In short
Assassin’s Creed Revelations is the most thorough package in the series which features the great storytelling and engaging gameplay the series is known for. Great new gameplay features and activities surprise and delight, and now include multiplayer modes.
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
For fans of: The series, platforming, parkour
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Also available on: Playstation 3, PC
If we had to give it a numerical score: 9.0 out of 10
What I loved
- New gameplay
- Narrative better than ever
- Cinematic bits
- Most interesting story in series
Not so much
- Still not my favourite interface
Overview
Assassin’s Creed Revelations delves deeper into Desmond Miles’ link with the Animus and follows lead assassin Ezio Auditore as he walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altair. Revelations’ main story focuses on Ezio in his quest to recover five ancient seals that hold the keys to the future of the Assassins brotherhood. The story’s setting is the gorgeous, ancient Istanbul which was known as Constantinople in the centuries before. You will need to recruit assassins and even train some to battle the ever growing army of Templars that threaten to destabilize the region.
Gameplay and Features
A Constantinople resident and fellow assassin, Yusuf becomes you main ally and even teaches Ezion a new trick or two. Yusuf will teach you to create bombs that will help with diversions, disorientating of enemies and tactical attacks. Bomb ingredients are scattered throughout the land and you will need to find set venues where you can create the three types of bombs. Yusuf also gives Ezio a new ‘hook-blade’, a welcomed new addition to the assassins’ core weapons. The hook-blade allows you to make longer jumps, propels you up buildings quicker, and features some unique combat aspects and my new favourite edition – it allows you to zip down ropes or lines from building to building.
The famed gameplay and mechanics return with a host of new additions – the parkour aspects are enhanced by the hook-blade and there are a host of new, small additions to the gameplay and combat which make this department the most refined in the series. The combat in Revelations has more substance to it and seems more brutal than I remember with previous instalments. There are a collection of new finishing moves, depending on your weapon, that are more visceral and violent than before. The countering abilities have also evolved, depending on the size of weapon your enemy is using and the level of enemy, you can either swiftly counter and dispatch them. Alternatively you will need to take a more tactical approach to take them down – like the high level enemies require you to knee or kick them before engaging them. The ‘Eagle vision’ has evolved to and comes into play more often than previously – it will help in activities from detecting targets amongst the crowds, to finding hidden clues to finding hidden paths to the usual scanning of areas from a bird’s eye view to map out areas.
You will need to recruit assassins throughout the city and these recruits can be used in any situation by summoning them. Whether you are faced with an overwhelming battle or you just need to divert the attention from you, summon the assassins and they aptly help in the situation. You will also takeover assassin dens where you can produce your bombs or send assassins from on battles. These assassins used in battles level up depending on the success of the activities the carry out, delegated by you. You will need to allocate the skill points as these assassins level up.
Ezio and his recruits are battling for power in areas by taking over dens and towers which incorporate some light RTS gameplay. You basically command assassins in a designated area to withstand attacks, to overpower the faction in that area and ultimately give you control of that den. The RTS aspect allows you to create barracks and assign various types of assassins to face the attacks. Should you win that den becomes controlled by your faction of assassins. These dens are contended again and you will need to take time off the primary storyline to go and protect your dens. Another nice new way to take over small areas is by using your eagle vision to seek out the head honcho in the area, take him down and then climb a tower and set it alight – announcing your new found control of that area.
Previous activities were also included in Revelations – from buying banks, tailors and other landmarks which earn you revenue. You accumulate your earnings from your owned landmarks and from missions and can even withdraw from banks, this accumulated fortune, which you can again use on upgrading your weapons or armour.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations’ missions are more diverse than ever which kept me driving the story more often that taking the time out to gain areas and recruits. The story is engaging, hugely interesting and folds out progressively keeping involved with Altair, Ezio and Miles. There is less repetition than I found with previous instalments, and the missions have you partake in brawling, platforming and puzzle-solving amongst others.
Unfortunately my Ubipass code did not work and at time of publishing and I am waiting for Ubisoft to send me a new code. We will publish more on the multiplayer at a later date.
Visuals and Sound
The user interface is as it was in the previous games with a wealth of new icons for the new features. All are explained within the first hours as is the new gameplay features – which are optional tutorials that you can practise at any time. I have never been a fan of the shortcut design in terms of assigning weapons to your d-pad, and with the added bombs and weapons you constantly need to go to the selection screen to equip the items. It is a small issue I have with the series but not a serious one as at the end of the day it does work. That said, the presentation is neat and user-friendly incorporating the new editions well, and to further aid you there is the tips in the loading menus which allow you to pause your mission and practice at any time.
While the Assassin’s Creed series has always been famed for its beautiful visuals and picturesque settings, at this stage in the current generation noticing a grand improvement in visuals is difficult. What is noticeable is the near flawless graphics with only the frame-rate dipping every now and then being the only (small) negative that I noticed. The animations and players movements did seem smoother and more evolved than ever without being a great jump forward. Constantine, like the cities before, is beautifully textured with bright coloured bizarres and flora breaking the sandy stone buildings that are common to the era’s desert region. The inhabitants are dressed in the rich coloured textured common to the era and region. The narrative is superior to that of the previous games and further complimented by the cinematic scenes which frequent. More action scenes thrill and delight the visual experience with clever use of camera work.
The voice-actors return to play their characters and the again do a superb job, really helping you connect with the stars of the story. There are the rich Constantine and Italian accents and dialect to enjoy, again which is suited to the era and regions. The scoring is typical Eastern in flavour put together by the series stalwart, Jesper Kyd’s who again does a stunning job of creating a city that is alive with sounds.
Final thoughts
I have always enjoyed the series, the gameplay and interesting design coupled interesting storylines has always appealed to me. While I played through the previous Assassin’s Creed games happily, none of them were as gripping as Revelations. Whether it was the new gameplay or the best narrative in the series or the dramatic cinematic sequences, something or the combination of everything kept the hours flowing in a gripping manner.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations is one of the strongest singleplayer experiences this year – a year filled with great singleplayer titles. There is the multiplayer mode for those looking for a more social experience, but ultimately the singleplayer experience is worthy of the price tag all on its own.
Zombiegamer rating:
Read about our ratings here.
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