Assassins Creed has certainly garnered a lot of attention since it was first shown prior to E3 this year and then at X06 where it became one of the most talked about games of the show. Created by the team who also developed Prince of Persia Sands of Time and initially a PS3 exclusive; Assassins Creed will now also appear on Xbox 360 and PC as well. Assassins Creed is set in the middle ages when the Crusades were happening in the far east, I’m sure many of you are familiar with the tales of Richard Lionheart fighting for religious justice in the region. Well in Assassins Creed you play as Altair who, as the game states was a highly regarded assassin around the period of 1191 AD (the time of the third crusade). The game begins with Altair being at the bottom of the assassins ladder after failing to perform a high profile hit, reduced to a mere apprentice so to speak and with his middle finger of his right hand cut off as not only a sign of allegiance but also to make room for his ultimate assassins tool, a concealed switchblade mounted on his wrist. Altair’s main aim other than rising up the ranks in the assassins order is to kill various targets that have influence over the war. If Altair can take down the specific targets which lie on both of the warring factions sides, then the war will swiftly come to an end and ultimately he will have redeemed himself from his former disgrace. Altair will also be able to undertake several other objectives such as theft and such like. It sounds like a mammoth and dirty task and just the sort of thing assassins are renowned for.
With Assassins Creed being developed by the team responsible for Prince of Persia Sands of Time, it is perhaps easy at first glance to draw comparisons between the two games. However the team are adamant that the two games are completely different, sure they both feature third person action, exploration and combat but their execution is vastly different. If I was to make a direct comparison then I would tend to shift towards the Thief series more than anything.
So what about Altair, what makes him different to the vast number of action heroes? Well other than losing that prized finger, there’s more to Altair than meets the eye. During the X06 presentation we first see Altair travelling into a settlement on horseback, now this to me looked a little suspect as the animation and control of the horse didn’t look very smooth as the person demonstrating the game seemed unable to control the horse fluidly. But it does show that Altair will be able to use horses to travel from place to place, and rightly so. Between each settlement there will be huge free roaming landscapes to traverse and I assume will be filled with all manner of wild animals, bandits and perhaps officialdom to avoid or interact with. There are three major towns in Assassins Creed with each divided into poor, middle class and rich areas and each having its own style of clothing. The three main settlements are Acre, a coastal settlement with European influences, Jerusalem, the game’s major city and Damascus, which is more a desert town. Players will also be able to roam the Hashasin HQ: Masyaf; which is the assassins’ headquarters and perhaps home to Altair’s wife. Everywhere else in the game is as you would expect and will feature deserts, forests, mountain ranges as well as hills. Amongst the aforementioned bandits and such like there will also be plenty of other areas to explore and discover which makes having a horse a very handy feature. There will not be a dynamic day and night system in the game, however missions will take place a various times throughout the day, evening and at night time.
So, Altair can ride a horse, well that’s nothing new and of course if you look at the recent GUN or Elderscrolls IV Oblivion then you can see that horses can work quite well in games. Hopefully the team will have perfected the horse riding between now and release.
I think the team are keen to emphasise that with Assassins creed they didn’t want to restrict the player in anyway, thus opening a more free form way of accomplishing objectives. What is worthy of note is the fact that Altair is quite agile, which means he is able to scale walls and make some cool looking jumps. I think if you think of free running, you know, those guys who jump around cities in a tracksuit and pair of training shoes; then you have a good idea of Altair’s abilities. What we were shown was that the player has choice in what they do and how they approach their targets. From up high on top of buildings Altair can use a focus vision called Assassins Intuition, which allows him to highlight his targets. This comes in handy when it’s not clear who the target is from a distance, especially considering the large number of people that litter the streets. Again it is then up to the player, once the target has been determined, how they carry out the hit. From looking at the game its seems that players will also need to have a high level of situational awareness as the people around him can be seen as a hindrance or a godsend, depending on how you intend to carry out the hit.
Performing the “Hit” comes in three stages, acquiring the target, killing the target and then escape. Obviously using all of his cunning moves, such as climbing buildings to get a good vantage point, Altair will clearly be able to view his target and surroundings and as this is a stealth game, he will be able to avoid the rabble below. I guess you could say this is the easy part of the process, although I’m sure some situations in the game will prove to be tricking in actually getting to the target. The next and most dangerous stage is to get close to the target for the kill. The team have stated that they want this part of the gameplay to evoke an emotional response from the player and as time slows down, players will be able to see their victims breathe their last breath and utter some final words to Altair, thus revealing more of the plot. The aspect of killing the target, especially in broad daylight and perhaps in full view of bystanders brings a lot of processes into play as gamers have a number of options available to them. Blending into to the surroundings, a al Hitman, seems to be a focal point at this point in time as not only does this show how the crowd programming works but also shows us how dynamic the game is. Altair doesn’t seem to follow pre determined animations as this was demonstrated as he walked through the crowds of people. With careful walking speed, Altair gently nudges people to one side, this is a pretty effective way of moving around without drawing too much attention. If Altair decides to be more hurried, then he will run through the crowds resulting in people getting pushed over or barged out of the way. We are told that each person its own AI programming and will react differently to Altair. One example is that certain people will actually block Altair as he runs or even worse, pick a fight with him; which is hardly the thing you want happening as you covertly try and perform murderous deeds. Altair isn’t a wimp and can quite easily fight back, however murdering bystanders isn’t part of the mission and only draws more attention to him and his intensions, thus making performing the Hit more difficult. Bystanders will react to any fracas you cause and if murdering innocents or challengers is a product of your unruly actions then expect people to run away or alert nearby guards who will be more adept at fighting you.
The NPCs follow very dynamic routines and allow for them to assess Altair and his actions according to how the player behaves. An example of how the NPC’s react is if Altair is seen climbing up buildings and standing on roof tops then this action alone will raise suspicion and have bystanders looking up at him. Each NPC has their own view and influences and when not engaged it scrutinizing Altair, will carryout their own objectives and routines such as seeking food, entertainment or generally a place to chill out. These are rather simple routines which are then expanded when something stirs. Each NPC character has a tolerance level and so when confronted by Altair will react differently and also in accordance to any other actions Altair has performed. This dynamic AI allows the NPCs to behave more realistically and on some occasions as a collective conscience as they AI collectively group to oust the bad guy that is Altair. It’s is not all doom and gloom for Altair as he is able to undertake several side missions for various NPC groups which in turn could yield a favour in return. Also accomplishing the main missions can net some allies along the way. One example are the white robed monks which are seen in one of the trailers. These monks are great if Altair wishes to joins their ranks as a means of escape, by blending in with them as he moves through streets. However should Altair not be on their good side and these same placid monks will expose Altair to nearby guards.
Carrying out the actual kill is seems pretty simple enough and happens in a precise moment. The main task once the kill has been performed is escape. This aspect will no doubt utilise all of the features of the game as players rush through crowds, or try and blend in somehow. The demo, showed how players could interact with the levels and cause distractions to guards in pursuit. The final game will offer all manner of chases and these will occur both on the ground and up on the rooftops, especially as ranged attackers like to get higher up for a better shot at you. The actual combat seems very intuitive and offers a more realistic slant that is, one fatal blow and it’s all over. Again the enemy AI is different depending on the NPC and will result in enemies either rushing Altair, swords draw, or being more tactical and trying to flank him from behind. Players cannot simply hammer away at buttons to attack enemies here as Altair will need to exploit openings in attacks to unleash his own. When grabbed by an enemy, the game will switch to a secondary mode where players must react to enemy movements, so for example, if an enemy grabs you by the arm, you will be able to counter this with a swift punch to the face. If an enemy has you by both arms, then players might be able to use a kick or head butt to break free. It sounds like quite an entertaining mini game and if fluid and non intrusive will be pretty neat. Escaping from the scene of the crime seems to be the most action packed element to the game, although this can differ depending on how the player decides to tackle the situation. Were not sure how stealthy players can be or whether it’s possible to kill undetected. We will have to wait and see once more details become available.
Throughout play and obviously by completing missions and side activities, players will be able to progress their version of Altair by levelling up so to speak. This means that Altair will change appearance and get better equipment as well as being more skilled in general. Remember Altair has fallen from grace within the assassin order and so his success brings him closer to atonement from his peers. I’m not sure how this aspect will play out and whether it will follow true RPG style levelling or whether it will use some other method of character progression?
So, in Assassins Creed we can look forward to, open interactive environments to explore both on foot and on horseback; acrobatic abilities which allow players the option to jump and scale buildings in a non-scripted manner. We can also look forward to seeking out targets, killing them and then escaping; side missions that can influence the people around you so that they may help you or not when you’re in need; dynamic AI for the NPCs who will react to the player’s actions and also exhibit a random element to their behaviours. Assassins Creed will also feature some character development so that players can get a sense of accomplishment within the assassins order. Now if you combine all of these things with some very impressive looking graphics in terms of animation and environmental details and you are left with an excellent sounding game. I say sounding as none of us have been able to play it yet and don’t expect to for quite some time yet, considering the game is due to hit stores at some point in 2007.
One of the more interesting features of the game is some secret (or not so secret anymore) twist to proceedings. In Metal Gear Solid 2 we had Raiden as the leading character and not Solid Snake, well in Assassins Creed there’s no doubt that players will be controlling Altair, however the game won’t necessarily be centred entirely around him. What has been suggested by the team is that the game is actually set in modern times, perhaps even the future, where one of Altair’s relatives is looking back at Altair’s actions via a virtual simulation. Sounds quite crazy doesn’t it? Well, if you think about it, Assassins Creed is a new series where the team are likely wishing to expand then this seems like a good way to pave the way for future titles. How much of the game will take place in the “real world” is unclear but I’m pretty sure there will be quite a number of surprises the team have planned for this direction they are taking. One small piece of info that has surfaced is that there will be a direct link between Altair and the mysterious relative in such a way that knowledge in the real world could possibly affect how Altair survives. As they say knowledge is power.
After reading about, looking at movies and screenshots and witnessing the X06 demonstration, it is clear to see that Assassins Creed is going to be an ambitious project. To me anyways, it mixes elements from Thief, Splinter Cell, Hitman and dare I say Fable or Oblivion to provide what looks like being one heck of an awesome game. I personally cannot wait as the Xbox 360 needs more games like this that promises to push the boundaries especially in terms of what is expected from next generation gaming. As long as there aren’t the issues that have plagued other games on Xbox 360 such as fluctuating frame rates and the dreaded screen tearing and the team can come up with a smooth playing experience (sort that horse out guys) then we could well be looking at a game that redefines the stealth genre. Assassins Creed launches at some point in early 2007.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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