This one takes me back. The first Assassin’s Creed game I ever played, around when I was eleven years old. Coming back to it nine years later, I remember why I loved it so much. It’s not everyone’s favourite in the series, but it is certainly mine.
What I like:
+ Starting with the visuals, there is quite a significant upgrade from Brotherhood, to the point where I feel they still hold up today. The environments are gorgeous and filled with detail and the same treatment is given to the character models. Quality of animations are mostly the same, with slight improvements to combat.
+ The story is brilliant from start to finish. In my opinion it’s the best story so far, and quite possibly in the entire franchise. Ezio moves away from Italy in search of knowledge, taking him to Constantinople, and to Altair. It’s a beautiful conclusion to both Ezio’s story and Altair’s.
+ Contrary to what a lot of people think, I really enjoyed exploring Constantinople. I personally found it to be one of the most interesting cities in the franchise so far. It’s small, but it’s also alluring and unique. Exploring Masyaf hundreds of years after AC1 was also interesting to see, and serves as a nice call back.
+ Once again, the music is phenomenal. The main theme has to be my favourite video game theme of all time. It may likely be due to nostalgia reasons, but every time I hear it, I get chills. The game’s soundtrack overall is rather melancholic which fits with the emotions conveyed through the story.
+ The combat isn’t massively different from Brotherhood. Weapons from the previous games are back, and you are able to call in assassins to assist you at any time. What the combat has seen though, is refinement. AC: Revelations is surprisingly sparse of bugs, making the combat the smoothest its ever been.
+ The ability to craft and use bombs is one of AC: Revelations stand out features in terms of gameplay. You can craft lethal bombs, tactical bombs and distractive bombs. The types of bombs you can make depend on what materials you have. These bombs help vary up combat and stealth situations.
+ The parkour hasn’t really seen any changes except for one improvement; the hook blade. An attachment to your hidden blade, the hook blade allows you to traverse buildings much faster by increasing your reach, as well as being able to go down zip lines. It can also be used in combat to trip enemies. It’s a small but useful feature.
+ Managing the brotherhood has more depth in Revelations as you now have to make sure that your territories are secure from Templar attacks. You are also able to remove Templar presence from cities across Europe which give you money and resources for bombs.
What I don’t like:
- The outside Animus story really isn’t great. After the events of Brotherhood, Desmond finds himself trapped on a digital island. The only interaction with a character he has is with Subject 16 who we see glimpses of in previous games. His appearance is out of the blue and to be honest, doesn’t add a great deal to the narrative.
- Another point on the outside Animus sections are “Desmond’s Journeys”. The first-person perspective is an interesting experiment, but it’s too slow and really not that engaging. It was interesting to learn about Desmond’s past, but at the end of it all, you don’t really get anything out of it.
My Overall Thoughts:
Finishing ACR felt like an end of an era for the franchise, and in a way, it is. Ezio’s conclusion serves as a turning point in the franchise where things start to become very different, and in some cases not for the better.
Is ACR dramatically different from its predecessor? No, not really, but what I can say for sure is that the story is far more compelling. The hook blade and the bombs help vary up the gameplay a bit, and other pre-existing mechanics have been polished.
The outside Animus sections of the game are the only disappointing parts of the game for me, which is a shame since everywhere else in the narrative is brilliant. Desmond’s Journeys were a drag to get through. Luckily, these are optional segments.
If the review didn’t give you a good enough impression already, I couldn’t recommend this game enough. The world, the characters, the story and the music combine together to make a gripping and beautiful end to Ezio’s story.
My Final Rating:
9.6/10.
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