REVIEW: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

28 Nov, 2011

Title: Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Platform: Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / PC
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Bucharest, Annecy, Massive, Quebec, Singapore
Publisher: Ubisoft
TL;DR: Assassinate, assassinate, aliens, aliens
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Ubisoft certainly delivered when they said they were going to tie up loose ends. The only problem is you could tell they were aiming to tie up loose ends and they only had about a year or so to do all of it. Don’t get me wrong, this game is quite enjoyable, but it still doesn’t hold a candle up to previous installations of the series.

Right from the get go, we are introduced to Subject 16, and he is even more crazy in person than he was in all those glyph puzzles. As intriguing as ever, this fella doesn’t waste anytime in telling you how things really are — you’re f***ed unless you are able to crawl around within the Animus and repair broken memories. Repairing broken memories forces Desmond to remember who he is, and therefore will restore him to proper consciousness.

Then the real adventure begins. Ezio is an older, wiser man, and we learn that he’s in the area of Masyaf to solve the mysteries behind Altair’s library. The Templars have overrun the assassin stronghold for close to 300 years and now possess a strange key — there’s five in the known world, and since the Templars have one, that can only mean one thing: Ezio’s going to have to take the other four before the Templars can.

The plot of Revelations leaves much to be desired, but does something that most Creed fans have wanted for quite some time — fleshing out Altair’s character. We’re finally introduced to a more human side of the Master Assassin, and it’s almost a shame that we can only catch such small glimpses of his before- and after-story in Revelations. Almost at once, I wished I could play more as Altair. Sadly, we’re only given just a few chances to revisit Masyaf as Altair. At least we finally get to see a side of Altair that we never saw in the first Creed game.

Perhaps the very first thing players will notice is just how beautiful, cinematic, and smooth this game is in comparison to previous Creed games. It’s one of the biggest highlights of the game, as you literally feel as if you’re controlling a movie set.

Other additions to gameplay make it an overall enjoyable experience. Bomb crafting is fun, silly and lethal all at once, as dropping caltrops and watching soldiers in full-blown armor clatter around in a silly dance will make you laugh. Blood bombs have even the Janissaries looking like idiots as they start patting themselves down in utter confusion. With a cleaner HUD display, we have a better view of our murdering field. The city map is also much more detailed, offering players an easier look at where are streets, where are landmarks, and where are the trouble spots.

Having a hookblade tucked away in your right sleeve is also a great addition to Ezio’s arsenal, creating more fluid movement as you traverse the rooftops of Constantinople. Although there are no horses to be found within the streets, the hookblade enables players to have a little fun on ziplines. Climbing upwards and swinging down has never been easier, and almost makes us wonder why we didn’t see this item make an appearance in previous Creed games.

Perhaps the most notable improvement comes to Eagle Sense. Previously used as a tool to identify the glyphs and little else, Eagle Sense becomes your best friend in Revelations, as it will help you track your targets without too much of a hassle. If you’ve also had problems identifying where your enemies will be patrolling, Eagle Sense will also show you the circuit that soldiers use to patrol rooftops, as well as identifying your enemies when employing heavy smoke screen bombs.

All improvements aside, Revelations has quite the pile of disappointments, and still leaves much to be desired in upcoming Creed games. A promise of giving more time for Desmond falls flat, as we’re only given five puzzles to explore. His story has already been covered in the original Assassin’s Creed as well, especially if players took the time to finish the Completionist achievement and speak with Lucy on every occasion. The first-person puzzle-platform style of Desmond’s memories are frustrating to play as well. It could also mean I was terrible at them, but I found no enjoyment in finishing those puzzles, except for garnering 1,000 Gamer Score out of the whole ordeal. Players who want to boast their skills though will be rewarded with multiplayer emblems, hidden away in the deepest and darkest corners of each puzzle section.

Prior to the launch of Revelations, Ubisoft revealed the Den Defense mini-game, a tower defense-esque game that has Ezio commandeering fellow assassins to defend a base under attack by Templars. A largely pointless addition to Revelations, there is little to no reward in playing the Den Defense game. That is, unless you are an absolute completionist and love your trophies or achievements. Cautious players who maintain a low profile won’t raise Templar awareness, therefore there is absolutely no chance of Templars attacking one of your dens. Considered the new Borgia Towers of Revelations, the only reason that dens exist are to determine whether or not you can rennovate shops in the area and earn income.

The biggest issue I might personally have with Revelations is the lack of anything to do. While searching for the Masyaf keys might come across as a secondary mission in the beginning part of the game, they ultimately become the primary goal. There is nothing else to be done in the city of Constantinople, which is modeled much like Rome of Brotherhood. You are stuck within the city limits, and see nothing else of the world — a giant step backwards from the sprawling world in both the original Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed II. While the plot doesn’t call for much exploration, a once open-world series is now starting to feel very linear and dismally short in its gameplay.

Sure, I could sit here all day and point out every nitty gritty issue that Revelations has, because the title is far from perfect. With technical issues that range from target-locking not working, soldiers appearing half-buried in a rooftop (and still able to attack you while you can’t hit them), and a touchy camera that won’t do much for you, the game can easily be comparable to Bethesda’s games in terms of glitches.

All complaints aside though, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a decent addition to any assassin fan’s gaming library. While it is arguably the shortest experience marred by technical issues, the game does a decent job in tying up loose ends in terms of Ezio and Altair’s respective stories and lives. We can only hope that Assassin’s Creed III returns to the winning formula of a world to explore with many a thing to do.

The Good

More cinematic feel contributes to a better overall aesthetic for the game.

Vast improvement to Eagle Sense makes the ability more relevant to gameplay, especially combat.

The introduction of the hookblade makes movement quicker, easier, and more fluid.

Bomb crafting makes for some fun results — watch your enemies squirm in caltrops or drop from a cloud of poison.

The Bad

Game is dismally short, and the lack of any secondary quests or missions have the game borderlining boring in some cases.

Additional features such as Den Defense are largely pointless, as players will hardly notice its existence.

Players are once again locked into one city, which leaves little room for exploration.

Desmond’s optional storyline is a reiteration of the events in the original Assassin’s Creed.

The Ugly

The ending will have you either facepalming for a solid ten minutes or laughing up your current beverage of choice.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is currently available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the PC launch later this week.

Family Focus
With more brutal execution animations, more blood, and a lot of weird conspiracy theories, this certainly won’t be one for the kids. Especially since ESRB gave it an M rating and PEGI agreed with an 18+ rating.