During the E3 2011 single player demo of Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Ubisoft creative director Alexandre Amancio revealed a lot of information on the upcoming title. Revelations will feature the return of series stalwart Ezio Auditore, as well as series original Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Ezio will travel to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.
Amancio began by explaining why Ezio has taken his quest to Constantinople: “Seeking answers, Ezio leaves Rome to travel to Masyaf [a setting in the original Assassin’s Creed] in search of the lost library of Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Upon arrival, Ezio realizes that a very powerful artifact is hidden inside the locked library of Masyaf. If the Templars get a hold of that artifact, they will be able to crush the assassins and control humankind’s destiny. To open the library and access the artifact, five keys are needed – and all of them are in Constantinople. What began as a pilgrimage becomes a race against time between Ezio and the Templars to find these keys.”
Ezio will encounter a new enemy during his journeys: the Janissaries, elite Ottoman guards. Ezio angers the Janissaries by assassinating one of their high-ranking officers.
“The Janissaries are the Sultan’s personal bodyguards. An extremely well trained military corps, recruited as young as 10-12 years old and trained throughout their life, they are considered a precursor of the modern military system. Using mainly firearms, they are experts in combat and are skilled sharpshooters,” explained Amancio.
“Knowing Ezio has to leave by boat; the janissaries raised the large chain that runs across the Golden Horn which prevents any ships from entering or leaving Constantinople,” said Amancio. “First destroyed during the Fourth Crusade, the chain was rebuilt along with the now famous Galata Tower and used to protect Constantinoplefrom naval attacks. Counterweight in towers hold the chain together, something Ezio will take advantage of.”
Assassin’s Creed Revelations setting discussion
Amancio enlightened the E3 audience on the historical time-period in which Ezio will be exploring Constantinople. “Constantinople is a city that spans two continents – Europe and Asia. In 1511, it was the crossroads of the world, as it was the center of commercial trade. It was home to all great civilizations since ancient times; Greeks, Romans and Ottomans have all claimed Constantinople as theirs.”
“Thus, the city is a great cosmopolitan metropolis, with inhabitants from different parts of the world forming a mosaic of cultures. It is a very immersive city, it’s crowded and exotic which makes the entire ambiance unique. The city has four different districts, each with its own unique flavor and architectural style. For example, for the first time in Assassin’s Creed history, we have a city that is mostly built from wood –very ornate, and busy in its design,” said Amancio.
New factions, brother Assassins
Amancio discussed a new faction in Revelations: “The Romani, often referred to as Gypsies, are a new faction in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. With two dancers, one fire breather and one guitarist, they are sure to make an impression – and distract anyone.”
“The Romani are a stateless people originally from the eastern reaches of Persia. Over many centuries their population migrated west, eventually reaching as far as Eastern Europe and northern Africa. Sometimes referred to as Gypsies, this unflattering term arose from the misapprehension that the Romani originated in Egypt,” said Amancio.
Assassins that help Ezio in combat are returning. Amancio said that this time the assassin recruits will be given more personality and more customization options, such as weapon and class, so that players find them more meaningful. There are more missions for the assassin recruits – more about that will be revealed at a later date.
Crafting, weapons and skills
Bombs
Revelations will introduce a crafting system to the gameplay. Players will be able to create various bombs from components they find throughout the game. The system isn’t linear, meaning that any combination of components will create a bomb of some kind. Amancio states that this will allow the player to define their own gameplay style as they see fit.
“Experimentation is key; sometimes happy mistakes are the most useful. However, there isn’t an infinite amount of bombs. Each bomb must be crafted using components collected throughout the game. More common components are available in shops or in the Assassins dens. Others might be found only in a specific part of town, or by looting guards,” explained Amancio.
Eagle Sense
Ezio will also have developed an advanced master assassin skill – Eagle Sense. This allows players to sense environmental clues and formulate strategic responses to a developing situation. Eagle Sense allows Ezio to operate within a thick cloud of smoke which would otherwise disable a lesser man. It will help Ezio pick out traitors in a crowd by detecting the heartbeat of people in the crowd to root out the traitor. Eagle Sense will also aid in linear sequences to help players “get unstuck.” Essentially, this sounds like a revised Eagle Vision system.
Hookblade
Ezio’s new hookblade is an Ottoman modification to the classic hidden blade. It is designed as an eagle head, with the beak creating the hook. During the demo Ezio was seen using ziplines to move between rooftops, and over large gaps caused by streets and plazas. The hook also helps Ezio to scale walls rapidly.
The hookblade also opens up an interesting new fast travel system. Instead of travelling from a static location and waiting for the city to load at the destination, Ezio can now travel vast distances using the hookblade and ziplines, dropping down for an air assassination along the way if the player chooses.
Flamethrowers?
“The Byzantine Empire used “Greek Fire” machines, an incendiary weapon typically used in naval battles. As you can see in the demo, it was a pretty powerful and effective machine. The Hand-held siphons used by Ezio appeared as early as the 10th century and were used extensively by the Byzantine during naval warfares,” said Amacio.
Multiplayer
During the E3 2011 multiplayer demo of Assassin’s Creed Revelations, the new setting of Rhodes was showcased.
“Sitting just off the coast of modern-day Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean sea, the island of Rhodes has changed hands more times than a tarnished Ottoman coin. Formerly occupied by Greeks, Romans, Persians, Turks, and Byzantines, Rhodes was captured in 1309 by the Knights Hospitallers,” explained Andreane Meunier, Ubisoft Online Producer.
“Over the next 200 years, the Hospitallers transformed the island into a nearly impregnable fortress, building many of the magnificent castles and palaces that still exist today. Now, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Hospitallers continue to hold their ground in the face of constant threats from the encroaching Ottomans.”
New multiplayer characters
Four new multiplayer have been revealed at E3.
The Vanguard – A Cossack from Odessa, The Vanguard was spurred into military service by the threat of Ottomans encroaching on her homeland. After many years of faithful service as a scout and spy, the Templars approached her with offers of wealth and power in exchange for loyalty. Seeing this as an opportunity strike at the heart of the Empire, she accepted gladly.
The Guardian – As the estranged cousin of the first Sultan of the Sennar Sultanate, The Guardian, has a deep hatred for rulers who claim divine mandates. After being chased from eastern Africa by his own family in 1505, the Guardian traveled north to Alexandria and soon found solace in the Templars’ worldy ideology: Peace through Order and Stability. Calling himself, Guardian of the Truth, he now fights to make this worldview a reality.
The Bombardier – The Bombardier is a member of the Ottoman artillery corps with secret ties to the Quizilbash, a rebellious group of anti-Ottoman dissidents from the east. A skilled and conceited man, he desires power and influence, and has come to feel that military service is beneath him. He maintains close and constant contact with the Templars, selling them weapons and information in exchange for money and access to powerful people.
The Deacon – Publicly shamed and humiliated by the Patriarch of Constantinople for “actions unbecoming the Eastern Orthodox Faith”, The Deacon has spent a decade plotting revenge against his former masters. No longer a believer in the doctrine that he once espoused so passionately, he now uses his nominal position in the church to erode it from within and further the Templars’ ideology.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations is set to release on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC in November 2011. This will be a departure from the tradition of delaying the release of the PC version of Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations: all you need to know << Comments and views
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