Detailed Analysis - Main Narrative
Ezio's Final Journey
After years of leading the charge against the Templars and becoming the leader of the Assassins, Ezio has achieved his search for vengeance and justice against the Borgia Templars. After doing so much for the Assassins and fighting for those who have suffered through great pain, Ezio has grown weary of his continued interest in the already long war. After discovering a letter written by his father, written before Ezio’s birth, he learns about a library made by Altair hidden beneath the stones of Masyaf Castle: The original stronghold of the Levantine Assassins. In search of then knowledge hidden, we join Ezio on possibly his most important journey yet as he wants to find the knowledge that can renew his desire to participate in the Assassin-Templar war. After fighting for so long, Ezio has become somewhat disillusioned with the continued struggle as it only seems to go in the direction of Chaos.
This is perhaps the most important journey Ezio has ever taken. In the past, his fight against the Templars has always been rooted in his need for vengeance against Rodrigo Borgia and his search for justice against Cesare Borgia. In between these 2 prime conflicts, Ezio has always lent a hand to anybody he has come across, although this was always when he was fulfilling his own goals and so now that his relevant enemies have been defeated, Ezio starts to look for a reason to remain an Assassin. Traveling to Masyaf, Ezio finds it is overrun with Templars, who are also looking for the knowledge of Altair’s library. The library is hidden behind a door that cannot be opened without finding several keys. Finding a book written by Niccolò Polo with clues to a location that can house a key.
To gain access, Ezio must find the keys, one of which is already in the hands of the Templars, which they found in Constantinople thanks to the book and so leaves there to pick up the trail. Arriving in Constantinople: The Crossroads of the World, he quickly becomes engaged in the affairs of the Ottoman Assassins and Byzantine Templars as they fight for control of the diverse city and Ezio continues to evolve his skills and knowledge. As he continues on his journey, he will write letters to his sister, Claudia, informing her of his progress and his thoughts on situations. For Ezio, it helps that he’s able to use these letters as a sounding board, even if he’s not able to speak to his sister properly, at least he can commit his thoughts to paper. He meets many new characters that help make Ezio feel at home and are also good at putting Ezio’s skills to the test, like joyful Ottoman Assassin Mentor Yusuf Tazim, and wise Ottoman Prince, Suleiman.
On his mission to find the keys, he comes into contact with Sofia Sartor, a Venetian bookkeeper who has returned to re-open her family’s store, also an old Polo trading post. It has been lightly touched on that Niccolò Polo was a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, so it would make sense for Ezio to begin his search there. He picks up the trail for the Masyaf keys and finds one, as well as an old map. Examining the map, he realizes he cannot decode it but Sofia volunteers to, intrigued by the mystery that Ezio has started, she insists on helping him. With so many of the people Ezio meets being Assassins, Templars and known affiliates, it is nice to see him be more relaxed around civilians like Sofia. Searching for the books gives the 2 occasions to bond with each other and they both come to enjoy each other’s company. Ezio gives Sofia a thrilling mystery and adventure to be a part of and Sofia gives Ezio brief moments to not be an Assassin but to be a person, something Ezio has not done for many years. Ezio is constantly careful as he does not want to involve Sofia in the affairs of the Assassins.
As Ezio progresses through his journey, he succeeds in a great many things but also makes his fair share of mistakes. While he can help the Ottoman Assassins maintain and even gain more control of the city he also acts independently at times. One mistake is killing a man who appeared to be providing arms to the Templars but was using the deals to track the Templars. Killing this man in haste, proves to be a blow to the city and even causes Ezio to have to fight his way out of the city at one point, causing a catastrophic mess to the city and the Assassin’s reputation in the city. When returning he finds Yusuf murdered and Sofia was taken by the Byzantine Templars. He eventually saves her and gains all the Masyaf keys while also breaking the Byzantine Templar leadership.
On his journey back to Masyaf, he confides in Sofia everything, about himself, his allegiance, and the things he has done. She does not seem to react in a disgusted manner but is rather more curious about the Assassins and their Creed and how long Ezio has devoted himself to the cause for so long and how he came to understand that it is time for him to live his own life and how he chooses, something Sofia agrees with. Unlocking the library, Ezio enters alone to find no books or maps but only empty shelves and chairs, save one. There he finds Altair’s skeleton, with one last Masyaf key, with his final moments. The library was not holding any books but instead held the Apple that Altair originally found in the first AC. Instead of claiming it, Ezio leaves it as he had decided he’s seen enough for one life and lays down his Blades, signifying his end as an Assassin. The apple creates a state where Ezio can communicate with Desmond directly, admitting he never really understood the purpose of his life but kept moving forward. He accepts that he is simply a conduit for Desmond to gain the knowledge he seeks, hoping Desmond will be the one to make everything worthwhile in the end, Ezio finally gains the answers he seeks and decides to finally stop fighting and live his own life.
Altair's Legacy
In the first AC, Altair was introduced to us as a Master Assassin that had lost his way and was disgraced. On a mission to retrieve an object for the leader of the Levantine Assassins, Al Mualim, he returns a failure and brings the Templars to their doorstep. To redeem himself in the eyes of the Assassins, he is tasked with killing 9 Templars in the region who are creating chaos and destabilizing the region. After killing all 9 men, Altair learns that these men wanted the object as well and were working with Al Mualim to retrieve it, but Al Mualim wanted the object for himself. Altair returns to Masyaf and confronts Al Mualim, who is using the apple to control the Assassins and the citizens of Masyaf. Altair succeeds in killing Al Mualim takes the apple and becomes the head of the Assassins. Altair led the order admirably and successfully, breaking the control of the Templar’s grasp of the holy lands and eventually marrying Maria Thorpe, a Templar turned Assassin. After focusing so much on Ezio’s journey, we never really revisited Altair, only hearing of his accomplishments and achievements. Through the Masyaf keys, Altair leaves behind vital memories which give glimpses into his life and the lessons he learned.
Checking in again with Altair provided a way to give us closure with him, as Ezio’s journey was coming to an end as well and it allowed us to understand more about what he had to go through and grew. Creating his library under Masyaf Castle, he used Precursor discs as keys but only imbued each one with a memory from his life, showing moments in his life that would greatly impact his life and would teach him valuable lessons. Each of these memories showed Altair’s immense strength, wisdom, and fortitude in the face of almost impossible situations. A massive obstacle in Altair’s path was another Assassin, Abbas, a man who is immensely jealous of Altair. Abbas proves to be a selfish and vindictive man who cares little for the Assassin's cause and instead wants power for power’s sake and causes a great deal of pain and suffering.
Seeing Altair grow from an overzealous Assassin to a Masterful was a highlight of the first AC game. Seeing Altair grow from a Master Assassin to a wise and valiant leader was an excellent way to show Altair’s life to the player, without hogging so much of the game’s story. Despite only having brief moments, Altair provides immense agency to the story of Revelation’s story as his journey helps to greatly impact Ezio’s. At one point, Altair helps to stop an Assassin civil war, after he kills Al Mualim and Abbas attempts to claim the apple with disastrous results as the Apple causes pain to the surrounding Assassins besides Altair. After this he became incredibly bitter towards Altair and years later as Altair was away dealing with the impending threat of the Mongolians, Abbas took charge of the Assassins and ordered the death of members loyal to Altair, including Altair’s youngest son. Confronting Abbas, Altair also lost his wife Maria and was forced into exile as the Assassins had turned against him.
Altair suffered many losses throughout his life that should have broken his faith in the Assassins, but he kept fighting and eventually regained control of the Assassins and killed Abbas, but not without making peace with him. Even Altair was able to make peace with Abbas, even though Abbas’s actions got Altair’s wife and son killed and destroyed the reputation of the Assassins, Altair still tried to give Abbas peace in death and would go on to rebuild the Brotherhood both in spirit and their numbers. He would even induct Niccolò Polo and his brother Maffeo into the Assassins and their descendants would eventually rename themselves as the Auditore’s. Altair showed a great care for the people he was meant to protect but did express doubt in his life about how he wished he could have had the humility to stand down.
Eventually, he would disperse the Assassins across the world and would empty Masyaf, while building his library. Altair said a final and loving goodbye to his eldest son and sealed himself within the vault, laying the apple to rest and peacefully passing away in a chair. It wouldn’t be until 100’s years later, that Ezio would unseal the vault and find Altair and his apple but would leave both behind as well as make his decision to stop being an Assassin. Altair’s story provided Ezio with the insight he would need to determine his commitment to the Assassin-Templar war and his place in it. Without Altair, Ezio would never have been able to make accept peace and allow Ezio to live the remainder of his life with the people he loved. Altair’s actions would allow the Assassins to be spread far and vast and would change the way the Assassins operate and without him, they would have likely been wiped out. Altair was also responsible for the induction of the Polo brothers and the Polos would go on to rename themselves as the Auditore, Ezio’s bloodline. Revelations bought Altair’s story to a fulfilling close without overtaking Ezio’s story and instead helped complement Ezio’s journey.
Desmond's Journey
After Desmond killed Lucy, at Juno’s behest, we learn that he was plugged back into the Animus to save his life, by a yet unknown party. We soon discover that Desmond is still safe with the Assassins as Rebecca has augmented the Animus to keep Desmond safe and stable, but unable to interact. Waking up on a mysterious island, that could not exist in the real world, Desmond comes across Subject 16. A digital construct that 16 integrated into the memory core the Animus is using, this version of 16 is very sane and clever as well. After hearing of the infamous subject 16, and interacting with the insane version we met in Brotherhood, we are instead introduced to a different version of 16, one that has been in the Animus for a long time and one that couldn’t be interacted with before.
Clay quickly explains the situation, that Desmond should be in a psych ward and completely brain dead. Thankfully someone plugged him into the Animus which saves his life but unfortunately, his prolonged exposure to the Animus and The Bleeding Effect have fractured his mind. To escape from the Animus and fix his mind, Desmond had to achieve what is known as a Sync Nexus. A Sync Nexus, as 16 explains, is a moment when an Animus user fully experiences the memories of their ancestor(s) and they have nothing left to show them. Once this is achieved, the Animus can separate Desmond’s memories and personality from Ezio and Altair and so Desmond must revisit these ancestors for the last time.
While exploring the final memories of Ezio and Altair, Desmond occasionally gets pulled out of the memories and forced back onto the island. This happens because the Animus thinks he’s a virus and is trying to erase him but 16, is constantly causing interference with the Animus so Desmond can explore freely. Through Desmond’s interactions, it is clear that 16 has been experiencing loneliness and is not coping well with being trapped in the Animus. At one point he asks if he can join Desmond when he leaves the Animus so they would inhabit the same body but Desmond doesn’t agree, to which 16 just accepts that he lost his chance at life long ago.
When reliving Ezio’s and Altair’s memories, Desmond comes across Animus data fragments, that have an unknown purpose on their own. After collecting enough of them, he can unlock additional areas of the Animus island. In these areas, he must navigate through a simulated program based on his own memories and experiences. Not having much knowledge about Desmond’s past other than being an Assassin runaway and ending up a bartender in Manhattan was a good opportunity to learn more about Desmond’s life. Not only do we get to see some of Desmond’s experiences, but we also get to learn more about his innermost thoughts and feelings.
Watching Desmond’s life and how he felt helps up to bond much better with Desmond as up till this point, we were only introduced to the captive and now the Assassin. Learning about his struggles and doubts helps us to understand that Desmond isn’t just taking everything in his stride but is bottling up his feelings. Being able to see how Desmond initially ran away from his family and started a new life, and eventually being taken by the Templars helps him come to terms with who he is. During AC2 and Brotherhood, while he seemed to be willing and able to be an Assassin and take part in the fight, we never heard him truly acknowledge that he was a member of the Brotherhood. On his final journey, Desmond finally comes to terms with who he feels he’s meant to be, An Assassin. After reliving the final memories, the Animus simulation seemingly fails and attempts to erase the Island as well as 16 and Desmond. Before it can happen, 16 pushes Desmond into the memories and is erased along with the island. 16 was completely erased and did this so that Desmond could attain the Sync Nexus. Desmond finishes Ezio’s and Altair’s memories and achieves his Sync Nexus at which point he finally wakes up, to Shaun, Rebecca, and his father William.
Armed with the combined skills and knowledge from Altair and Ezio and the Apple he found in the ancient vault, he and the team have made their way to the Temple that should be able to give them the answers they need to protect their world from the impending disaster, the precursors foretold, as long as the Templars do not get in the way. Whatever happens, Desmond’s final journey will determine the fate of the world and may change the landscape of the modern-day Assassin-Templar conflict.
The Precursor Storyline
After having found the apple in the last game, Desmond claimed it but was taken over by a new Precursor known as Juno, who was very different from Minerva. Where Minerva seemed indifferent to people and focused on her goal of attempting to alert Desmond to the locations of the Precursor temples, Juno seemed to want to aid Desmond on his journey but seemed to hold a massive amount of disdain for Desmond and humanity in general. After claiming the apple, Juno would coerce Desmond into murdering his friend and fellow Assassin, Lucy Stillman. Once this was done, Desmond slipped into a coma as Juno wanted him to unlock the Sixth sense. A sense that the Precursors denied humanity.
As Desmond is only being kept alive by the Animus, he is only able to leave as soon as he achieves a “Sync Nexus”. By completing his ancestor’s relevant memories, the achievement of a Sync Nexus will allow the Animus to separate the memories and personalities of Desmond, Ezio, and Altair. This is an essential tool for Desmond to achieve as he will not be able to wake up until the Sync Nexus is achieved. After reaching the end of Ezio’s memories Desmond finally achieves his Synch Nexus and is greeted by a new precursor, Jupiter. Jupiter would go on to inform Desmond about how the precursors foresaw the disaster that decimated their kind once before and was coming again. They worked tirelessly to save the world and labored in a place known as “The Grand Temple” but their efforts were in vain. Jupiter urges Desmond to go to the Grand Temple and to finish the work they started to save the world. We were then treated to see the event and how it destroyed a Precursor city and how their people burned.
The Precursor storyline continues to evolve in brand new and exciting ways as it brings up even more interesting terms like the Synch Nexus and continues to introduce new characters that continue to pique the interest of the character with such little screen time. With this entry in the Assassin’s Creed series, it feels like the disaster plotline is finally coming up to a head and hopefully will have a satisfying and compelling conclusion.
Ubisoft is doing an excellent job at piquing the interest in the Precursor Storyline while also making sure it doesn’t hog too much of the main story. While the storyline does impact heavily on the agency for the main story, it’s good that the Precursor storyline is grounded in the Assassin and Templar conflict which still makes for a fun and interesting plotline itself.