Assassin's Creed: Revelations
As this generation closes we’re seeing the closing chapters of some of this generations best new characters. Already we have seen the Gears of War Delta squad story come to a close, and now we say goodbye to our favourite Italian assassin Ezio Auditore.
Ezio’s final chapter sees him move away from Italy, instead dealing with the corruption underlying Istanbul. Ezio is looking for five keys that will open Althair’s Final Vault in Masyaf, the birthplace of the assassins and home of Althair. Revelations closes both their stories and leaves the series open for a new character to come in.
Expect Assassin’s creed 3 to appear on the next generation, featuring a new character for Desmond to sync with.
Revelations starts immediately where Brotherhood left off (but seemingly ignoring the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC). Fans of the series will be pleased to know the game starts of with a bang. I’m not going to spoil it; I’m just going to say Desmond is starting to lose his mind, to the point where he is actually trapped in the Animus.
If the first game was Althair’s story, the second Ezio’s and Brotherhood about the creed itself, Revelations is definitely Desmond’s story. Yes you play as Ezio but that whole plot seems overshadowed by what is happening to Desmond as he hopes to reclaim his mind.
This is most evident in the first person sections. Yes, assassin’s creed has a whole new Gameplay style added on to the already popular sandbox style game. By collecting Animus fragments you get to explore some of Desmond’s memories on how he was raised to be an assassin and how he ran away from it all.
These sections replace the awesome Subject 16 puzzles from the previous games and the game suffers because of it. This Gameplay style isn’t all that good although it does have some good ideas. You move around a sterile, cold environment in first person. The only tool at your disposal besides a basic jump is the ability to create different shaped platforms.
These rarely challenge and thankfully are over before they get too boring. There are some inspired moments, the way the environment replicates a river in one of them was pretty neat.
Playing an Ezio feels the same as it always has done. Very much a case of if it’s not broken don’t fix it. Very little has changed from Brotherhood. Ezio now has a hook at the end of his blade which is used in a number of inspired ways. You can now travel down zip lines for instance, and those lights that swung you around corners can now be used to perform long jump by using the hook to swing.
The biggest new addition is the bombs. While in previous game you could only use smoke bombs you now have the ability to create bombs with all sorts of effects, both lethal and non lethal. For example you can create a bomb that makes a loud noise that guards will go to investigate, or you can create a bomb that explodes into coins, making crowds gather round them.
You still take over dens to claim control over an area of the city, allowing you to buy shops and landmarks to bring in more money. However this time you need to watch your actions as if the Templars become aware of your presence they will try to take over your dens.
Commiting crimes raises your awareness meter as it always has done, but now so too does buying shops and buildings. If the Templars are alerted to your presence they may start attacking your dens. You will then have to go back a defend them and you do this through a tower defence style mini-game.
This tower defence mini game isn’t all that fun and it certainly isn’t welcome. If you fail the den the Templars reclaim it and you have to kill the captain and light the tower again. Doing so makes the Templars aware of your presence, which leads to them attacking another den, which leads to another mini game, which if you fail means you have to win back the den again.
I have been victim of this loop and it’s not fun. The den defence mini game is very easy to fail and since you can no longer rip down posters, it can take sometime to remove your awareness (You have to rely on bribing heralds and occasionally killing stewards who randomly appear).
The only new feature I liked was the expansion of the brotherhood missions. Now called Mediterranean Defence you send your apprentices to various cities completing missions for Experience and Money. Level your apprentices up and they become more effective when you need them.
What’s new however is that it is more than just missions. Each of the cities has a percentage of control. Completing missions increases assassin control away from Templar control. Failure to keep your control percentage high and the Templars can win back assassin controlled cities.
What I mean is that before when you had a fully training brotherhood you didn’t need to do anything. That element of the game was pointless. Now though if you want to keep control of your cities and the bonus’ they bring you have to defend captured cities using your assassins.
Revelations plays a lot like Brotherhood but with more bad changes than good. For a series that has always pushed forward this is a step back. Like Ezio the series is getting old and all too familiar. Still anyone that has followed the story has to play this, especially the opening which promises so much for the game, but ultimately fails to deliver.
The story this time isn’t all that interesting but it is a fitting conclusion for Ezio and Althair, and a reawakening for Desmond. It is a decent enough game just not one to go mad over.
7/10
Ezio’s final chapter sees him move away from Italy, instead dealing with the corruption underlying Istanbul. Ezio is looking for five keys that will open Althair’s Final Vault in Masyaf, the birthplace of the assassins and home of Althair. Revelations closes both their stories and leaves the series open for a new character to come in.
Expect Assassin’s creed 3 to appear on the next generation, featuring a new character for Desmond to sync with.
Revelations starts immediately where Brotherhood left off (but seemingly ignoring the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC). Fans of the series will be pleased to know the game starts of with a bang. I’m not going to spoil it; I’m just going to say Desmond is starting to lose his mind, to the point where he is actually trapped in the Animus.
If the first game was Althair’s story, the second Ezio’s and Brotherhood about the creed itself, Revelations is definitely Desmond’s story. Yes you play as Ezio but that whole plot seems overshadowed by what is happening to Desmond as he hopes to reclaim his mind.
This is most evident in the first person sections. Yes, assassin’s creed has a whole new Gameplay style added on to the already popular sandbox style game. By collecting Animus fragments you get to explore some of Desmond’s memories on how he was raised to be an assassin and how he ran away from it all.
These sections replace the awesome Subject 16 puzzles from the previous games and the game suffers because of it. This Gameplay style isn’t all that good although it does have some good ideas. You move around a sterile, cold environment in first person. The only tool at your disposal besides a basic jump is the ability to create different shaped platforms.
These rarely challenge and thankfully are over before they get too boring. There are some inspired moments, the way the environment replicates a river in one of them was pretty neat.
Playing an Ezio feels the same as it always has done. Very much a case of if it’s not broken don’t fix it. Very little has changed from Brotherhood. Ezio now has a hook at the end of his blade which is used in a number of inspired ways. You can now travel down zip lines for instance, and those lights that swung you around corners can now be used to perform long jump by using the hook to swing.
The biggest new addition is the bombs. While in previous game you could only use smoke bombs you now have the ability to create bombs with all sorts of effects, both lethal and non lethal. For example you can create a bomb that makes a loud noise that guards will go to investigate, or you can create a bomb that explodes into coins, making crowds gather round them.
You still take over dens to claim control over an area of the city, allowing you to buy shops and landmarks to bring in more money. However this time you need to watch your actions as if the Templars become aware of your presence they will try to take over your dens.
Commiting crimes raises your awareness meter as it always has done, but now so too does buying shops and buildings. If the Templars are alerted to your presence they may start attacking your dens. You will then have to go back a defend them and you do this through a tower defence style mini-game.
This tower defence mini game isn’t all that fun and it certainly isn’t welcome. If you fail the den the Templars reclaim it and you have to kill the captain and light the tower again. Doing so makes the Templars aware of your presence, which leads to them attacking another den, which leads to another mini game, which if you fail means you have to win back the den again.
I have been victim of this loop and it’s not fun. The den defence mini game is very easy to fail and since you can no longer rip down posters, it can take sometime to remove your awareness (You have to rely on bribing heralds and occasionally killing stewards who randomly appear).
The only new feature I liked was the expansion of the brotherhood missions. Now called Mediterranean Defence you send your apprentices to various cities completing missions for Experience and Money. Level your apprentices up and they become more effective when you need them.
What’s new however is that it is more than just missions. Each of the cities has a percentage of control. Completing missions increases assassin control away from Templar control. Failure to keep your control percentage high and the Templars can win back assassin controlled cities.
What I mean is that before when you had a fully training brotherhood you didn’t need to do anything. That element of the game was pointless. Now though if you want to keep control of your cities and the bonus’ they bring you have to defend captured cities using your assassins.
Revelations plays a lot like Brotherhood but with more bad changes than good. For a series that has always pushed forward this is a step back. Like Ezio the series is getting old and all too familiar. Still anyone that has followed the story has to play this, especially the opening which promises so much for the game, but ultimately fails to deliver.
The story this time isn’t all that interesting but it is a fitting conclusion for Ezio and Althair, and a reawakening for Desmond. It is a decent enough game just not one to go mad over.
7/10
posted by Master hunter at 1:32 pm
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