Assassin’s Creed II
While Grand Theft Auto III reinvented how we were able to explore a contemporary setting in-game, it wasn’t until Assassin’s Creed II that we got a proper taste of what this would be like within a historical period. Sure, the first entry in Ubisoft’s flagship stealth series gave us the illusion of being able to roam the Holy Land during the Third Crusade as we pleased, but walledoff cities, samey environments, and repetitive mission design left Altaïr’s original adventure feeling small, less ‘open world’ and more ‘city block’.
That changed in 2009 when the French publisher’s second attempt at immersing us within a living version of a time gone by launched on PS3. The time period? Renaissance Italy. The setting? Florence, Venice, and other beautiful cities. Throw in a highly charismatic and likeable main protagonist in the hunky shape of Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, and you had a recipe for success. Assassin’s Creed II remains one of the most-lauded series entries to this day for a reason, and it’s the only one to have received two true narrative sequels. (A subsequent PS4 remaster collected all three of Ezio’s stories in one neat package.)
A lot of the game’s popularity is due to how sprawling and alive all four of its explorable locations feel, yes, but this would mean nothing were it not for the emotional thrust that comes by way of Ezio’s quest for vengeance. “It is a good life we lead, brother,” Federico says to his younger sibling after clambering up a tower in the prologue’s final moments. “The best,” Ezio replies. “May it never change.” These words are dripping with dramatic irony: nothing will ever be the same again for our lovable rogue. Nor would they be for the series as a whole.
LAID A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR A WHOLE ROSTER OF OPEN-WORLD EPICS.
Even by today’s standards, Assassin’s Creed II is an eye-arousing delight. Thanks to Venice’s waterways reflecting the surrounding structures, Tuscany’s ochre towers mixing in with the draped foliage and greenery or Monteriggioni’s peaceful atmosphere lending Ezio’s countryside villa a strong feeling of home, getting from A to B in this meticulously crafted rendition of Renaissance Italy never feels like a chore. It’s helped even more so, no doubt, by the slight revisions made to the free running system; simply hold down iq and and away you go.
LEDGE-NDARY
Almost every building or ledge is climbable, adding to the sense of scale. In addition to being your primary way of synchronising towers to reveal additional side-activities and collectibles on the map, being high above the action opens up a slew of vantage points when it comes to killing your target – because despite placing a much stronger emphasis on story, this sequel is still laced with plenty of assassination opportunities you can approach creatively. The franchise hadn’t quite lost sight of this aspect yet.
Playing Assassin’s Creed II you constantly get the sense that not only are you experiencing an authentic rendition of a specific moment in time, you’re also witnessing the start of something. Ezio’s original journey was the perfect blend of strong narrative, memorable characters, and a believable location, laying a strong foundation for a whole roster of other open-world epics. Historic in every sense.