Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles

Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles is a video game released for the Nintendo DS and Symbian Mobile. It is a prequel to the video game Assassin's Creed, and is published by Ubisoft and developed by Gameloft. It was released in the United States on February 5, 2008. It features two new cities, Tyre and Aleppo; and the three original cities, Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus; but does not include Masyaf. Unlike the original Assassin's Creed, the game is not told through the perspective of Desmond Miles, but rather the perspective of Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad, although the menu screens do take place in the Animus.

A port with improved graphics and gameplay was made for the iPhone OS by Ubisoft and was released on the App Store April 23, 2009.

Plot summary
The year is 1190 AD, and the Third Crusade is engulfing the Holy Land. Crusaders clash with Saracens for control of the Holy City, Jerusalem.

A young assassin returns home to Alep from an arduous journey, and finds it under attack by Templars. He has no choice but to repel this attack, killing a low-ranking captain in the process. Soon he is tasked by Al-Mualim to find and retrieve a sacred object: the Chalice. It is said to have the power to unite under one flag all the factions of whatever side possesses it — either the Crusaders or the Saracens — and end the Third Crusade in victory for one side or the other. But the Chalice is too powerful an object to be left in the hands of men alone: It must be found and destroyed.

The assassin, Altaïr, begins his journey in Damascus, where a Rafik tells him (after testing his skills on a target) that the merchant, Tamir, has connections to the Templars. Upon interrogating Misbah, a man with connections to Tamir, Altaïr confronts him and, before killing Tamir, learns that the Chalice is kept in the Temple of the Sand and that Altaïr needs three keys to enter it. Altaïr then visits the circus dancer, Fajera, but she is unwilling to help, leaving Altaïr to fight a circus brute, Badr. After catching her, she gives Altaïr the first of three keys, and tells that a man that is at the Templar hospital in Tyre could help him find two more keys. Fajera also tasks Altaïr with killing a Templar named Alaat.

Arriving in Tyre, the first thing for Altaïr is to speak with Hamid, the Tyre assassin, from whom he learns that Roland Napule, head of the hospital, probably has the key. He navigates the sewer, assassinates Roland, and is given the key by a prisoner being interrogated. Altaïr then travels to Jerusalem and speaks with Kadar, learning that the Templar leader, Basilisk, is at the Jerusalem royal palace and that he has the third key. When infiltrating the palace with the help of one of Kadar's men, he fights Basilisk and takes the key. But in Tyre, Templars attack Hamid and steal the map to the desert temple. Altaïr chases them to their tower, climbs to the top, kills the tower's master, and takes the map. Altaïr then proceeds to the Temple of the Sand. There, he fights his way to the antechamber and finds an empty chest and Lord Basilisk. Basilisk taunts him, and Altaïr runs back to Tyre before the temple collapses. Hamid tells him how to infiltrate the castle, where he fights and badly wounds Basilisk, who reveals that the Chalice is a woman in Jerusalem named Adha and that the Templars are sieging Acre. Altaïr defends Acre by infiltrating and killing the Templar commander and his camp. He then goes to Jerusalem, rescues and meets up with Adha, and learns that the Templars have paid off Harash, the second-in-command of the Assassins. Altaïr plans to attack Alep, the assassin fortress, kill Harash and run away with Adha, but after killing Harash, Adha is kidnapped by Basilisk and taken to their port in Jerusalem. Altaïr fights through the Templar knights and kills Basilisk. But Adha is on a different ship, which escapes before Altaïr can catch it. He swims to shore and, seeing the Templar ship far off in the distance, yells "I will find you, Adha!"

Gameplay
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles takes advantage of the Nintendo DS's features. The game's main gameplay is primarily Prince of Persia-style platforming, mixed with stealth and combat. It utilizes the touch-screen for mini-games, like interrogation and pickpocketing, as well as displaying a map during standard gameplay. The game's combat system consists primarily of weak attacks, strong attacks, and combos of the two, as well as using bombs and projectiles. Seven different weapons are available, including the hidden retractable blade, a sword, crossbow, explosive bombs, smoke bombs, and throwing knives. The game also features three different levels of difficulty, allowing for more experienced players to take on a bigger challenge.

The Symbian Mobile version is almost an identical port of the DS version.

Reception
The Nintendo DS version of the game has been received with mixed opinions. IGN gave it a 7/10, Gamespot gave it 6/10, Nintendo Power gave it a 7.5/10, X-Play gave it a 2/5, and Game Informer magazine gave it a 6.5 out of 10. The iPhone version was well received overall with a 4.5 stars overall from customers reviews on the App Store.