Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review

Since I played the first “Assassin's Creed” I have had two questions about the story: Why did Desmond leave "The Farm" to start a new life? What happens to Altaïr after he kills Al Mualim? “Assassin's Creed 2” came along, but failed to answer either of those questions. In fact by the time I had completed AC2 I had even more questions: Where does Lucy take Desmond, and what is next for Ezio Auditore? Luckily “Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood” answers my AC2 questions. Once I completed Brotherhood, I had given up hope on Ubisoft answering my questions about Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad, and Desmond Miles' past. I also believed that AC:B was the last “Assassin's Creed” where we would see Ezio Auditore, leaving me with questions regarding him. The end of AC:B left me thinking, "What the heck?". Those of you that have played it know what I'm talking about. I spent hours researching forums and talking to friends that had played the game about the ending. I wanted to know why something so outrageous would happen, and I also wanted to discuss the possibilities of the next installment. I never thought for a second that all of my questions would be answered with one game. “Assassin's Creed: Revelations”. I had to chuckle to my self about the title, because the answers to all of my questions would be "revealed".



“Assassin's Creed: Revelations” main story takes place in the mid-sixteenth century. Players get to control Ezio Auditore once again, but this time, he's 53 years old. A seasoned Assassin. The best of the best, and rather than seeking vengeance in this game, he is seeking knowledge of Altaïr, and the assassins past. Finally the main character is searching for answers to these questions! Not only do players get to control Ezio Auditore, but they also get to control Altaïr and Desmond. This game wraps up all of the loose ends from Assassin's Creed 1, 2, and Brotherhood. It is the end for Ezio and Altaïr, and the continuation of Desmond.

If you have not played all the way through "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood", I suggest you stop reading this article and go play it. The rest of this review contains spoilers from the ending of that game.

Not only was the end of AC:B crazy, it also revealed that Desmond is in a coma. I figured when I played AC:R, Desmond would wake up from his coma and we could continue with the game. I was completely wrong. In AC:R Desmond is still in his coma and is stuck in what is called the "Black Room", and he has to figure out how to get out. The Black Room is basically "Limbo", but for the Animus. This is an interesting part of the game because it's a giant puzzle. You have to find your way through these puzzles, and on the way, Desmond begins remembering his past. Finally, Desmond's past is revealed!

Seriously. It's a giant puzzle!

At the beginning of Ezio's story he travels to Masyaf. This is the home town to the Assassins in the first game. Ezio finds it over run by Templars, and figures out that he needs several keys to open "the library", located at the bottom of Masyaf's castle. The Templar's have one key, and the rest are scattered through out the city of Istanbul. Ezio then travels to Istanbul to recover these keys, so he can finally discover Altaïr's past. When he arrives he is greeted by Yusuf Tazim who is an Ottoman assassin. Yusuf shows you the ins and outs of Istanbul, and gives you new equipment. When Ezio finds a key, it is encrypted with a memory of Altaïr. This gives Ezio the ability to relive a memory of Altaïr, this leads him closer to the answers he seeks, and also answers my questions about him.

Ezio travels to Masyaf.

In "Revelations", like “Brotherhood”, you are able to recruit assassins and send them on missions. This time around, though, you are sending your recruits around the country, trying to overthrow the Templar's. Once an area is possessed by the Assassins you will eventually begin receiving income from them.

Ezio is able to take over districts, as he did in “Brotherhood”, but this time around the Templars are able to try and take it back. When this happens you must defend that area with Ezio's assassins. It becomes a mini game, where Ezio will order assassins to defend certain roof tops, while waves of Templars try to regain control of that district.

Ezio has a few new gadgets to make the game feel fresh. A hookblade allows you to scale walls faster, as well as the use of zip-lines scattered throughout the city, making travel through the city much more efficient. New to the series is the ability to create bombs. In “Assassin's Creed 2”, and “Brotherhood”, you could use a smoke bomb to escape large groups of guards; in “Revelations” you can make a bomb from scratch. It has been reported that there are over 300 possible types of bombs that can be created. You pick up different items such as shrapnel, bomb shells, and gun powder when you loot dead bodies and search treasure chests, which allows the creation of bombs for specific situations.

They have no clue what's coming.

The award winning multiplayer from "Brotherhood" is back, and better than ever. Not only are there new maps, characters, gameplay mechanics, and customization, but there is also story added to give players the ability to delve deeper into Abstergo Industries, the home of the Templars. The better your Templar does, the more you are able to discover about Abstergo. This is the first time I have seen something like this and, I must admit, it makes me want to play multiplayer even more.

All new characters for multiplayer, including some old ones, with a new Ottoman design!

“Revelations” uses the same engine as in the previous games, but polishes off graphics that didn't flow very well in “Brotherhood”. One thing that stuck out to me the most is the characters facial animations. It is much more realistic this time around. I previously stated that I believe Ubisoft is keeping the same engine so that they release an “Assassin's Creed” once a year, and so that they can tell one fluid story without making each game feel completely separate from the others. I'm hoping that with the next generation consoles around the corner that they will make a new engine, giving us a completely new experience.

The music was composed by Jesper Kyd, and is absolutely incredible. It engulfs you further into the game, and leaves you wanting more. I bought the soundtrack, and have not stopped listening to it. Jesper Kyd is able to capture the overall feel of the game every time and has done so once again with “Revelations”.

Overall, I'm completely satisfied with “Assassin's Creed: Revelations”. I finally have all of my questions answered, while new ones have arisen for the future installments. I am giving this game a 4.5 out of 5 stars for it's incredible gameplay, gorgeous design, beautiful soundtrack, and addicting multiplayer.


Until next time, keep on gamin' on!