Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Assassin's Creed: Revelations picks up exactly where the previous game, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, ended, and as the title of the game suggests, Revelations is about tying up loose ends from the previous games, and acting as a final performance for both Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

The setting for Revelations is a troubled 16th century Constantinople (Istanbul). An uncomfortable truce has been brokered between the Byzantines and the Ottomans, and our hero, a much older and wiser Ezio Auditore finds himself caught in the middle of the unfolding political drama. However, Ezio has a mission of his own, and with the centuries-old covert war between the Assassins and the Templars heating up, he is desperate to find a legendary weapon that was once wielded by Altaïr. What follows is a rich narrative, with so many plot twists, that it will curl the toes of any would-be assassin.

Even if you only have a casual interest in history, the city of Constantinople offers sights galore (and the codex offers delicious historical goodies). It's a rare glimpse at a bygone era, as the city showcases the esoteric mix of cultures and creeds that once called it home. There are imposing Byzantine fortifications around the city, with former churches (like the Hagia Sophia) showcasing their iconic domed Byzantine roofs, and sporting the additional Ottoman minarets (spires). There's even a Roman aqueduct to act as a cherry on a rich historical cake. It's amazing to think that a game would inspire me to want to visit Istanbul to see some of the sites first hand, but that's exactly what Revelations has done.

It's hard not to be immersed in the world of Assassins Creed: Revelations, because much like the previous games there is a ton of content. While it's possible to complete the main quest in just over 10 hours, I found myself distracted for close to 35 hours as the streets of Constantinople kept me enthralled. There are collectables to find, side-quests to explore, shops to renovate (which provides the easiest way to build your wealth) and even Templar dens (strongholds) to attack and takeover. Templars can even attempt to retake a den, particularly if Ezio's presence becomes known to them. This results in a very simple "Tower defence" mini-game (Den Defence), where you have to place Assassin units in strategic places to ward off an attack from the Templars. It's a clumsy and odd gameplay addition considering this is an action adventure after all, but thankfully you can once again recruit new members into the Assassin order, and if you level them up enough (by sending them off on missions across the Mediterranean), they will be able to take charge of Assassin dens and automatically defend them against intruders without the need for silly mini-games.

The main gameplay remains relatively unchanged from previous Assassin's Creed titles. Ezio (and occasionally Altaïr) is still a competent swordsman, and while it's possible for him to hold his own (through a staggering array of different attacks, counters and vicious finishers) against his enemies, Assassin's Creed is really about the silent or strategic kill. It's about setting up an assassination, and this time our hero has a few additional tools at his disposal. Early in the game, he is introduced to a new weapon: the hook-blade, which not only allows him to traverse the city using strategically placed zip-lines, or to assist him in climbing up walls, but it can be used as a devastating and crippling weapon. You can also craft three different kinds of bombs: offensive, diversionary and tactical. The bombs are incredibly useful and throughout my game I made frequent use of bombs and poison darts. Fortunately, the raw materials for bombs are easily obtainable and drop as loot from most enemies and treasure chests (littered through the city).

I briefly mentioned collectables earlier, and it's worth noting that some of the collectables (the animus shards) actually serve a deeper purpose. Collected shards allow you to unlock a series of side-quests for Desmond Miles. Desmond's story takes the form of a curious first person puzzle game, in which you have to navigate a series of rooms (while Desmond narrates his life story). It makes sense in the context of the game and what the Animus truly is. However, I can't shake the feeling that it was added as an afterthought. It certainly feels out of place, and the information could have been provided in the form of a series of cinematics. On the one hand, the main story in Revelations is starved of any major puzzle sections and Desmond's sections do provide some much needed exercise for the gray matter.

I did experience a few glitches and bugs, like falling through buildings or being caught between walls, and Ezio does have an annoying habit of jumping away from a wall than up it, which sometimes may mean the difference between successfully scaling a tower, evading a gang of well-armed Janissaries or tumbling to your death. For the most part, however, Revelations runs smoothly and looks stunning, which is expected considering it's built on the same engine as the previous AC games.

For would-be assassins eager for more, multiplayer returns with a bang, as new locations and the ability to customize your avatars have been added. You even create a coat of arms, and at later levels start changing your weapons or even add unlockable perks. For newcomers it might be a little overwhelming at first, but after some much needed training in the practice lobby or a few deathmatch matches, even the meekest of gamers will be turned into an online slaying/assassination machine. The netcode holds up well for us South Africans, and even with a slight lag, it's still possible to take names and crucially to counter assassination attempts. Where it does falter though is in the general matchmaking searches, which struggles to find games when searching as a group, especially if it's an odd number. But once you get things going you will find the multiplayer experience is both interesting and rewarding, and one that you can't help but become addicted to.

Overall, Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a fitting swan song for both Ezio and Altaïr. It may not be the giant leap seen in previous games - and perhaps it's time for Ubisoft to reconsider Assassin's Creed as an "annual franchise" to prevent it from becoming stale - but it still has that magic formula that makes it one of the best action adventure games around.

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