Assassin's Creed

Written by Joe Comunale  on November 22, 2006

First Impressions: Assassin's Creed is a mщlange of undercover investigation and medieval swordplay

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The exclusivity of Assassin's Creed was unconfirmed, but Ubisoft Montreal was proud to announce its development for both Xbox 360 and PS3. Details are sparse, but from what we know thus far, Ubisoft Montreal is straying away from the norm with some rather ambitious ideas.

The medieval story is centralized around an adventurer named Altair. This hitman's shadowy past is further illustrated by the hood that he dons, preventing you from ever getting a clear glimpse of his face. Whether or not his past (or face) will ever surface isn't certain. What is known is that you'll roam various cities in search of clues, all the while masquerading around as a simple townsman. You'll find clues by eavesdropping and pick pocketing, with each clue taking you one step closer to your target. Once three clues are found, you have the green light to begin the execution process.

First and foremost, the developer has taken an atypical approach with the control scheme. Each face button independently controls Altair's body parts. The X button controls his weapon hand; B, his non-dominant hand; Y, his head; and A, his legs (for jumping not running). Since Altair is right handed, you'd assume the B button would control his weapon hand; strangely, it's the other way around. And the control mapping of Y for his head may not be exactly what you're thinking. We hate to break it to you, but you won't be running about head butting everybody in sight. Actually, Y taps into your inner strengths, letting you exercise your intuition and ability to eavesdrop.

The control mapping isn't the only unique aspect of gameplay. Throughout exploration, you'll be tasked to climb walls in order to carry out your hits. The catch is that you'll have to feel around for grips by reaching for protrusions in the walls. With the aforementioned control scheme, this could provide for an interesting, intuitive experience.

All gameplay aside, Creed boasts promising visuals, even at this early stage in development. Those with Xbox Live can get a glimpse by downloading the recently released trailer available under Bringing It Home. While the montage is rather brief, it's quite effective. You first view the mysterious voyager horseback riding across a verdant canyon that precedes a massive castle. Once inside, you'll watch Altair effortlessly fend off opposing guards with his sword, leaving nearby townspeople in disarray. After some dazzling swordplay and a rather exciting acrobatic performance, Altair is shown atop a large platform staring down his target. The trailer then comes to a close as Altair descends back to ground level and puts the finishing touch--a sword to the heart--on his intended target.

Creed will be Xbox Live compatible and, while not confirmed, is expected to feature some type of multiplayer mode (including co-op). Ubisoft Montreal intends to keep the game the same on each platform, although the team is still experimenting possible inclusions. Perhaps the Sixaxis controller's tilt detection will come into play for the PS3 version.