Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Multiplayer Hands On

Everyone’s favourite Abstergo Templars are back to training in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations multiplayer.  Now into the home stretch before its impending November release, fans are getting more hands-on experiences of the game; PlayStation Plus subscribers and PlayStation Uplay members are even getting started in the multiplayer Beta as we speak.  Last week, FanExpo attendees also got the opportunity to take a stab (see what I did there?) at the new multiplayer mode, Deathmatch –  something I’ve personally had my sights on for a while.

Deathmatch is different from previously seen experiences in Brotherhood multiplayer.  For starters, there is only one copy of each character model, so when you find your target, there’s no chance of mistakenly killing the wrong person.  Secondly, there is no range finder, simply a highlighting of the target’s portrait when they are visible to your character.  This forces players to focus much more on their observational skills in spotting pursuers and targets, as well as a bit of luck.  Thirdly, the maps will be much smaller; tracking down targets without a range finder would be too difficult otherwise.

The booth at FanExpo had 8 TVs equipped with PlayStation 3s, a pair of headphones and 3D glasses for those inclined to play in a 3rd dimension (which I was not).  The map provided was Night Hospital, an eastern setting with dusty streets and a small playable area.  Controls felt very similar to Brotherhood, although normally I’m used to an Xbox layout.

One of the nicest changes since Brotherhood is the speed bonus for silent kills.  The stealthier the kill, the faster you regain control of your character, letting you blend back into the crowd. Conversely, those who run down and chase their targets will have to spend a few precious seconds watching the animation, giving opponents time to close in on you.  For those adept in spotting their pursuers, yet not fast enough to stun them, Revelations introduces the Honorable Death worth 100 points for attempting to stun yet still dying in the process.

Overall, my two matchups played were quite enjoyable (I stopped by the booth twice over the weekend).  Although the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations doesn’t make any major changes graphically from Brotherhood (at least in Deathmatch), the point rebalancing and gameplay tweaks will definitely improve the online experience.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m looking forward to strapping on my hidden blades again come mid November.