Review: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – the end of Ezio’s journey

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is the latest entry in the popular series released by Ubisoft, which is a continuation of the overarching story of the secret war between the Assassins and Templars. Revelations will intertwine the stories of Desmond Miles, Altair La-Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze in a way never seen before in the series.

Story

Revelations picks things back up right after the end of Brotherhood, which actually ended with a major cliffhanger. Without spoiling the end of the previous game, let’s just say that certain events from the previous game has left Desmond trapped within the virtual world of the Animus. While inside this matrix-like world, Desmond uncovers some hidden memories of Altair and Ezio during their final days.

This is where the majority of the game’s story will take place, as Ezio is now an old man on a journey to retrace Altair’s steps. This will take him to Constantinople during the year 1511AD, which is by far the most intriguing location created in an Assassin’s Creed game. The world feels authentic and is beautifully rendered in the improved game engine.

Ezio finds out that Altair may have sealed some ancient artifacts scattered throughout the city that could hold the key to putting an end to the age-old feud between the Templars and Assassins.

From a story perspective, this is the best out of the series as the main storyline keeps you locked in without many of the convoluted plot points that were present in Brotherhood. In most cases, when an NPC comes running towards you for your attention, it turns out to be something worthwhile and contributes to the main story.

While fans of the series have cried out for Desmond to have a larger part in the game, it looks like he will have to wait till Assassin’s Creed III to get a major part in the story. However, Desmond’s story so far has been not all that interesting when compared to Ezio’s life.

Design/Gameplay

The gameplay in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations actually remains relatively the same from the previous game, with the core mechanics based around platforming and combat focused on countering. The developers did however add in a new zip-line hook that speeds up the flow of the gameplay significantly. Climbing and moving from building to building can be done much faster, adding a much needed sense of speed to the game.

The territorial mini-game is back now in the form of dens, which is a variation of the Borgia Towers from Revelations. This time around the dens are much more varied in the way you will have to take out the mini-boss in order to gain control of the den. Once a den is under your control you will be able to upgrade buildings and even add additional zip-lines across the buildings.

A new addition to the territorial mini-game is in how it now ties in with Ezio’s notoriety system. If you become too reckless and start killing too many people, the Templars will send troops to overtake one of your controlling dens. This additional mechanic is something we have seen in other open world games such as Grand Theft Auto, which does feel a bit forced as it prevents you from playing aggressively.

Instead of openly attacking enemies you will have to use stealth in achieving your goals. On top of that, Ubisoft has implemented a new mini-tower defense game that you must play in order to win back the overthrown den. Unfortunately, den defense is quite frankly something that the developers will need to go back to the drawing board with.

With so many refinements to help make the game flow better, den defense is something that actually breaks the pace of the game. The controls are quite cumbersome and the design is poorly executed. This mini-game felt unfinished and may have been something Ubisoft has been experimenting with.

However, this fear of losing a den can be countered by implementing a master assassin to control a specific territory. This level of strategy is fantastic as it ties in nicely with the assassin’s guild.

Similarly to Revelations, the assassin’s guild can be built up with Ezio recruiting new members to be apprentices. Ezio will be sending out these apprentices to various countries across Asia and Europe. Not only will completing a mission help level up an apprentice, it will also help exert influence to Templar controlled areas across the world. This additional strategy element actually makes this mini-game quite fun as it felt like a chore at times in Brotherhood.

Also, unlike the previous game, leveling up your assassin will serve a purpose now as Ezio can send them out to various dens to help hold control from the Templars.

The weapons upgrade system is pretty much the same with very little change from Brotherhood. However, one noticeable improvement is the depth added to the bomb making feature. For example Ezio can now craft custom bombs that can unleash poison upon explosion. The customizations are fairly deep with 300 possible variations here.

One feature missing from Revelations are the puzzles from the previous games. These puzzles were often intriguing as they provided some cultural backdrop to the setting in the game. Unfortunately, these puzzles are now replaced with an odd virtual first person platforming game within the mind of Desmond. While these puzzles are optional, they do provide some insight into memories of Altair and Ezio.

The first person platforming puzzle can be played with you placing blocks or walkways so that Desmond can get from one area to the next. Similarly to den defense, this idea feels a bit half-baked. The jumping and first person gameplay mechanics feel ridged, and predetermined in the way its laid out.

The multiplayer mode is back again in Revelations with some major improvements. The assassination mode is back with some refinements, along with new variations such as capture the flag (artifact), a new deathmatch and a story driven assassination mode online.

Wrap-up

Overall, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations feels refined like aged cheese. Gameplay mechanics have been improved with additions such as the hook and advanced bomb making system. The voice acting and visuals have been also enhanced with new technology that adds realism to the character’s facial animation.

As I mentioned, the story in Revelations is top notch and is probably the best in the series so far as players will form a bond by the end of the game with Ezio and even Altair. As you near the end of the game, you will feel a little sad thinking that this will be the last time you will play as these characters.

Revelations is a great game that is hampered by a few odd design choices in the game that seemed unfinished. Looking at the improvements made with each new installment, I am confident that Ubisoft will have these new ideas, such as den defense, refined and tweaked by the next game.

PS3 owners will be treated to a free copy of the first Assassin’s Creed on the Blu-ray disc, which actually complement’s Revelations nicely as Ezio traces Altair’s footsteps.

I highly recommend that fans of the series pickup Assassin’s Creed: Revelations to experience the last chapter in Ezio’s long journey.

 

Score

4/5

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