Assassin's Creed: Revelations

"Following in the footsteps of the legendary Altaïr, Master Assassin Ezio Auditore embarks on an epic quest to unlock the secrets of the Creed."

- Game description.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a game published by Ubisoft and was developed by its subsidiary, Ubisoft Montreal. A direct sequel and follow-up to 2010's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Revelations is the fourth main installment of the series.

Set after Brotherhood, Revelations continues the story of Desmond Miles, who has entered a coma due to the events of the previous game. In order for him to awaken again, Desmond must relive the last significant memories of his ancestor, the Assassin Mentor Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who sought out the secret library of the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, in 1511.

A sequel for Revelations was announced in March 2012, entitled Assassin's Creed III, and was released on October of the same year.

Gameplay
Revelations retains the gameplay from its preceding titles, albeit considerably renewed. Free-running has been improved with the addition of the Hookblade, a key item given to Ezio that helps him traverse the city faster and more efficiently. To coincide with the Hookblade, numerous ziplines could be found all over the city's rooftops, which decreases travel time tenfold. In addition to navigation, the Hookblade is also used for combat, and is also one of the newer gameplay elements in fighting. With the Hookblade, Ezio is able to pickpocket an enemy mid-combat, as well as use it to perform quick-kills. The Hookblade can also be to escape combat, such the "Hook and Run" technique, and creating environment hazards, such as causing a scaffold to fall.

Aside from the Hookblade, a multitude of bombs have been introduced aside from the smoke bombs in the previous game. Ezio can utilize a multitude of bombs, ranging from lethal effects and traps, to distraction purposes and chase-breakers. Ezio can craft from numerous stations across the city using a variety of materials that change the effectiveness and the overall use of the bomb.

Ezio's Eagle Vision has been revamped, explained in the story as an effect of his mastery of the technique. Now known as "Eagle Sense," Ezio is now able to track his enemies and pick off their individual trails, making tracking more proficient. In addition, the Eagle Sense can also discern disguised enemies, the scent of datura, and the heartbeat of an individual. Replacing the Borgia Towers is the Assassin Dens, towers which act as strongholds for the Assassins, but is being constantly taken by the Templars. Whenever Ezio's notoriety would reach its peak, Templars would attack an Assassin-occupied Den. In order to defend the Den, Ezio must take defense, where numerous Assassin apprentices of different archetypes can be stationed over nearby rooftops to defeat the invading Templars. Numerous abilities can also be used to help defend the den, such as barricades and cannons.

The Recruit System has been considerably renewed. The highest rank has been increased to 15, which can only be attained by a handful of Ezio's apprentices. Ezio can station his Apprentices to the numerous Assassin Dens around the city, where they can permanently eliminate the possibility of a Den invasion. In addition, several Master Assassin missions can be initiated, which is needed for an Apprentice to reach Rank 15. Several more Apprentices can be stationed in numerous cities to perform contracts, meaning Ezio can train a total of 72 apprentices, excluding the location of Rhodes. The game also includes several new additions to the environment, such as random events that Ezio can take part in. These include helping several civilians carry their items, or fighters challenging Ezio to a brawl. Also new is the addition of stalkers; Templar assailants who come after Ezio at any given time. Ezio can know a stalker is near by being able to hear whispers, much like in the Multiplayer mode, when an enemy is near.

The modern day gameplay of Desmond has been revamped considerably; several memories of Desmond's past can be relived through the Animus Island, which can be unlocked by collecting Animus data fragments. These memories are played completely in first-person, and uses a puzzle-building mechanic that allows Desmond to generate two different block pieces to navigate through the obstacles. Along the way, specific events of Desmond's life prior to the game can be seen.

Multiplayer
Like its predecessor, Revelations came with a multiplayer mode. It featured new modes, maps, abilities, and characters to refine the experience. Additionally, it had improved story and customization features, allowing the player to choose their own weapons and change their appearance.

Abstergo credits would also be awarded to a player after a match, which could be used to buy items in the Abstergo Store.

Single Player
After the events in Rome which resulted in Lucy Stillman's death, Desmond Miles entered a comatose state and awakes in the Animus' Black Room after being put back in the machine by his father William Miles and Harlan T. Cunningham. While Shaun Hastings stayed in Rome to attend Lucy's funeral, William and Rebecca Crane monitored Desmond's condition while they head for New York. Within the Black Room, Desmond met Subject 16 Clay Kaczmarek, who explained that in order for him to awake once again, Desmond must relive what's left of his ancestor's memory until a Synch Nexus triggered. Entering the portal, Desmond relived the memory of the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, now in his early 50's, as he made his way to Masyaf.

In March of 1511, Ezio traveled to Masyaf after he discovered a letter by his late father regarding the secret library of the Assassin Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, that contained his invaluable knowledge, hidden beneath the old Assassin fortress. There, he was greeted by a battalion of Templars led by Leandros, whose forces managed to overwhelm Ezio in a fight. In the midst of his execution, Ezio escaped and made his way back into the fortress. He later found the entrance to the library, but learned that it needed special keys in order for it to be unlocked. The Templar worker mentioned that the Templars found one of the keys beneath the Ottoman Sultan's palace, while speculating that the book held by Leandros will lead them to the others. Ezio set out of the fortress to take the book from Leandros, and eventually killed the Templar captain at Atlas Village after a long chase. After obtaining the book, Ezio set out for Constantinople, where the rest of the keys were hidden. By May, Ezio had arrived at Constantinople, where he met a young man before docking, and was greeted by the leader of the local guild, Yusuf Tazim, right after his arrival. Yusuf gave Ezio a tour of the city, introducing him to the guild and showing what's left of the Byzantine empire within the city. Ezio also received a Hookblade and was taught how to use it. Later, Ezio assisted with defending and retaking some of the city's Assassin Dens from the Templars.

After helping the guild recruit a few new initiates and being taught how to use bombs, Ezio went to the first location of the keys: the old trading post of Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, now a bookshop owned by Sofia Sartor, a woman whom Ezio first saw at his ferry to the city. After an introduction, Ezio found an entrance into the Yerebatan Cistern, where he found the first key along with a book and an encrypted map that lead to rare books that held the location of the other keys. Ezio made a deal with Sofia; if she helped decipher the map, he'll let her borrow the books. In the midst of his search, Ezio helped Yusuf save the Ottoman prince from a planned assassination. Dressed as a minstrel, Ezio managed to stop the assassination, which earned him the favor of the prince; the same man whom he met on his way to the city, Suleiman I. Ezio later met with Suleiman in order to learn the perpetrator of the attack, whom they suspected was the Janissary captain, Tarik Barleti. Tailing Tarik, he soon found out that he met with Manuel Palaiologos, the former heir of the Byzantine throne. With this knowledge, Suleiman had Ezio assassinate Tarik. However, in his dying moment, Tarik revealed that they were to ambush Manuel after gaining his favor. Before dying, Tarik entrusted Ezio to continue his plan, and set sail for.

In between his tasks for Suleiman, Ezio continually searched for the books with Sofia's help, all the while gaining her favor and assisting her with some errands. Ezio grew fond of Sofia's company, but he could not reveal his affiliations or occupation to her, for he feared that it would endanger her. She and Ezio eventually had to part ways for the time being, as Sofia sailed for Adrianopoli. Before leaving, Ezio left Sofia to Yusuf's care during his absence. With each book, he was able to retrieve one of the keys from one of the many secret locations, and with each key, he was able to relive some key moments of Altaïr's life. The first key showed his heroic efforts in 1190, where he saved Masyaf from an attack by the traitor Haras. The second key detailed his Mentor Rashid ad-Din Sinan's pyre and Abbas Sofian's failed rebellion with utilizing the Apple of Eden, which Altaïr later retrieved. The third memory detailed Altaïr's fall from power in 1228; after defeating Genghis Khan's army with his son Darim and wife Maria, Altaïr found out that Abbas usurped command from Altaïr's appointed proxy Malik, and his son Sef murdered by Swami, Abbas' right hand man. Altaïr confronted Abbas and his loyalists, but was overcome with rage and used the Apple for revenge, which caused the death of both Swami and Maria. In the wake of this incident, he left Masyaf with Darim before Abbas could apprehend them. The fourth key showed Altaïr's return to power in 1247, with the help of several Assassins who grew tired of Abbas' rule; Altaïr returned to power after Abbas' death by his hands, where he used his newly crafted weapon.

All the while reliving Ezio's last memories, Desmond had several encounters with Clay in the Animus Island, also overhearing conversations between his dad, Rebecca, and Shaun. Desmond also relived his own memories in a very different simulation, wherein he reached the core of the Animus. There, a recollection of his life was told; Desmond grew up in a small community called "The Farm," but soon fled due to his parents' strict rule. There he drifted from place to place, eventually settling in New York, and found a job as a bartender at a bar called Bad Weather. His recollection lasted up until his capture by Abstergo, and his time in their facility. Returning to Ezio, he arrived at Cappadocia by March of 1512 with Piri Reis, after destroying the Great Chain. There, he met with Tarik's informant Dilara at the city of Derinkuyu. Dilara was eventually captured after she and Ezio parted ways, and was being held by Shahkulu, Palaiologos' partner. Ezio rescued Dilara, though she left to save what was left of her men from Shahkulu. In the city, they learned that Shahkulu planned to beat one of Dilara's men, Janos, to death. Ezio stopepd the public beating and killed Shahkulu after a tough fight. Afterwards, Ezio planned to burn the fake artillery given to Manuel by Tarik, which will cause the artillery's authentic gunpowder to explode.

Ezio was successful in infiltrating the city's armory, and managed to cause an explosion that ensued enough chaos to draw out Manuel Palaiologos. Ezio managed to corner Manuel after a long chase, and killed him before he could escape by the city's inner harbor. Ezio managed to obtain the last key from Manuel. Just then, Ezio saw Prince Ahmet, uncle of Suleiman and whom Ezio saw on several occasions, on a ship with the Byzantines. Ahmet revealed his true role as the Byzantine Templars' leader. There, he threatened Ezio into handing over the key, and after the Assassin's refusal, Ahmet threatened to hold Sofia Sartor captive. Despite Ezio's warnings, Ahmet went ahead and set sail back to Constantinople. Hurriedly, Ezio escaped the burning city and made his way back into his boat, and on the way back, he relived the fifth key's memory of Altaïr's life. The fifth key revealed Altaïr's twilight years in 1257; Niccolò and Maffeo Polo were preparing to leave for Constantinople, to establish a guild, after their stay in Masyaf. At the time, the invading Mongols drew near the city. Altaïr gave the brothers his Codex as a parting gift, and escorted them out of the city with Darim, defeating any Mongol who drew near by using his Apple of Eden. As the brothers left on their horses, Altaïr gave him the keys, which he asked to be hidden from others, so that the one who is meant to know the message can seek it out.

Ezio later returned to Constantinople, hurriedly making his way to Sofia's bookshop. There, he found a platoon of Assassins dead, as well as Yusuf, which had a message for Ezio attached unto his corpse. With rage, Ezio made his way to the Harbor of Theodosius and stormed the area with the guild's many apprentices. He found Ahmet, and threatened him for Sofia's location. However, he only agreed to release her when Ezio meets him by the Galata Tower. As Ahmet left, Suleiman revealed himself to Ezio, who asked him to stop his uncle's ambitions, without killing him if possible.

Ezio later met with Ahmet after appointing a new leader for the Turkish guild. Ahmet had one of his men hold Sofia by the edge of the Galata Tower. Pressured into a decision, Ezio gave the keys to Ahmet and went to Sofia's rescue. However, the woman was only a decoy, and the real Sofia was about to be hanged somewhere else. Ezio hurriedly made his way to her, and managed to save her. As Sofia recovered, Ezio saw Ahmet's carriage leaving the city. Ezio then got on a carriage with Sofia and chased after Ahmet. Ezio managed to catch up to him by the city's countryside, eventually causing his carriage to fall, along with Ahmet and himself. As they fought while falling, Ezio utilized his parachute to save himself and Ahmet, managing to land safely. Ezio retrieved the keys while contemplating what to do with Ahmet. As he did however, Ahmet's brother Selim arrived with a platoon of Ottoman guards and Janissaries. Surprised, Ahmet ordered the troops to stand down in the name of the sultan Bayezid II though unbeknownst to him, Selim has been named the new sultan. He then murdered his brother by pushing him off the nearby cliff. Meeting with Ezio, Selim threatened to have the Assassin killed if he returns to Constantinople, sparing him only due to Suleiman's good word. Ezio's rage was only stopped by Sofia, and as Selim left, so too did Ezio and Sofia, heading for Masyaf.

After returning to Animus Island one last time, Desmond became witness to the Animus' scheduled deletion time, seeing everything dissolve in front of him. Clay, knowing full-well what's going on, embraced Desmond one last time and then pushed him into the portal, saving him from being deleted by sacrificing himself. Desmond hesitantly left Clay and the Island, and relived the last of Ezio's memories.

Ezio and Sofia arrived at Masyaf, with Ezio explaining the history of the Assassins and its creed along the way. There, Ezio reflected upon his life and decided to retire after learning the contents of the library, with Sofia. Arriving at the library's door, Ezio utilized the five keys and managed to solve the puzzle. Ezio made his way inside, and soon found the library; void of books or anything, except for the remains of Altaïr. His corpse held one last key, where his last major memory was imprinted. By the end of 1257, Altaïr had emptied the fortress and had all of his Assassins dispersed. Meeting with Darim one last time, Altaïr ordered him to leave so that the fortress will be empty when the Mongols return, him staying within the library along with the Apple. Embracing his son one last time, Altaïr locked himself in the library, and then placed the Apple on a pedestal. Altaïr then sat on one of the chairs, holding his last key and imprinted his memory before dying at the age of 92.

After reliving Altaïr's final memory, Ezio went to inspect the Mentor's Apple of Eden by the pedestal. Ezio decided it best for the Apple to stay where it lay, before finally laying down his arms as a sign of his retirement. There, the Apple activated, as Ezio called out to Desmond. Ezio admitted and accepted his existence as a conduit for a message not meant for him, asking Desmond to make the bloodshed in his life mean something. As an apparition of Desmond appeared, Ezio touches him, triggering the Synch Nexus. Within the Nexus, Desmond met Jupiter. There, the ultimate fate of the First Civilization was revealed: their people had several temples built to study ways on how to save themselves from the coming of a great calamity about to occur. Each temple tried different methods in stopping the event, and had their data subsequently transmitted to the Grand Temple. Despite their efforts, their methods proved to be ineffective, which eventually caused the downfall of their civilization, bringing them to near-extinction, as well as humanity. Jupiter then showed the location of the Grand Temple to Desmond, which was in New York. Jupiter, along with Minerva and Juno, entrusted Desmond to stop the coming of the second catastrophe.

After hearing the words of Jupiter, Desmond awakens from his coma, and was greeted by his father, Rebecca, and Shaun. As he stood up, Desmond assures the team of what he needed to do. The team exits the band, and make their way to the Grand Temple.

Multiplayer
After the first phase of Abstergo's training program, Warren Vidic had Juhani Otso Berg and other recruits enter the second stage of the program. As Berg continued to rise through the ranks, Vidic gave him a glimpse of the life Abstergo had to offer. Berg impressed Vidic, enough to gain access into the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order. Upon meeting Laetitia England, Berg was injected with a tracking device by Daniel Cross. Later, Berg and other Abstergo agents were informed of the whereabouts of William Miles and instructed to retrieve him.

Cast

 * Roger Craig Smith as Ezio Auditore da Firenze
 * Cas Anvar as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
 * Nolan North as Desmond Miles
 * John de Lancie as William "Bill" Miles
 * Danny Wallace as Shaun Hastings
 * Michael Benyaer as Darim Ibn-La'Ahad
 * JB Blanc as Tarik Barleti
 * Steve Blum as Leandros
 * Tony Calabretta as Sahkulu
 * Graham Cuthbertson as Clay Kaczmarek, a.k.a. "Subject 16"
 * Yerman Gur as Abbas Sofian
 * Tamer Hassan as Sehzade Ahmet
 * Alex Ivanovici as Piri Reis
 * Amy Landecker as Laetitia England
 * Eleanor Noble as Maria Thorpe


 * Chris Parson as Yusuf Tazim
 * Anna Tuveri as Sofia Sartor
 * Phil Proctor as Warren Vidic
 * Peter Renaday as Al Mualim, Jupiter
 * Eliza Jane Schneider as Rebecca Crane
 * Jenifer Seguin as Animus
 * Haaz Sleiman as Sehzade Suleiman
 * Elias Toufexis as Haras
 * Nadia Verrucci as Dilara
 * Vlasta Vrána as Manuel Palaiologos

Development
The idea behind Assassin's Creed: Revelations was initially conceived for a game in Nintendo's new portable console, the, and was originally titled Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy. The original plot involved Ezio going to the fortress of Masyaf to uncover Altaïr's secrets, which Revelations would later adopt. The game was quietly cancelled and have been extensively reworked into Revelations.

Despite Jean-Francois Boivin releasing a statement that no Assassin's Creed game will be released in 2011, Yves Guillemot hinted that there will be "something Assassin's related" that year. True enough, a teaser regarding the game and its title was released on the Assassin's Creed Facebook page, and flashes several hints regarding the story and setting, such as images of Constantinople and Masyaf, and info regarding the former protagonist Altaïr. That same year at May 5, GameInformer released details and screenshots about the game, such as showing images of an older Ezio Auditore, and new weapons such as the Hookblade. The game was then officially announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) of 2011.

Beta
On September 3, 2011 PlayStation Plus members and PlayStation Uplay members were able to try the game's multiplayer portion, which ran until September 17, 2011. All PlayStation Network users were able to access the beta on September 8, 2011. During the beta, players had access to nine characters, three maps, and four game modes.

Editions
Special Edition=
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * A copy of the game's soundtrack.
 * Two multiplayer characters, the Crusader and the Ottoman Doctor.
 * Turkish Assassin Armor for use in single-player.

Signature Edition= Note: This edition could only be obtained by pre-ordering Assassin's Creed: Revelations from GameStop in North America. It was available in Brazil by pre-ordering the game in some stores.
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed.
 * A bonus single-player map, Vlad the Impaler's Prison.
 * Weapon capacity upgrades for the crossbow (+5), pistol (+2), and bombs (+3).
 * A multiplayer character, the Ottoman Jester.
 * A copy of the animated short film Assassin's Creed: Embers.
 * A copy of the game's soundtrack.

Collector's Edition= Templar Collector Edition= Note: This edition was only available from OpenGames Italia. Animus Edition= Note: This edition is only available in Europe and Australia (At EB Games Australia). Ultimate Edition=Ultimate Edition (Canada) Note: This edition could only be pre-ordered online from GameStop's Canadian website and was only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * Collectable casing.
 * A 50-page artbook.
 * A DVD of the animated short film Assassin's Creed: Embers.
 * A copy of the game's soundtrack.
 * A bonus single-player memory, Vlad the Impaler's Prison.
 * Two multiplayer characters, the Crusader and the Ottoman Jester.
 * 'Altaïr's Robes' in-game skin.
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * Collectable casing.
 * A 50-page art-book.
 * A DVD of the animated short film Assassin's Creed: Embers.
 * A copy of the game's soundtrack.
 * A bonus single-player map, Vlad the Impaler's Prison.
 * Two multiplayer characters, the Crusader and the Ottoman Jester.
 * An 8.5" figurine of Ezio Auditore.
 * A copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * Animus Content Box.
 * The Black Edition of the Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia.
 * A DVD of the animated short film Assassin's Creed: Embers.
 * A copy of the game's soundtrack.
 * A bonus single-player map, Vlad the Impaler's Prison.
 * Two multiplayer characters, the Crusader and the Ottoman Jester.
 * The Armor of Brutus outfit.
 * Weapon capacity upgrades for the crossbow (+5), pistol (+2), and bombs (+1).
 * An exclusive customization item.
 * Altaïr's Skin (Pre Order or Purchased at EB Games Australia)
 * The Signature Edition of Assassin's Creed: Revelations
 * The White Edition of the Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia.

Ultimate Bundle=Ultimate Bundle (USA) Note: This edition could only be pre-ordered online from GameStop's United States website, and was only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
 * The Signature Edition of Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
 * An action figure of Ezio Auditore.
 * A replica of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine, for use with the Ezio action figure.

Note The Game of the Year Edition of Revelations was released March 27 in the U.S. and March 30 in Europe.
 * -|Ottoman Edition=Ottoman Edition
 * The Ancestor’s Character Pack
 * The Mediterranean Traveller Map Pack
 * The Lost Archive DLC

Won

 * Spike TV Video Game Awards
 * "GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year"

Nominated

 * Spike TV Video Game Awards
 * "Best Action/Adventure Game" - Lost to Batman: Arkham City

Trivia

 * In the original concept and in the game's boxart, it can be seen that the Hookblade was intented to be an upgrade for the left Hidden Blade, much like all of the other Hidden Blade upgrades so far. However, in the final game, the Hookblade now acts as a replacement for Ezio's broken right Hidden Blade.
 * This is the first Assassin's Creed game of Ezio where his default outfit is not white. It also the first game where his default outfit does not have a cape, although he does wear one before his arrival to Masyaf.
 * Several cosmetic changes were made on Altaïr's timeline, namely Al Mualim's robes now having a more elaborate design, and the missing ring finger of the Masyaf Assassins, which was an previous oversight on Assassin's Creed. The other Assassins' robes, including Altaïr, has also been redone with improved textures.
 * Altaïr's voice was done by Cas Anvar, who said his lines with a Middle-Eastern accent authentic to Altaïr, unlike his Western accent previously heard in Assassin's Creed, which was done by Philip Shahbaz. Altaïr's Middle-Eastern accent was only previously heard in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.
 * Despite having removed the crossbow originally from Assassin's Creed due to historical inaccuracy, it made an appearance in one of Altaïr's memories, being used by Haras to execute several Assassins.
 * The identity of the multiplayer descendant that the player played as (Juhani Otso Berg) isn't mentioned until the release of Assassin's Creed: Initiates. There, it was revealed that Juhani did manage to rise through the ranks of the Templars.

Gallery
Screenshots=