In the Shoes of an Assassin

After completing Assassin’s Creed, I spent some time reflecting on the game. Inspired by Greg Costikyan’s call for critiques instead of reviews and Michael Abbot's article "Critics Don't Need Thumbs," I tried to explore the game’s goals and how well it succeeded. The game, outside of the eternal battle of differing world views between the Templars and the Assassins, the game play attempts to place the player in the shoes of an assassin. Is the game as repetitive as many reviewers suggest or did they succeed in exploring a day in the life of an assassin?

The biggest knock Assassin’s Creed has garnered from reviewers has been the repetitive nature leading up to each assassination. There are only five different missions that allow Altair to acquire Intel: pickpocket, eavesdrop, interrogation, flag collection and minor assassinations. For all of the main assassinations, some or all of these missions must be completed with little deviation in game play from the first time they are introduced.

Yet isn’t this the job of a successful and professional assassin? While I’m not an assassin myself (or am I?), it seems the most successful assassinations occur after careful, deliberate planning and information gathering. While the game will allow the player to partake in an assassination after completing only two Intel missions, this leaves the player entering the situation woefully blind and no clear idea of where the enemy will be or the best escape route. It is to the player’s best interest to take his time and gather as much information as possible and be prepared. This slow pace builds on the stealth game play in the Splinter Cell and the Hitman series by allowing the player to engage the enemy from the open or amongst a crowd while crafting an escape on the fly. The life of an assassin is in the shadows, striking when the enemy least expects it. Altair is the antithesis of Kratos or Marcus Fenix, who enter a situation with blades swinging or guns blazing and little regard for what or who is in the way. The game rewards those patient enough to complete this planning with a satisfying final blow back before the target knows what happened. In the end, a successful kill has forced the player to walk a mile in the shoes of a deadly assassin which is repetitive, but satisfying, due to its deliberate nature.