Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Review)

Assassin's Creed. A series which, despite only being five years old, has now managed to rack up a significant number of instalments to one of Ubisoft's forefront franchises. Revelations is the fourth entry to the Assassin's Creed story- but has the quality which was raised so high in the second game (also recognisably retained and refined in the third title, Brotherhood) been preserved, improved, or even dwindled this time around? Well let's take a look.

Revelations is the concluding part to what Ubisoft have coined the Ezio trilogy. Assassin's Creed follows Desmond, a modern-day assassin who uses a contraption called the Animus to relive his ancestor's memories. What this means is that the main sections of the games consist of the tales of assassins of his bloodline. Naturally, the events tie into the present day, as Desmond seeks to stop the imposing threat of the end of the world. In the past, his ancestors fought the Templars for knowledge and possession of the Apple of Eden, a powerful artefact with unprecedented power. Desmond is doing exactly the same in the present, attempting to stop Abstergo, an evil corporation who are in fact modern Templars, from obtaining the Apple of Eden. The problem is though, Desmond is stuck inside his head. Quite literally. Due to over-use of the Animus, his mind isn't able to distinct between his own memories and his ancestors', and so he is trapped inside a place inside his head known as Animus Island. Here he meets Subject 16- previous user of the Animus, who tells him that in order to piece together his splintered mind he must finish off his ancestor's memories until a significant moment, in which he'll be able to distinct between individual memories and return to consciousness.

One of the ancestors whose tale that must be concluded is Ezio Auditore da Firenze, aforementioned ancestor and the Italian assassin we've all come to know and love since his introduction in the second game, finds himself travelling to Constantinople. Why? Well having travelled to Maysaf (once the home of many assassins hundreds of years ago- including Altair, the first ancestor and protagonist of the first title), he discovers that the Templars are safe-guarding a castle which deep down holds Altair's library, which appears to contain a precious artefact which could end the Assassin-Templar war forever. However, as you'd expect, there's a catch; the library is sealed shut, and in order to open the door, Ezio must have five keys. Where are these keys? Constantinople, it seems.

Revelations takes place in a later stage in Ezio's
life.

Story is a driving force in the Assassin's Creed series, and Revelations hits the mark spot on. Despite the first half of the game being slightly slow gameplay wise, sheer curiosity of the unfolding events is enough to push you through playing the game. In-game Constantinople contains numerous historical figures from the location's history, with the tale of its leadership intertwining with the Assassin-Templar feud. Speaking of Constantinople, this may just be the best environment the series has ever been taken to. It may be perhaps one of the most least known locations out of all of the games, but its beautiful sun-washed rooftops act as the perfect location for Ezio's final tale. Utilising normal day/night mechanics, there's never been such a stunning sight as watching the sun set as you zip around the city executing your kills and various missions.

Gameplay-wise, not a whole lot has changed. You've got your normal free-running and combat mechanics which are the series' staples, which appear to have been copied straight over from Brotherhood. One small change to traversing the landscapes is the introduction of a small tool called the Hookblade, which is very similar to the normal Hidden Blade contraption. What it allows you to do is extend Ezio's reach slightly when scaling walls, and also use a network of rails by attaching the hook to the rope, which speeds up navigation, probably vital considering Ezio's in his 50s now (although he does still somehow manages to retain the incredible agility he's had since his youth). This can also be used as a normal blade and to flip over enemies whilst running. It's not exactly an impactful addition and doesn't exactly make or break gameplay, but it's still a fun little perk.

Combat is pretty easy for long-time fans. Counter-attacking
will see you through most scraps.

The problem is though, for those who've played Assassin's Creed since the beginning, there is a heavy chance that up until the final third of the game, things will feel repetitive. This isn't exactly because of the missions you undertake, but because of the fact that these are gameplay mechanics we've been used to since the evolutions made in the second game. Brotherhood introduced the ability to train and call on other assassins, which stirred things up a little- but Revelations doesn't have anything to really spice up the mix. Whilst the quote "don't fix something that isn't broken" stands- the gameplay isn't exactly broken, and it's far from bad- there was a real nagging feeling throughout the majority of the game that made me question exactly while I was still playing the same old game, just slightly reskinned.

And then it hit me. Ubisoft's writers, the real talent behind the series, had done it again. It's the story, the tale behind this series, that really keeps you going. Even if missions in the first few hours of play are a tad too slow, you'll be driven on by the excellent quality of the story, which really does keep you dying for more. Finding out what happens to Ezio is really a massive selling point for long-time fans of the Assassin's Creed series, and Revelations is as fantastic a sendoff as you could wish for. Another fantastic decision made by the writers was to proceed with Altair's story, the original protagonist of the first game who's starring role has long since ended. The clever part is that every time Ezio obtains one of the five Maysaf keys, each one acts as an almost ancient Animus, allowing the Italian to relive Altair's main memories as if they were his own. This means that the player finds out what happens to both of the series' main characters and one title, with rather impressive events following. By the end of the game, I was really quite sad that we'd had our last chance at playing these two characters, because Revelations really does build up a connection with them, even more than the last instalments did. Another plus of the unfolding, intense storyline is that the last few set pieces (which include destroying a lighthouse-like tower and setting fire to the surrounding port, and creating havoc in an underground city inhabited purely by Templars) are absolutely fantastic, and make persevering through the game's dull first half well worth it. Even better still is that Revelations advances the story even further. A few questions are answered. A few more are asked. And as the second and third games did, Ubisoft leave you with a bizarre and exciting ending which really does keep you on the edge of your seat, begging for more. Assassin's Creed 3 here we come.

The destruction of Constantinople's port is fantastic.
Anarchy for the win!

Assassin's Creed: Revelations doesn't do anything new, and it's not really a suitable starting point for new players to the series either, but what it is is a impressive continuation of the series which pushes the story forward and sets the narrative up perfectly for the recently announced third instalment. Ubisoft should have perhaps spent a little more time thinking about new concepts, rather than rushing it out to meet the busy fourth-quarter release window, but it's still worth a play for fans of the series. Add in the a return of the multiplayer mode, one with improved servers, game-types, customisation and a chance to expand the narrative in the vein of the enemy  faction Abstergo, and there's plenty of enjoyment still to be squeezed out of Revelations.

7/10