More than likely if you’re checking this game out you’ve at least played AC2 and probably Brotherhood. In that case, you know what to expect from AC: Revelations. Fortunately for us, Ubisoft realized this and is very quick to drop you into the action with minimal opening tutorials and hand holding. This way the game dug its hooks in quick and held me throughout the roughly 30 hours it took to get 100% synchronization.
Both of the new cities, Constantinople and Cappadocia, are a joy to explore and move through, befitting of the signature feature of the series. In the opening cinematic as you first step into Cappadocia I definitely had a stop and stare “whoa” moment. These cities become more than places but characters in the story that you get to know more of as you play.
Without spoiling anything, I was pleased with most of the new characters as well as how they handled the old ones, particularly in wrapping up Ezio and Altaïr’s sagas. I would have liked to have seen some of the villains fleshed out more. There were several that we don’t see enough of to avoid feeling like they’re one dimensional characters there just to fulfill a checklist that says a boss fight is needed. The voice acting and Jesper Kyd’s soundtrack are high quality, as usual. The interactions involving Ezio and one of the new characters, Sofia, are among the high points of the writing and acting. I was also pleasantly surprised with the telling of Desmond’s story, despite that portion’s odd gameplay.
There are some unique features in this game that create a couple minor stumbling points. The most notable is the first person Desmond sections that I just mentioned. I wouldn’t call these a complete failure though. In fact, I expected far worse considering some of what I had heard about them. Some of these areas are visually stunning and the soundtrack caught my ear a couple times. It’s the first person view and simplistic gameplay that drag them down. For whatever reason there is also a tower defense type minigame that isn’t good enough to deserve a place in the game. If you’re careful with your notoriety status in the regular game you shouldn’t have to do this often, I only ever did it twice.
While I only spent 2 hours playing multiplayer, I enjoyed the time. It certainly is a different experience and takes a different mindset to play against other people. If deathmatch with a stealth aspect and AC’s fluidity of movement sound appealing to you then I think you’ll enjoy this.