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hoodie and a sash of crimson , was a master of stealth and parkour , and a deliverer of death via a retractable wrist-mounted blade - a surrogate for a missing finger . His quest for redemption , which involves slaying nine influential men in the Holy Land , leads him on a path of discovery , treachery , and self-education , culminating in the revelation of a shadow war fought between the Assassins , who safeguard free will , and their nemeses the Templars , who seek to guide society as its puppet masters .
Assassin ’ s Creed broadened my expectations for video games as a storytelling medium in their own right . I once thought cutscenes were deadening , that they killed a game ’ s momentum - after all , the distinguishing feature of any video game is that you are taking the entertainment into your own hands . But when I actually started to listen to the conversations in the game , I soon found them as interesting as the parts when I had control over the narrative . The characters discussed topics such as free will , the necessity of duty , and decision-making . It was my first crash course in philosophy , and the classroom was a sandbox video game where one could roam free , fulfilling side missions , protecting civilians , or collecting medieval memorabilia in the bustling alleys of Damascus , Acre , and Jerusalem . Yet , the narrative was bolstered by the cutscene digressions , not hindered by them . History lent Assassin ’ s Creed a gravitas that it would have otherwise lacked . There was also something giddy about seeing a historical character of titanic stature , like Richard the Lionheart , portrayed in pixelated flesh and skin . I became so involved in the story I would chastise my friend whenever he didn ’ t pay attention or skipped the cutscenes with a flick of a stubby button .
After I left Joburg for Tokyo , one of the first things I bought upon arriving in Japan was my own copy of Assassin ’ s Creed . Sadly , Age of Empires was put in a cubby and soon blanketed by dust as the years rolled on . I had migrated from a PC patrician to a console plebeian , but it had zero effect on me . I transferred a nascent love of history into the seemingly tangible world of Assassin ’ s Creed , and I lost myself in the past it created through its welldrawn characters . Or perhaps it would be better to say I found some of myself in the stories it told through their voices . Because as fiction , it was simply superb . Whatever the games ’ faults ( namely the staccato controls ), it became one of my favorites . Sequels were inevitable and anticipated .
In 2009 Assassin ’ s Creed II was released and it surpassed the original . It became the first of a trilogy set in Renaissance Italy and the Mediterranean . It starred a new follower of the
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“ These games demonstrate a collective effort to import a sense of cultural complexity , if not always in fidelity to accuracy , to the emotional richness of its human characteristics .”