Reviews// Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Alternatively, you'll find bomb parts on the fallen bodies of enemies you have slain. Raping corpses for cash (“looting”) was not something you might have felt compelled to do in the previous games - it was time consuming and the resulting income was paltry.

This was because the economics of previous games were flawed. It was too easy to become too rich too quickly. In the end, you would renovate buildings and buy paintings for no other reason but completeness. But there was no real challenge to it.

Econmic Up-Turn
AC:R has re-calibrated the economics to be, if not perfect, at least much better than before. The same principles apply as in previous games: renovating buildings and opening shops will increase the periodic revenue from your city - in this case Constantinople (named for a Byzantine Emperor called Constantine who drove an Opel). You can also win money for completing missions, and you find it in treasure chests.

But there are changes. This time around, the rate of income and the cost of renovating some of the landmark buildings is such that every – actually the currency is not mentioned by name, and is only represented by an "A"-like symbol - counts. Fallen enemies become both a rich source of currency, and of ammunition, health and bomb parts - and you'll want to make use of them.

Another reason that things you could just buy at shops become valuable swag is that shops will not be open until you capture the adjacent Templar Den. You do this by identifying and then killing the Den Captain, then climbing the nearby signal tower and lighting the signal.

The area surrounding dens is heavily populated with guards, and you'll have a ferocious fight on your hands. Unfortunately, Templar Captains are notorious cowards and at the first sign of trouble, they'll lock themselves away from harm. You have to work out the correct combination of stealth and frontal assault to kill them. Bombs can be very useful.

Combat Arms
Combat in AC:R is improved greatly from previous games in the series. Previously, combat felt a little superfluous to the game. You could barely avoid it, but if you did get embroiled in it, it was merely a case of mashing the relevant button to prevail. Sure there were other tactics and techniques, but you did not really need to employ them.

In AC:R you will most likely not succeed without using some of the many combat techniques available to you. One big change is the use of guns: as the game is set decades after AC: Brotherhood, firearms have gained traction, and this has a profound effect on combat.

Some enemies in Revelations are extremely adept at avoiding blade attacks and grabs. “Simple!” you may be thinking, just use a ranged weapon. But these guys attack in groups, and while you are preparing a ranged attack, another member of their party is likely to attack you, maybe even with a firearm – and that will probably have a devastating effect on your health.

As with previous games in the series, you still have too much health and it is too easy to use this while in combat. In short, you're unlikely ever to die in battle. In actual fact, Ezio rarely suffers much even when taking very long falls - this is a shame, because now it is all too easy to just launch off of a building, rather than finding an elegant route back to ground level.

The Long View
As with previous games, additional longevity is given to AC:R by the targets and challenges one has to complete in order to achieve 100% Synchronisation. These may require you to finish a certain portion of the game in a given time, or before an ally suffers a given amount of damage. Or they may require you to kill a certain number of guards in a sequence.

If you fail to meet a target, you can still complete the sequence - even the game - but you will not do so with 100% Synchronisation. It's a compelling reason to go back and try things again, and it gives an already extensive game even more playability.

Brothers in Arms
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood introduced the concept of using fellow Assassins in your missions - hence the Brotherhood of the name. You could recruit and train other assassins by means of sending them off on missions. While they were not on missions, you could call them in to lend a helping hand while you were on missions, or just if you got involved in combat while traversing the city. It was a nice addition, but did not feel vital to the gameplay.

In AC:R, the recruitment and training of assassins is fundamental to the development of the plot and your ability to progress through the game. This is because Assassins, once trained, can be used to defend your dens and prevent them from being taken by the Templars.

Assassin training happens as it did before, by sending them away on missions - but this time, the missions are to Mediterranean cities that are in Templar control. By mounting enough successful missions, you can wrest control from the Templars, and even begin to assert Assassin control.