Finally! A lot of us gamers have been eagerly awaiting the re-release of the Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery iPhone game ($9.99) since it was mysteriously pulled from the iTunes App Store last December. This game is the sequel to the uber-popular Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles, and both are adaptations of Nintendo DS versions. After a two-month delay, the folks over at Ubisoft again let loose Ezio Auditore de Firenze, a world-class Italian assassin and recurring protagonist of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. This fresher version (1.01) includes “minor fixes.” The final product (hopefully!) does not disappoint. In fact, it’s a pretty impressive game.
In general, adventure games that include a stealth component require a fair amount of sneakiness. AC II is no exception to this rule, but the controls are so smooth at times that you can pretty much run or roll into stealth kills, as long as your victim’s back is turned. The animations for stealth kills are pretty sweet – the camera zooms in and Ezio dispatches his opponent in some pretty creative ways.
Once you pass a mission or level, your points are awarded based off quickness of completion, kills (Total/Stealth), and damage. You are assigned a rank and sync points based off your performance. The more stealth you use, the higher your scores will be. This franchise proposes a unique gaming experience. As Ezio you can hide in haystacks so guards will not be aware of your presence, then pop out and strike once the guard turns his back. Having said that, AC II is for those with patience. Some missions require stealth, so if you plan on running amok you’ll probably have to play the same level several times. Also, Ezio’s health regenerates over time. My only real issues with this game are the change to slide movement control and limited amount of visibility you have for spotting enemy positions. The slide control, used in lieu of a joystick or directional pad, sometimes fumbles your intended movement for Ezio. If AC II or a future installment makes it to the iPad, I can see the screen-size issue being moot.
After completing the gameplay/controls tutorial, your first mission is to protect a man named Christoffa in exchange for meeting the Spaniard. So, right out of the gate the storyline gets style points, keeping the subplot (revenge mission) visible in the background while staying true to the Thieves’ Guild’s plans. This is a great game for anyone that’s into adventure games, stealth, and console adaptations. It’s expensive for an iPhone game, but cheaper than Nintendo DS and console versions. However, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are far more (and expectedly so) polished.
