Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Update #2:- Is it the End of the Beginning?

by dkpatriarch

©2011 David Hilton

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Bring me the answers, and the road that leads to truth. Reveal to me, once and for all, how all of this will end.

Ezio

So begins the new tease before Ubisoft‘s next reveal on June 7th (Australia/NZ time) or June 6 ( North America/UK time) at E3. The new teaser allows us to explore what we know and guess at what we don’t. Let’s continue our quest for the truth.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will finish up the Ezio story arc and even return us to Altair‘s story. We have been promised answers to ongoing questions posed in the previous Assassin’s Creed games.

This game, it would seem, is to be the end of the beginning. The conclusion of one great Act, before the next one begins with new mysteries and resolutions in Assassin’s Creed 3….and beyond. For there can be no doubt that this franchise has legs in it, even beyond Desmond.

There is already a prequel series of sorts ready-made by exploring Subject 16s memories and destiny.

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – The Fate of Ezio

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But first we must discover answers in Revelations. What are the questions that will be resolved in the game?

According to Alexandre Amancio, creative director, in the recent Game Informer magazine these include the following:

• Who is Subject 16?
• What happened to Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca?
• What happened to Desmond?
• What befell the First Civilization?
• What is the link between Juno and Minerva from AC2 and AC: Brotherhood?
• Whatever happened to Altair?
• Why are Desmond, Ezio and Altair so important and why are they linked?
• Where is the last temple?

As predicted from Ubisoft’s earlier Facebook tease, Altair will also be a playable character as Ezio follows in his footsteps to discover the truth, finding 5 important seals.

We now have confirmed that the 16th century city of Constantinople (present day Istanbul), Masyaf (the Assassin fortress now over-run by Templars), and a Templar city carved deep under the hills of Cappadocia, Turkey will be locations.

The new teaser video has an image of a ship, indicating possible travel around the Mediterranean, though this may only be to the locations already revealed.

The Greco-Roman ruins in the teaser indicate an ancient site, most likely Palmyra in Syria, but possibly Ephesus in Turkey (closer to Constantinople) or somewhere in Greece.

We know that at least the multiplayer will visit the island fortress-city of Rhodes, which was held by the Knights Hospitaller and attacked by the Sultan Suleiman – The Magnificent in 1522. I’m still hopeful some of the single player experience will take place there, as it is an ideal location and time for exciting missions.

Though we know that the game initially follows Suleiman before his rise to power, if it is like the previous games which skipped through several years, it could extend into his reign and his conquests.

This could include his hard fought victory on Rhodes over the other Holy Order and competitive brother to the Templars, The Knights Hospitaller, who were last seen in the first game.  Mind you, Ezio is already in his 50s when he meets the 17 year old Suleiman.

Speaking of Mediterranean islands, Crete could also make an appearance. The original Facebook ‘reveals‘ showed us the Phaistos Disc, a clay disc full of code, associated with the bull-leaping Minoans of Bronze Age Crete.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – New Fly By Trailer (Nov. 2011)

Greek Seal a key, or just ‘Bull’?

I have already suggested it could be something the Assassins and Templars might be after to use to find a piece of Eden. It is probably one of the seals (there are indeed Minoan seal discs) that Ezio has to find which lead into an Altair sub-memory we get to play.

Perhaps if Ezio does go to Crete, he will meet up with a cult group like the wolf-skin-headed killers of the Romulus Lairs in AC: Brotherhood, only these are devoted to the ‘bull’. Wearing bull skulls and horns they would resemble the famous mythological bull-headed Minotaur of Crete. Many ancient societies from Cyprus to Anatolia (present day Turkey) had bull cults, so they could fit well for those acrobatic cult-protected lair sections Assassin’s Creed is now known for.

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations art

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The centuries-long battle between the Templars and the Assassins is building into a modern-day confrontation to either subjugate the world through some disaster, or to save it and the free will of human beings.

The keys to this salvation (or disaster) are the Pieces of Eden. The maps to those keys are the genetic memories of those who have the unique DNA mix between Those Who Came Before and humans, which gives them an extra sense: Eagle Vision, which evolves into Eagle Sense for this game, which allows better hearing and the sight of a person’s previous or possible future route.

Desmond’s fate lies within him…

This means Desmond and perhaps others like Subject 16 have become invaluable, as the memories they hold of their ancestors’ quests are sought by both sides.

Desmond tried to escape his destiny when he escaped his sheltered upbringing in

the desert Assassin compound of “The Farm”. But destiny caught up with him when he was kidnapped by Abstergo.

Like Ezio and Altair before him, he became part of the quest to search for the truth. While Ezio searches for answers by following Altair’s path, and even finding love with a bookseller named Sophia, Desmond must find his way through the labyrinth of his own mind and out of the coma he has fallen into. What this means for the player is some mysterious symbol-filled puzzle-solving while exploring his past. The truth is ‘in’ there…

Of course, as all Assassins should know, “Nothing is true, everything is permitted”, so all these musings and quests for truth can end up being confusing trains of thought journeying nowhere. Ubisoft can fashion and re-fashion history, places and Assassins lore as they like.

Though Ezio’s spoken desire to see how it will all end may echo our own, I’m sure this game will only lead us to more questions we’ll need answered and more quests for the ‘truth’.

Ubisoft Press Release:

Sydney, Australia – May 27, 2011 –Today, Ubisoft announced new product details for Assassin’s Creed® Revelations, the thrilling fourth installment in the critically acclaimed entertainment franchise that weaves real world history and global conspiracies into an ancient war between Assassins and Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations follows master assassin Ezio Auditore as he walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey to recover five ancient seals that hold the keys to the future of the Assassins brotherhood. It is a perilous path – one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilise the region.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations is set to release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC this November.

· Hone the deadly art of assassination – As Ezio Auditore, wield the lethal skills of a wiser, more efficient assassin. Armed with a new arsenal of weapons and abilities including the hookblade, bomb crafting and a heightened Eagle Sense, you can kill with death-dealing proficiency.

· Herald the return of a legend – Assassin’s Creed Revelations features the return of Altaïr as a playable character, the hero of the original Assassin’s Creed.

· Journey to Constantinople –Explore picturesque settings, from Masyaf, the mountain stronghold of the Assassins during the Third Crusade to the vibrant and exotic Constantinople, the jewel of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century. Navigate crowded streets and vistas, through a cauldron of cultures as Constantinople comes to life.

· Meet new players to the Assassins Creed lore –Encounter memorable personalities, including fellow master assassin Yusuf Tazim, Prince Suleiman, destined to become one of the greatest monarchs in history, and Sofia Sorto, a simple woman who vies for Ezio’s heart.

· Test your skills as an assassin against your friends – the acclaimed online multiplayer experience returns, refined and expanded with more modes, more enthralling maps and new characters

Initially launched in 2007, the first three Assassin’s Creed® games have sold more than 28 million units worldwide, and the franchise is now established as one of the best-selling series on next generation consoles. Recognised for having some of the richest, most engrossing storytelling in the industry, Assassin’s Creed has transcended video games, branching out into other entertainment experiences including comic books, Facebook games, novels, short films and more.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, visit: http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/ and www.facebook.com/assassinscreed 

And even more Assassin’s Creed:

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Update- The End of The Beginning? – Read more
• Previously On…Assassin’s Creed: story catch-up video, here
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations: Flamethrowers – Did they exist back then? Read More
• What Assassin’s Creed Could Learn from Shadow of the Colossus - Read More
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations: All the facts revealed – read more
• Assassin’s Creed 3: Set in American Revolution? - check here
• The Assassin’s Creed Effect: 3 Templar Games in 2011 – Read More
• Assassin’s Creed 3 – Where and When to Next Part 1. –Read more.
• Assassin’s Creed 3 – Where and When to Next Part 2 –Read more.

©2011 David Hilton

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• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations art gallery

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