Jerusalem, 1191 AD. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You are an elite Assassin sent to stop the hostilities by suppressing the powers on both the Crusader and Saracen sides. But as you carry out your missions, a conspiracy begins to unfold. You find yourself tangled up in a conflict that threatens not only the Holy Land, but the entire world.
This review may contain spoilers
After the success of the Prince of Persia with its dynamic and combative game play, it is easy to see how Ubisoft moved to Assassins creed as the spiritual successor to the concept.
Built around a more realistic and often accurate world Assassins creed puts you in charge of Altair a 11th century assassin fighting the oppression of the powerful templars. The game plays much like an open world version of POP but is far more detailed an nuanced. The gaming environment, whether it be Acre, Damascus, Masayaf or Jerusalem gives players free reign to dart through streets, over rooftops and survey each cities districts from climbable high towers and monuments. The parkour style given to Altair is perfect for stealth and escape giving the player the feel of a real hidden predator walking the streets of the city in search of your target.
Each of the 9 assassination target you are required to kill to regain your honour need research and investigation which leads you to the best possible approach. While, towards the latter targets this can seem a bit monotonous, the challenges are varied with various collectables and side missions to keep you interested.
The story itself is a marvel, digging into key historical moments with respect and detail and pushing the boundaries of what your preconceived notions of the plot may be. The voice acting is superb, atuned to accent and dynamics which creates believable characters you can connect with or hate depending on their role in Altairs plight.
Aside from the mentioned monotony and the occasional control problem as Altair blasts across rooftops, Assassins creed offers a compelling beginning to deep and fascinating narrative worthy of its respective sequels.