Assassin’s Creed

Story

Staying true to its strategy of moving in a new direction, Ubisoft Montreal did not tack on a conventional, ready-made story for Assassin’s Creed. You play an assassin bound by the titular creed, named Altair, member of an esoteric order sworn to exterminate corruption and war in the Holy Land of the 12th century. The story is “inspired” by historical events, and that is a fitting adjective, since it takes more than a few liberties with recorded history. It is engaging and suitably convoluted, although the story’s main twist is revealed almost instantaneously. Players who were expecting to find themselves dropped into an open world after a brief cutscene, ala Grand Theft Auto, will either be let down or delightfully surprised. The game does not remove the training wheels so hastily, but instead takes the player through a long tutorial that is part of the ongoing narrative, setting off the nine assassinations that the player will undertake.

Gameplay

This is where Assassin’s Creed truly shines, and that brilliant light also reveals a few tiny cracks. The much touted free-running, by which Altair vaults off of rooftops and scales the faces of almost any structure, is remarkably smooth and accessible. As soon as you take control of Altair you’ll be performing almost superhuman acrobatic feats. The freedom of being able to maintain forward momentum across massive cityscapes is pure fun. You will be experiencing each city from multiple levels, from the highest peak to the narrowest street. Scaling designated view points will give you a sweeping view of the clustered buildings and towering walls beneath you in the form of a short cutscene. Even though there are sometimes well over ten view points in just one area of the city, somehow it is breathtaking each time. Ubisoft Montreal has truly set a new benchmark in exploration.

The main assassinations drive the story forward, and Altair progresses toward each by performing an investigation. Investigations consist of certain tasks, like pickpocketing a contractor who is performing repairs on a target’s citadel, or eavesdropping on parties discussing some useful tidbit of information. These tasks are displayed on the map after completing view points, and it isn’t necessary to complete all of them. The tasks do not change over the course of the game, they are the same in Damascus as they are in Jerusalem, and some may find them tedious after a while. After the minimum information has been gathered, the assassination begins, and these events not only drive the story forward, but are immensely well executed. On one mission you set out to execute a portly merchant, and in the next you are stalking an impressively well-guarded regent. The variety keeps you guessing what will come next, and the high production value fails to disappoint.

Graphics

The cities are a sight to behold, impossibly detailed and stretching out across vast distances. Aside from the mountains in the wilderness between the cities, everything you see can be scaled and viewed up close. Once you unlock all of the districts, there are no barriers, no walls that you cannot overcome. The streets are teeming with life, choked with an unending stream of pedestrians and roaming guards, virtually forcing you to stop and observe just long enough to feel like you truly are in the 12th century. The artists did their homework… the stunning, intricate architecture that the Holy Land has long been renowned for is recreated in glorious detail. The Dome of the Rock is there in its golden splendor, the streets of Acre are dotted with the rotting corpses of casualties from the recent siege. Altair looks just as striking in game as he does on the cover, and as he breaks into a full sprint, you can see his weapons and robe move with him.

Sound

According to Hollywood, everyone in the middle ages spoke with a British accent, regardless of their origin. This makes it all the more refreshing that the voice work in this game covers a range of accents, representing the clash of cultures that the Holy Land is famous for. Aside from strange accents, you will hear the typical bustle and flow of city life, with merchants hawking their wares and orators giving speeches on the merits of the Crusades. It is reminiscent of games likeBaldur’s Gate II, but with the atmosphere and graphics to back up the sounds of busy urban life. The voice actors have done an exceedingly well job of delivering their lines without sounding corny, and combined with relevant, well-written dialogue, the voices work in concert with everything else to maintain the amazing sense of a living world. All of Altair’s actions are accompanied by appropriate sounds, and when he sinks his blade into the flesh of a target, it sounds just as painful as it should. Hearing a guard sob in pain as his life drains away adds another layer of realism, and is a rarity in video games, where enemies usually take their last breath in silence.

Overall

Assassin’s Creed‘s only real flaw is its repetitive nature, the tasks do not change, after the first real mission you will have experienced them all. Once counterattacks are introduced in combat, it devolves into a rather simple but strangely satisfying series of insta-kills. I mention these weaknesses here because they should be brought up, but hardly as reasons to dissuade anyone from experiencing this title. Much has been said of the story’s sci-fi twist, and although I will not divulge any details, I can say that some will love it and others will hate it. Still, you cannot deny the effort that went into every facet of the game, including the story. Effort is not everything, but when so much of it went into making the game great, it is hard not to notice.