Assassin's Creed:Bloodlines

Why, tho?

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a direct sequel to Altair's escapades in the Holy Land. He's chasing after the Templar remnants who fled to Cypress. I don't remember if there is a reason why, but Altair learns of an archive, presumably filled with relics similar to the Apple of Eden. He's brought along Maria, the right hand woman of Robert de Sable, but she's not thrilled.

While aiding the citizens of Limassol and Kyrenia (for no reason) and killing Templars, Altair considers the Apple of Eden and the people who made it. Meanwhile, Maria learns the truth about her order and comes to appreciate that Altair hasn't killed her. Betrayals, twists, and confusion lead the way into a game that makes me ask one question: what was the point?

I like the Assassin's Creed series because all the games are interconnected. I'm the weird one who enjoyed the out-of-Animus segments. There are always two or three stories being told, but Bloodlines drops the hall on all of those fronts. Desmond is never seen at all. We get a framing device about being in the Animus, but who are we? What is Abstergo even seeking? There is no mention of another Precursor Artifact, and (SPOILER) a potential thing they could want gets destroyed. So why are we living as Altair again? And what did Altair even get out of this journey besides a wife? AC is about genealogy, but this didn't need to be a game.

Especially one with these terrible controls! Early AC games were sketchy, but AC1 was playable! Altair randomly stopped or jumped way too often. He constantly refused to grab on to things, which, in his defense, were shockingly few. Worst still, he kept leaping to the wrong thing, often to his death. It's frustrating and unrewarding. There are not even any cool parkour runs like in the Holy Land. Combat is also weirdly sluggish. It feels like a step back from AC1.

The music is...odd. Jysper Kid's techno ambiance remains, but nothing hit me here. I enjoyed the stuff from AC1, Brotherhood, and the other games, but it's empty on Cypress. And all the combat songs are the same.

Graphics are also lacking. While all three cities in AC! looked and played differently, both primary locations in Bloodlines look the same. The castles/dungeons are different, but they're short and one time events that carry their own nonsense with gameplay and boring boss fights.

My biggest gripe with AC Bloodlines is how empty everything feels. Nothing is explained, and I never once felt rewarded for my actions. As Bloodlines was short and concise but empty, so to will this review.

Overall score: 18/50