In part 1 of our Assassin’s Creed retrospective we covered the original Assassin’s Creed game. Now we switch from Altaïr to Ezio and gallivant around 15th century Italy. This is our take on Assassin’s Creed II. Spoilers ahead.
Deflating Ezio’s ego
Clearly there was a second Ezio in the game, or else my friend was using some strange new definition of “cool.” In the first act of Assassin’s Creed II Ezio Auditore is a spoilt teenager with a one-track mind.
Our short-legged hero runs around Firenze (Florence to us English speaking folk) belittling and bullying, protected by the wealth and status of his family.
Was I finding Ezio more likeable than Altaïr? Definitely not.
Anyway, Assassin’s Creed goes to 15th Century Italy. That means beautiful paintings, architectural gems; Venice, Tuscany and the Vatican.
Thankfully, Ezio is forced to grow up after his family finds itself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy. His father is betrayed and he and Ezio’s two brothers are killed. Ezio seeks to uncover their plot and take revenge. Along the way he gets help from his Uncle Mario, a thief called Antonio, and some guy called Leonardo da Vinci who won’t stop harping on about a flying machine.
Back to the future
This time around, the action doesn’t hop between the two time periods to anywhere near the same extent as in the original. There’s only one trip back to the 21st century, around the middle of the game. This tends to take the focus away from the bigger picture and ensures the spotlight is very much on Ezio’s journey. Fortunately, we do still get snapshots of the true extent of the historical influence of the Pieces of Eden, via twenty puzzle sequences activated through hidden glyphs in 15th century Italy. These puzzles are either incredibly easy or impossible, with no middle ground. Still, they represent a nice change of pace from the other elements of Assassin’s Creed II.
Trolling the completionist
Viewpoints remain a key part of the open-world gameplay, with 73 across the entire game. There are far more collectibles too: codex pages (which raise your health and improve your hidden blades), feathers, treasure, statuettes, weapons, armor and paintings.
Reaching 100% completion in Assassin’s Creed II could easily take 50 hours. There’s also assassination contracts to fulfil, local thieves to race, adulterous husbands to beat up, and messages to deliver.
Finally, there are Templar lairs to plunder and assassin tombs to explore. These mini-dungeons are some of the most impressive sections of the game. Jumping across beams and shimmying up pillars inside the Frari in Venice was a pretty incredible experience.
The interiors of these iconic buildings are recreated faithfully and beautifully, almost making you wish you were living in corrupt, plague-ridden renaissance Italy. On second thought, it’s probably best to leave the exploration to Ezio.
Changes
The mechanics of Assassin’s Creed II remain, unsurprisingly, mostly unchanged from its predecessor. Combat is crisper and allows for more variety, and the addition of money to the franchise allows for weapon and armor upgrades, plus investments in your home town of Monteriggioni. Also added are air assassinations, where Ezio is able to leap from above to take out his targets in one swift movement.
A less welcome addition is the inclusion of quick-time events, where you have to press the correct button when prompted during a cutscene. If successful, you might get to witness a new line of dialogue of a new animation. Unfortunately, in the PC version of Assassin’s Creed II you are not told which key to press, but which ‘hand’ to use, represented by a symbol. I don’t know about anyone else, but when playing a game I learn which keys perform which action, not the symbols associated with them.
I can deal with QTEs as long as they are optional (which they are in Assassin’s Creed II), but I have to admit, I completely freaked out when I missed my chance to give Leonardo a hug.
Notoriety adds a much needed element to Assassin’s Creed – repercussions for your actions after the initial transgression brings a hint of realism to the game. Unfortunately it’s far too easy to reduce your notoriety: take down four wanted posters and all of your crimes will be forgotten.
Assassin’s Creed II also brings a day-night cycle to the game. Certain missions will alter the time of day, but a natural cycle occurs at all other times. Again, this was a nice little touch but could have been executed better. At night, the darkness is more like dusk, and doesn’t really impact upon gameplay. You can still see perfectly, and the cycle is so quick that the transition from night to day isn’t as significant as it should be.
Still, that makes it easier to eliminate all of the conspirators, which is ultimately your task in Assassin’s Creed II. The game ends when Ezio confronts the Pope, Rodrigo Borgia, has several fist fights with him, but ultimately spares him. In the same sequence, Desmond gets a warning from a Roman goddess about the end of the world being nigh (I’m not even joking).
Coming of age
Ubisoft Montreal improved upon the original Assassin’s Creed game in almost every way. With the addition of a quest system, inventory and a little bit of gondoliering, Assassin’s Creed II has depth, a compelling story (that ends with a speech from a goddess) and an engaging setting that makes you yearn to play for hours on end. Assassin’s Creed II is less repetitive than its predecessor, but still punishes you for playing cautiously. Missions can be completed much more quickly and easily by running straight into combat, rather than using your surroundings and stealth to reach your target.
The quick-time events are jarring, as is the constant hand-holding during the tomb segments. Further, the storyline is completely linear, and there’s almost no replay value, especially now that there are other Assassin’s Creed games to get sucked into.
I can forgive the spoiler in the options menu, I can forgive the lack of challenge in most of the missions, but I cannot get over missing out on hugging Leonardo da Vinci. And why do Venetians instantly drown when they touch water?
Minor quibbles aside, Assassin’s Creed II undoubtedly smooths out many of the bumps the first game had; polishes the combat, free-running and storytelling, and delivers content of far greater quality and in much greater quantity than the original. It is rare to find a sequel that solves all of the problems of its predecessor, but Assassin’s Creed II comes very close to that feat.
Did you enjoy ‘Assassin’s Creed II’?
Next time we will explore Rome in an Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood retrospective.