lovely Italian home, in the bustling and beautiful Constantinople, we learn of a new struggle while finding new ways to kill a man as secretively as possible. The introduction of the Hook Blade and Bomb making has made this even more fun than it should be.

The Hook blade, not only offers a new variety of ways to cut a man’s throat; but, it also aids in transportation.

Constantinople is a big place and what is an Assassin to do when I need to get to the bomb shop in a rush. This is where a series of zip-lines through the city come in. Nearly jumping near one will let you quickly zip over an array of buildings and possible kicking some guard in the face during the process.

The blade also makes scaling towers much easier with the ability to jump a few feet ahead and pull yourself up.

Bomb making is when things get fun and a little bit sadistic. You have three types of bombs you can make: Lethal, Tactical, and Diversion. Each type gives you different ingredients to work with. For all, however, are a few standard items. There are various shells that allow immediate explosion, a three second delay, or even a type that sticks to surfaces. What makes it fun though is when it comes to what is inside the bomb.

Throughout the game you can mix and match between gunpowder types that vary the range of the blast and actual contents that change the effects. We have our standard explosion, which despite my love from explosions seems boring in this game. From there, just to name a few, we have a poisonous bomb, slowly killing anyone in the vicinity when it explodes. As well as a stink bomb that repulses and draws attention to where it is dropped.

Obviously, bomb making and testing will take up a bit of your time during the game.

As far as battle improvements, the weapons menu has been split up into two separate wheels. At first sight it can be a bit confusing but, it proves to help figure things out quicker as you progress.

The recruitment and training of Assassins has also changed but, I can’t decide for the better or worse yet. The means to recruiting are still the same.

Templar tower takeover = civilians in need + positive reinforcement for joining a cult = new assassin to exploit

Their part in Tower Attacks however is a bit confusing.

As you reclaim the city from the Templars, they will occasionally attempt to take back a tower once belonging to them. This activates a sort of Tower Defense mini-game. The goal: Attack from the rooftops with your fellow assassin and make sure the Templars don’t penetrate the fortress and take it back.

The first time we go into one of these modes, it’s pretty fun. Simply defending your hideout is relatively easy and entertaining. As the game progress though, this mode becomes intensely annoying. In turn, it becomes hard because of how annoying it is.

Losing one of these attacks results in the area belonging to the Templars once again. Getting it back would mean finding the Den Captain, killing him, and setting fire to the tower. In all honesty, I would lose the attack only to opt-out for that far more entertaining option.

The multiplayer is also back again.

Everything with the multiplayer has been cleaned up and simplified. The big and confusing menu for setting up your character and your match is gone and all is prepared in the pre-game menu. Of course, with the slow match finding time, this can be more than enough time to set up your character, assign perks, and personalize your assassin.

The multiplayer, which lacked the ability to choose the type of match you wish to join, has made improvements here. It’s still impossible to choose the type of match to play from the start but, after finishing one, you will be given three choices of which type to play next.

Aside from the basic previous types (Manhunt, Assassinate, Wanted, etc.) a few new matches were added as well.

For the most part, the multiplayer is the same as before with simple improvements here and there. Score comparisons with friends and more detailed ways to edit our assassin are added. Aside from that, there is nothing to make it notably different from before.

Now for that thing that everyone is concerned about: the story.

Oh how it makes me head hurt.

If you’ve watched any of the Revelation’s trailers or played Brotherhood, you can gather what the story this time is. Due to previous, extremely traumatizing, events at the end of Brotherhood, Desmond is in a coma. Ezio is making one last journey to find answers and Altair is just along from the ride.

To keep Desmond alive, he had to be put in the Animus. Inside though, it’s not what it usually looks like.

You know how you are computer goes into safe mode and everything is all mess-up and crazy looking? Imagine being in your computer while it’s in safe mode.

Desmond is in a place called Animus Island where he meets a guy once using the Animus. He is told that his brain is trying to figure Desmond, Ezio, and Altair from another and he must separate them to get to reality. The thing keeping him from doing that is an ancestor still has something to show him.

While going through Ezio’s story, you can find Animus Data Fragments. On the island, these fragments open portals that Desmond can go through while revealing some of his past.

Aside from some pretty heavy stuff he vents out to you, it’s completely pointless. It gives you a deeper look into his character’s past but, otherwise; it serves no real purpose.

As far as story goes, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. I loved the series and the way this game was done but; when it comes down to it, Revelations may not have been the best term to describe the game.

The word revelation is to now know something that was before unknown. When I play Assassin’s Creed: Revelations though, I feel a sense of clarity of an already known. I don’t feel as though something has been revealed to me.

Of course, we learn exactly what happened to Altiar, how Ezio’s story comes to an end, and how Desmond got to this point in his life, but; not what is coming in the future. Like every game previous in the series, it leaves us with more questions than answers.

Before this point, it was a cleverly placed cliffhanger, ensuring the purchase of the next game. Now, however, it’s stuck between suspense and monotony.

As a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, I went into this game expecting one of the greatest titles that I would play this year. For a good portion, it was indeed that and more. Over time, however, I felt like it was just beating around a giant bush of ambiguity.

Assassin’s Creed is known for its immersive stories and beautiful architecture –on the inside and outside of the game- but, the immersion of never really knowing what’s going on is getting old. This far into the series, I want at least a little resolution.

Overall, I give the game an 3.5 of out 5. It is a great game with enjoyable features and a good story. As a person looking for an actual revelation though, I expected more.

Get this game if:

• You want to confirm your ideas about the plot
• You love the Assassin’s Creed series
• If the story lost you a couple of games back and you don’t concern yourself too much with it

Don’t get this game if:

• You’re hoping for a big reveal
• You don’t want to break something upon completion
• You aren’t fond of open-world games