Review

10 Feb

I doubt when Ubisoft first came up with the idea of Ezio that they ever anticipated just how popular and how beloved he would be to the still-growing Assassin’s Creed fanbase but before we talk about Ezio, let’s go back to Desmond for a moment. Building on the conflict that was established in the last game we follow Desmond as he begins his path to becoming an Assassin. Escaping from Abstergo with the help of Lucy Stillman he is quickly led down the path to becoming an Assassin. On his path to becoming an Assassin, he is taken to an abandoned warehouse where he meets the Assassin duo, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. Both Shaun and Rebecca are not what you expect from a pair of Assassins, but they are exactly the type of people that Desmond needs for his journey into becoming an Assassin and understanding their place in history which is where Ezio comes in. As Desmond settles into his new hideout he jumps back into the Animus and instead of revisiting Altair, he travels to the Italian Renaissance where he now will explore the memories of his Italian Ancestor, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze.

In complete contrast to Altair who was stoic, mission-oriented, and dedicated to a cause, Ezio is instead carefree, charismatic, and has no plans for the future. Instead of the story of a disgraced Assassin having to regain his honor, we are introduced to the story of a rising Assassin that is made enjoyable by its extremely likable and charismatic protagonist and it is made all the more enjoyable by meeting the story’s vast wealth of characters that each help Ezio develop as a person and as an Assassin. Early on we are introduced to the Auditore family members, Federico who is a more refined version of Ezio is immediately introduced as Ezio’s equal. Other Auditore family members like sister and brother, Claudia and Petruccio show how valued Ezio is to the family and the things he does for them. Perhaps the most interesting of the family are Ezio’s parents, Giovanni and Maria. Maris is a mother who comes off as very wise and compassionate and calls out Ezio on his activities while Giovanni is admirable of the young Florentine if albeit a little annoyed. It is the ties Ezio has to his family that make this journey an important one for him.

After a betrayal from a close family friend, Ezio loses his father and his brothers to the hangmen’s noose but not before being quaffed with his Father’s Assassin armor and his tools. It is this deep betrayal that forces Ezio to undergo his journey of becoming an Assassin. The journey itself is not as straightforward as one might think as to avenge his family and protect the family, he has remaining he must endeavour to learn all the skills and knowledge he will need to become the man we all know him to be. One would think that his journey would be full of perils and would be a grim one but throughout his journey, he never loses sight of who he is and always retains the qualities he displayed when we first meet him. His journey of revenge takes him to many different cities in Italy and introduces himself to many different characters.

The sunny city of Florence is a sprawling city that is beautiful at any time of day and the city of Venice is masterfully crafted to allow for ease of movement across the entire city. Between these beautiful cities, you get the fascinating town of San Gimignano and the passthrough Town of Forli which offer their own unique locations for Ezio to explore. Perhaps the most welcoming location is the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni, Ezio’s home base and where his family is safest. Each of these locations is exciting to explore and each area holds its own secrets that Ezio must find which opens up interesting Narrative facts about the Assassins and the Auditore’s themselves. Shaun will also come along and provide database entries for us to learn more about the cities and their structures. Each character and each target are a perfect representation of the cities that they inhabit. Characters like Paolo and La Volpe who are based in Florence are certainly colorful characters as they provide Ezio with additional skills. Others like Teodora and Antonio represent the calm that is instilled in Venice but also a calculating insight into the secrets hidden in Venice. We can learn more about the targets of our hunt with the database entries that Shaun creates for us and provide even better context on how depraved and merciless our targets are.

While Ezio is conducting his journey through the Animus we are also able to link back up with Desmond who after a few days in the Animus can perform the skills that Ezio had learned in his decades. It also provides an excellent opportunity to get to know the group a bit more. We learn a lot more about Shaun and Rebecca’s ties to the Assassins and how differently they view their side. While Rebecca and Desmond are confident in their position that the Assassins are the good guys and they only do what they need to do, Shaun is very different in his convictions but no less loyal. Both characters make for an interesting pair, especially in future adventures. Lucy continues to be a rock for Desmond as he continues his journey to becoming an Assassin and it is a great journey that truly helps humanize the Assassin, instead of being seen as nothing more than killers.

Ezio’s story is rarely diverted by the beautiful cities that he visits. While there are many characters introduced, they are only ever touched upon by the main narrative. Even optional storytelling options displayed become a necessity that is needed to complete the main narrative. The codex pages provide Ezio with exciting and interesting upgrades and while they are seen as optional traditionally, by the end of the story they become a necessity to finish Ezio’s Journey. While the game doesn’t have much in terms of collectibles the game makes up for it by adding a massive value to each collectible that when completed provides a satisfying storytelling element.

The Verdict

While the side Narratives could use a little work it is obvious to me that Ubisoft wanted foremost to create an exciting, rich, and satisfying main story. Ubisoft had struck a gold mine with the invention of Ezio, and he is a character that many of us would want to return. His adventure is one of the most replayable stories there is as the journey from a brash, reckless, and arrogant young man to a brave, fearless, and clever Assassin is one of the greater benefits of the game. Getting to watch this young teenager grow into a strong and capable man is a brilliant feat in storytelling. Watching Desmond grow as a character is also an excellent start to his arc. While we still get a good sense of his laidback attitude it’s great to see that when push comes to shove he is ready to step up. Assassin’s Creed 2 Is an excellent start to Ezio’s arc and I’m sure when we see him again we will see Ezio grow even further.

Main Narrative - Assassin’s Creed 2 handles both Ezio’s and Desmond’s dual journey of becoming Assassins in satisfying and dramatic fashion while also fleshing out its brilliant world and continues to build on the series in fun and exciting ways - 10/10
Characters - The characters that Ezio and Desmond meet on their journey are incredibly insightful, compelling and layered which results in a brilliant group of people that we enjoy interacting and fighting with - 9/10
Side Narratives - Assassin’s Creed 2 side quests do not really include anything that can set them apart, they are good for helping to fill in some gaps with the main story and even help improve upon it, but there is room to improve upon in the future 7/10
Environmental and Collectible Storytelling - Using it’s beautiful Renaissance architecture and brilliant Level Design philosophies that help provide fun and interesting storytelling that makes finding the collectibles and exploring the environment worth it 8/10