Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review

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The game will feature all three of the series' major characters so far: Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Desmond Miles. It will take Ezio to Ottoman Constantinople in 1511 AD, consisting of four districts: Constantin, Beyazid, Imperial, and Galata; Cappadocia at the peak of the Ottoman Empire, part of which will be a completely underground city populated solely by Templars; and Masyaf, which holds the old Assassins' stronghold to which Ezio travels at the beginning of the game. He discovers Altaïr has sealed within the fortress an ancient artifact that is said to be a powerful weapon which could end the Templar and Assassin war forever, and has hidden the keys in Constantinople. Ezio uses relics of the first civilization that hold memories of Altaïr to relive his ancestor's experiences, during which players will control Altaïr.

The game will also continue Desmond's story in the modern day, following the events of Brotherhood, where he will be trapped in the Animus, in comatose state, in which he has found a safe mode known as the Black Room. In the Black Room Desmond must attempt to piece his splintered subconscious back together to regain consciousness. Ubisoft's currently released trailer indicates that it will be the last installment featuring Ezio and Altaïr.While in game Ezio will meet a variety of historical chararcters, including Manuel Palaiologos, an heir to the now lost Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Templars who will be lurking in the shadows of Constantinople, Prince Suleiman (Suleiman the Magnificent), a man who will one day become one of the Ottoman Empire's greatest Sultans and Şehzade Ahmet, uncle of Suleiman.

The game will follow the series' standard open-world gameplay. New gameplay additions include an item called the hookblade, which can be used to zipline across the city or grab enemies to yank them in for a combo attack. The hookblade reportedly speeds up navigation by around 30 percent. Along with the hookblade, Ezio will also have 300 different bomb variations at his disposal, which will be craftable.

Multiplayer gameplay is also making a return in Revelations. The mode expands the basics of online modes from Brotherhood with new characters and locations. Players will be able to customize their characters' appearance and weapons, as well as start a guild and create its unique coat of arms. Matchmaking and game interface will be improved. Ubisoft says that while the component is returning, they’re putting greater focus towards the narrative, as it’s the heart of the franchise. As players level up in the game, they will move up in their Abstergo Templar rank and gain access to more information about the company. New multiplayer modes will be added to the already existing modes, including "story-oriented quests". Some multiplayer maps will be based in the island of Rhodes.

In November 2010, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot teased "something Assassin's related" in 2011, despite earlier statement by Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin that no Assassin's Creed game will be released in 2011. Geoffroy Sardin of Ubisoft later confirmed that there will be a "big" Assassin's Creed game in 2011. Guillemot also explained that ultimate goal for Ubisoft is to release new games in the franchise annually along with other Ubisoft's most popular franchises. The first real trailer was shown on DidItForebodeUSA in May 2011. In February 2011, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next Assassin's Creed game would be released during its next fiscal year, which starts on April 1, 2011, and ends on March 31, 2012.

On April 29, 2011 the game's name was leaked on the official Assassin's Creed Facebook page, with a link which led to a flash file. The teaser clip included the words, "Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad, Son of no one" in Arabic which hints that Altaïr, the main protagonist of the first game, may once again be the main protagonist of the game. A third teaser clip for the game showed the city of Constantinople, which hints at it being the setting for the game. In the E3 rumor section of its April 2011 issue, Xbox World 360 said Assassin's Creed: Revelations' is "unlikely" to be the full Assassin’s Creed 3 we've been waiting on, but suggests that game is also secretly in the works. Assassin's Creed: Revelations is likely to be "another slimline Brotherhood-style offering", Xbox World 360 said. The game was officially unveiled on May 5, 2011 by Game Informer, and officially revealed at the E3 2011 Convention.