Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
Encyclopedia
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a video game exclusively for the PlayStation Portable
and is part of the Assassin's Creed
franchise, taking place in between the events of Assassin's Creed
and Assassin's Creed II
. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal
in conjunction with Griptonite Games
and published by Ubisoft
, it was released on November 17, 2009 in North America and November 20, 2009 in Europe.
Another difference between the two games is the amount of civilians present on the street. While the first game was filled with random civilians, Bloodlines has little to no civilians, explained in-game that the civilians were in a constant state of insecurity due to the new system of governance. Still, civilians will react to Altaïr's improper behavior, such as scaling buildings, and running around the streets.
Stealth in Bloodlines was downgraded, again for the reason of controls. Blending was downgraded, due to the system platform. Although scholars are still present in-game, Altaïr can no longer use them as a way to hide. Although Altaïr can still blend, it only acts as a way to safely bypass guards without raising suspicion. Scaling the side of buildings was made easier and faster, resulting in simpler animations, again, due to the system's inferiority. High and Low profile movements were still present in-game, though they were downgraded.
Taking the place of flags, a new collectible featured in the game are Templar Coins that can be used to upgrade health bars, and the amount of damage a weapon can inflict. Three types of coins are present in game: Bronze, Silver and Gold, with Gold holding the highest value. Similar to the previous game, Side-missions are available to players, such as saving civilians from Templar soldiers and performing specific tasks for allies of the resistance. The variety of tasks has been expanded, such as delivering letters, and intercepting couriers. In return, Altaïr will receive coins as a reward, instead of assistance from previous groups, such as scholars and vigilantes.
The setting of this game was based on two areas: Limassol and Kyrenia. The look of the area is very similar to some of the cities in the first game, going as far as having the same atmosphere. Due to the small setting, Horseback riding was removed in Bloodlines. Like in the previous game, Altaïr can synchronize from high vantage points around the city in order to map out the city. Although the map itself is already drawn out, synchronizing will provide the locations of various side-missions.
New assassination techniques were featured in Bloodlines. Weapons from the previous game return in Bloodlines, such as Altaïr's sword, his short blade, throwing knives, and his fists. His usage of each of the weapons is very similar to the first Assassin's Creed. Assassinations are also similar to the first game, although the animation has been toned down to better fit the system. A new, yet very minor assassination technique has been added to the game, allowing Altaïr to pull opponents off of ledges, similar to Assassin's Creed II.
In Bloodlines, cut-scenes are played through preset dialogue, with the character models acting in preset motions and gestures. Unique gestures were only present in confrontations between boss characters, such as Moloch and the Dark Oracle. Subtitles were also added to the game.
Story missions and assassinations were simplified and straightforward. As a replacement for eavesdropping and pickpocketing, missions were played in the same structure as Assassin's Creed II, with Altaïr handling one task after another and slowly gathering vital information from both his allies and enemies as each mission was cleared.
An in-game achievement system is featured in Bloodlines, which rewards players with Templar coins. Achievements can be earned after performing specific tasks, such as killing a set number of soldiers in a specified order, and also collecting all of the Templar coins located throughout the game world. Despite all the downgrades, a new feature is also in this game that doesn't apply to the other games: Altaïr can now regain throwing knives by walking over his used ones. Since pickpocketing was removed and was the only way to regain throwing knives in the first game, Altaïr can now reuse his throwing knives provided that: the knife he threw landed on the ground or an enemy; if the knife lands on water, Altaïr cannot reuse them. Throwing knives may also be regained by interacting with the newly added knife box in the safehouses.
The game opens with Altaïr leading an assault on a Templar harbor fortress in Acre, where Templars boarded ships heading West. Altaïr reached a balcony overlooking the harbor and found Maria Thorpe, the former steward of Robert de Sable (and his female decoy from Assassin's Creed), speaking with various Templar guards. Maria stated that she is to accompany the Templars to Cyprus, but the Templars reply that this is not a good idea, as Armand Bouchart is the new Grand Master of the Knights Templar and he does not hold Maria in high regard.
After her conversation with the Templars, Altaïr confronted Maria, and Maria asks Altaïr if he had now come to finish what he did not before. A battle ensues, in which Altaïr almost robs Maria of her life - but Altaïr decides to let Maria live a little longer. Altaïr interrogates Maria about the Templar's plans for Cyprus; Maria responded with a flippant joke: "Everyone deserves a holiday..." She then warns Altaïr that the Templars will stop at nothing to recover the Apple of Eden from him. Unshaken, Altaïr took Maria prisoner and discussed the current turmoil on Cyprus with a fellow Assassin. After learning that King Richard had actually sold the entire island to the Templars, Altaïr was determined to find out the Templar's schemes. He asked the Assassins to send a message to their contacts on Cyprus, informing them of Altaïr's imminent arrival.
Codex Scene 1: Altaïr is at a large desk strewn with books writing an entry in his Codex. He wrote that he does not know if the power the Apple of Eden holds is truly intended to be evil; but if this proves to be true, he hoped to have within him the power to destroy it.
Memory Block 2
Altaïr had traveled by boat to Limassol with Maria accompanying him as a prisoner. While passing through the port, Altaïr was stopped by some men patrolling the waterfront. After Altaïr reveals himself to be an Assassin and one of the men identifies himself as Alexander, a member of the Cypriot resistance, and the Assassins' primary Cyprus contact. Alexander asks Altaïr about the woman he is with; Altaïr refers to her as "Robert de Sable's girl" and says he hopes to use Maria to lure the other Templars into the open. Alexander offered to escort Maria to the Resistance safe house and Altaïr agrees, giving him time to freely look around Limassol.
Eventually, Altaïr reaches the Resistance safe house and learns from Alexander that the leader of the Limassol Templars is hidden inside the Limassol Castle. In order to have a chance at getting into the castle, Altaïr must assassinate the captain of the Templar Guards so that Osman, a man working as a spy for the Resistance, can get a promotion within the ranks of the guards. Altaïr leaves the safe house and assassinates the Guard Captain, after which he returns to the safe house. Alexander gives Altaïr the mission to go speak with Osman, the spy within the Templar guard ranks and deliver a coded message: "Wish his grandmother a happy birthday - he will trust you then."
Altaïr reaches Osman without being detected and delivers the message Alexander suggested. Osman laughs, praising his dearly departed grandmother, and tells Altaïr that he will reduce the castle watch so that the Templar guard leader, Frederick The Red, can be reached. Osman also tells Altaïr that the Templars have built an Archive of some kind on Cyprus, and are using it to store weapons and information. After this brief meeting, Altaïr headed back to the Resistance safe house to tell Alexander what he learned, and set out to infiltrate Limassol Castle.
Altaïr headed to Limassol Castle and infiltrates the castle, but was spotted by Fredrick the Red on the courtyard. A battle ensued, which ends in the death of Fredrick the Red. Altaïr escaped the castle and returned to the safe house. Upon entering the city, Altaïr learned that the safe house of the Assassins was under attack. Altaïr fought a wave of Templars outside the safe house, and finds Maria had disappeared. Altaïr manages to track her as far as the Cathedral square, where he finds the current Grand Master, Armand Bouchart surrounded by guards and berating the people of Cyprus for Fredrick the Red's murder. Maria suddenly appeared, shouting Bouchart's name. Her hands still bound, Maria warned Bouchart that an Assassin had come to Cyprus, however Bouchart received her coldly, and assumed that she in league with the Assassins. Maria was furious at this suggestion, but before she can object, Bouchart had her arrested and hauled away.
Altaïr chose to rescue Maria rather than follow Bouchart. He disposed of the guards holding her, and in return suffered Maria's insults for being considered a traitor by her fellow Templars. She warns Altaïr that she will kill him when she gets the chance. He responds by telling her that she will never find the Apple of Eden if he died. They both then returned to Alexander in order to speak about getting to Armand Bouchart. Alexander tells Altaïr that Armand Bouchart was the one who set the Resistance safe house on fire just before leaving for Kyrenia by boat. Alexander believed a friend of his, Pasha, can help Altaïr find a way to travel to Kyrenia. Altaïr left Maria with Alexander to go look for Pasha by the docks.
Altaïr found Pasha and asks him for the favor of travel to Kyrenia. Pasha makes no problem of this and also told Altaïr a rumor that secret artifacts were being shipped by the Pirate Templars via the Grand Ship headed to Kyrenia. Altaïr left Pasha to investigate the Grand Ship, searches the entire boat and finds the ship's manifest. It is filled with obvious errors and distortions. Altaïr returns to Alexander and Maria.
Altaïr stated he will head for Kyrenia. Alexander told him to meet with Kyrenia's Resistance leader, Barnabas; he is a friend of Alexander’s and can surely help Altaïr. However, Alexander told Altaïr that he had not heard from Barnabas for a month. Altaïr says farewell to Alexander and leaves for Pasha’s boat with Maria in tow. Maria struggled in order to get free from Altaïr, but complied in the end.
Codex Scene 2: Altaïr wrote that he does not know where the Pieces of Eden originally came from, but he was almost certain the Pieces are not of divine power. He felt the Artifacts were man-made in every way, modeled after the character of the humans and well handcrafted at the mercy of the beholder.
Memory Block 3
We find Altaïr and Maria inside the hull of the ship. Altaïr notices a ring around Maria’s finger and compliments it. Maria responds she got the ring from her former commander Robert de Sable, for the high rank she has obtained within the Templar Order. Altaïr then speaks to Maria of philosophy, eager to convince her that the Templar view of the world is a corrupt one. He speaks of the curious teachings of the Greek philosopher Empedocles, who preached a bizarre precursor to the theory of natural selection. He emphasizes the importance of free thought, and warns her that the Templars' plan for peace involves mental enslavement. Maria seems to somewhat agree with Altaïr on this subject, but remains reticent.
As the ship docks in Kyrenia, Altaïr and Maria stand make ready to climb the ladder to the ship’s deck. Altaïr cuts her bonds so that she may climb out, but when he is distracted by two combative pirates, Maria kicks Altaïr down the ladder and escapes. Altaïr deals with the pirates and escapes to Kyrenia's harbor. After a short while, Altaïr finds Maria among several men who have just saved her from several angry pirates. The leader of the men introduces himself as Markos, a low-ranking soldier in the Resistance. Altaïr asks Markos and his men if Maria can stay with them for the time being while Altaïr explores the land, to which Markos agrees.
Altaïr locates the Resistance Safe House in Kyrenia Commons and enters. He is greeted by a man who calls himself Barnabas and after a short chat with Altaïr, Barnabas tells Altaïr of Buffavento Castle, an old property the Templars had seized from an earlier heiress, and also where Armand Bouchart keeps his prisoners. In order to help Altaïr, Barnabas asks him to perform a service for the Resistance. Altaïr needs to seek out Jonas, a respectable merchant who Barnabas claims is a traitor.
Altaïr seeks out this man named Jonas, and interrogates him. Jonas speaks of a bounty put on Altaïr's head and the head of his female "consort." This does not bode well for Altaïr, and Jonas' disrespect causes Altaïr to take his life. Thereafter Altaïr rushes to the harbor to find Maria, who is currently being attacked by Templars along with Markos. Altaïr helps the two out of trouble, and Altaïr asks Markos to bring Maria to the Assassin's safe house in Kyrenia. Markos complies. Before Altaïr leaves, he speaks with Maria about ‘The Bull’ - a man Maria calls Moloch, the one behind their ambush. Altaïr then leaves to meet up with Barnabas and later meet everyone inside the Resistance safe house.
Once inside the safe house, Altaïr again speaks with Barnabas - apparently the death of Jonas has sparked riots throughout the city. Barnabas states that it is necessary for Altaïr to murder the fanatics causing the riot, and Altaïr complies. Upon returning to the safe house, he finds that Maria and Markos have arrived, but Barnabas is nowhere to be found. Altaïr speaks with Maria about this man named Moloch - specifically about his location. Maria realizes she has said more than she should have and warns Altaïr not to duel him, for Altaïr would not survive. Altaïr does not think twice and infiltrates the Kantara Castle where Moloch is hidden. Upon finding the Bull, he tries to assassinate him, but Moloch intercepts the Assassin before he can strike and throws him to the ground. A battle ensues, in which the end Altaïr takes the life of Moloch. Altaïr then escapes the Castle of Kyrenia and safely returns to the Assassin's safe house.
Codex Scene 3: Altaïr wonders why violence lives so heavily amongst people. Altaïr believes people could not live with one another, as man likes to kill each other over power. He believes the world is not made by the divine - to Altaïr the world seems the work of a madman.
Memory Block 4
Altaïr reaches the safe house and speaks with Markos, only to find everybody else missing. Markos tells Altaïr the Templars came in and took Maria, as well as everybody else. Markos also speaks of a Dark Oracle from Buffavento castle who was mentioned by the Templars, but Altaïr believes Barnabas was behind the attack. Markos is confused by this suggestion and tells Altaïr that the resistance leader Barnabas was executed the day before Altaïr arrived in Kyernia. Clearly the Barnabas Altaïr met was a Templar Agent.
Markos then tells Altaïr the Templars are executing fellow Resistance soldiers in the marketplace. Altaïr rushes to the marketplace, prevents the execution and saves the soldiers. Back at the safe house Markos tells Altaïr that some Resistance members are still imprisoned. Altaïr locates and interrogates a prison guard, who tells Altaïr that there is only one Templar who holds the keys to the jail cells. Altaïr can find this Templar at the Crusader Outpost. Altaïr then takes the life of the Prison Guard.
Altaïr rushes to the Crusader Outpost, kills the guards, steals the keys to the cells and heads back to Kyrenia Harbor. Once inside the harbor, Altaïr fights his way to the cells and frees the prisoners, but Maria is not among them. The freed men say that Moloch's son Shalim has taken Maria away in chains. Altaïr decides to speak with Markos about this. Upon returning to the safe house, both decide Altaïr should pay a visit to this Dark Oracle of which the Templars speak - for it seems Grand Templar Armand Bouchart knows every plan the Resistance has made.
Altaïr infiltrates Buffavento Castle in order to look for the Dark Oracle. He overhears Armand Bouchart and Shalim arguing over Maria's escape - apparently Maria has slipped from Shalim's clutches. In addition, Armand Bouchart asks Shalim to send a message to Alexander in Limassol. Altaïr is shocked to learn that Alexander has been working with the Templars.
Altaïr descends further into the castle, only to find the Dark Oracle at the bottom. She attacks Altaïr, leaving him no choice but to battle with her and in the end, kill her. Before the Dark Oracle loses her life, she babbles and cackles her devotion to her God’s will, and that there is no undoing. After her death, Altaïr escapes the castle and heads back to the Assassin's safe house.
Codex Scene 4: Altaïr wonders about Those Who Came Before. “Who are they? What drove them? Are these so-called artifacts mere toys or were they created for a greater purpose?”
Memory Block 5
Once back inside the safe house, Altaïr discusses Shalim's position. Because Markos could not give much information about Shalim, Altaïr decides to track him down to learn more about the Templars and the Archive. He finds Shalim in the heart of Kyrenia, feasting on women while spending another's coin. Altaïr first decides to assassinate the men Shalim is traveling with, after which he decides to assassinate all the duelists feasting on women as well. After all these assassinations, Altaïr returns to Markos for more information. Markos sends Altaïr to ask help from the local scholars, since Shalim's lifestyle demands frequent confession rituals at the church. Altaïr then seeks out and speaks with a scholar about Shalim's confessions, only to find the scholar unable to speak about Shalim and the Archive in public, to which he asks Altaïr to return later.
Moloch's son suddenly interrupts the conversation by standing in the midst of the Crusader Outpost and speaking towards all passers-by. But this is not Shalim - it is Shahar, Shalim's twin, although neither the player nor Altaïr are aware of this fact. Shahar is a much more level headed man, arguing very rationally for loyalty to the Templars. When Altaïr then goes to speak with the scholar a second time, the scholar is killed by falling wooden crates from above. When Altaïr looks around for the cause of this incident, he finds a mysterious, masked Templar warrior on the rooftops. Altaïr gives chase, but after a long pursuit the mysterious figure escapes from Altaïr and is left looking for clues about the unknown warrior. He then finds Maria's ring when searching the last known position of the mysterious figure and decides it’s best to go speak with Markos.
Back at the Resistance safe house, Altaïr speaks with Markos of the twisted ways of the Templar's doings and hopes to locate Shalim again. Markos mentions that Shalim can frequently be found in the harbor whenever ships full of lovely consorts arrive.
Altaïr reaches the harbor and finds Maria there, disguised as a consort herself and about to sneak into a palanquin headed for Saint Hilarion Castle. Altaïr decides to follow her in, but notes that the road ahead is full of Templars on the look out for both of them. Altaïr decides to clear the path, and quickly disposes of the guards along the road all the way to Saint Hilarion Castle. Upon entering the castle, the palanquin stops and Maria steps out. Two Templar Guards await her arrival and escort her inside the castle. Altaïr doesn’t hesitate a moment and finds a way inside the castle.
Once inside, Altaïr eventually finds the Great Hall. Meanwhile Maria sneaks into Shahar's private room and confronts him about the Templars' wicked plans for the “Apple of Eden”. She asks Shahar if Templars would do ill with this artifact. Shahar states the Templars have no interest in liberty - just order, by any means. At this moment Altaïr busts in the room, apologizing for letting himself in. Shahar calls on his brother Shalim to join the fight. Maria escapes from Shahar's clutches, killing two guards who try to stop her. Altaïr and Maria now stand side by side, faced against Shalim and Shahar. Altaïr smiles: "Two of them.. and two of us". Maria laughs at Altaïr and flees. The battle then ensues between Altaïr and the brothers Shalim and Shahar, ending with both their lives taken. Altaïr then escapes from the castle and heads toward the safe house. Upon entering the safe house, Markos tells Altaïr that the Templar ships are leaving the harbor of Kyrenia. This leads Altaïr to believe that is Templar Archive is not Kyrenia, for surely they would not leave it unguarded. Since all the ships are headed back to Limassol, the Archive must be there. Altaïr departs with kind words.
Codex Scene 5: Altaïr reminisces about his former leader, Al Mualim, and how his leader had betrayed him using the Apple of Eden, just because a single piece of doubt was in Altaïr’s mind. Luckily, he states, he was able to embrace the truth in his mind and set himself free of doubt and disbelief.
Memory Block 6
Altaïr is back on Limassol, as he and Markos thought the Templar Archive ought to be there. Altaïr heads to the Resistance Safe House in Limassol to start an argument with Alexander. They both accuse each other of treachery, until Alexander reveals the contents of the message the Bouchart sent him from Kyrenia; the head of the real Barnabas in a sack. Altaïr despises this, and tells Alexander this was not the man who met with him in Kyrenia. Additionally, Alexander tells tales of how Templars have been murdering and pillaging around the city of Limassol while Altaïr was away. Additionally, false reports of Altaïr's alleged treachery (the death of Jonas) spread fast, and many Resistance leaders have since turned against Altaïr.
Altaïr wants the heads of those responsible for the murders and pillages, and heads out to the marketplace, where he fights and kills the Templar Duelist Captain. He then heads to the Templar pirate ship in the harbor and slays its captain. Finally, Altaïr heads for the new Templar Captain in the Limassol Cathedral Square. Altaïr starts a fight with the man, and in the end, takes his life as payment.
Altaïr learns of recent murders in the ports, and interrogates the Port Watchman to find out what happened. The man states he does not know, but his men were killed last night while a Templar Captain had the watch over the port. The Templar Captain is presumably praying over at the Cathedral, and Altaïr sends out to find this man. Upon finding the Templar he flees, sending multiple waves of Templars. Altaïr slays them all, interrogates the Templar Captain and find his answers lie with a man named Demetris, a rich tailor in the marketplace. Altaïr then assassinates the Templar Captain and heads for Demetris.
Upon entering Demetris’s house, he finds Demetris surrounded by women. Altaïr confronts Demetris, accusing the merchant of accepting bribes to sneak Bouchart back into Limassol. Demetris claims to know nothing about this. Altaïr puts more pressure on Demetris to speak truthfully, but the merchant is killed by a throwing knife in the back. Altaïr tries to follow, only to again find the mysterious Templar standing up and speeding away. Altaïr climbs to the roof as fast as he can, but the mysterious Templar warrior is already gone. Altaïr decides it’s best to speak with Alexander at this point and returns to the Resistance safe house.
But upon entering the safe house, Altaïr does not find Alexander. Instead, Altaïr finds a note left by Alexander, stating that he has a plan and needs Altaïr to come to the courtyard inside the Limassol Castle. Altaïr then rushes to the Limassol Castle, but reminds himself to stay cautious. After passing through the gates of Limassol Castle, he finds Alexander's lifeless body laying in the middle of the courtyard.
The mysterious Templar warrior appears, unmasked, and speaks to Altaïr as if he was already a dead man. This is the same man who previously named himself as Barnabas: the Templar Agent. Suddenly, the townspeople of Limassol breach the castle gate. They are hunting for Altaïr. As the rioting mob closes in Altaïr pulls the Apple of Eden from his belt and uses it. He tells them that they have been lied to and that they must rally their soldiers against the Templars so that Cyprus can be theirs once more. The people stand in confusion and hypnosis, and exit. The Templar above is quite pleased to find the Apple of Eden so close, and intends to claim it. But before he can attack Altaïr, the steel tip of a sword bursts through his chest, pushed by Maria's hand. The mysterious Templar Agent falls thirty feet to the courtyard floor, dead.
Maria speaks to Altaïr about the Apple of Eden as well, as Altaïr warns that it is a powerful weapon in the wrong hands. Maria remarks that she does not know if Altaïr hands are the "right hands" as well. At that moment, a Templar ambush appears at the courtyard, and Maria orders Altaïr to follow her up the stairs. However, Altaïr is already closed in and has to fight waves and waves of Templars. After fighting off the ambush, Altaïr runs up the stairs and passes through the hidden door inside the wall he had previously seen Maria escape through.
Memory Block 7
Altaïr now suddenly finds himself inside the Templar Archive, hidden well under Limassol Castle. His final mission is to assassinate Armand Bouchart, the Grand Master of the Order of Templars. Altaïr fights through the entire Templar Archive, and finds Maria already fighting with Armand Bouchart. Armand is a skillful fighter and sends Maria flying across the room just as Altaïr intercepts them. Altiar goes to Maria and as soon as he finds out she'll live. Altaïr confronts Armand Bouchart, who spins a tale about the Archive, claiming it had been the best kept secret on Cyprus for many decades. Unfortunately, the former Cypriot Emperor Isaac Comnenus had been a foolish man and through his idiocy, forfeited the island to King Richard. Fearing the Archives would be discovered by the English king, the Templars purchased the island from him - an island they basically controlled for free under Comnenus's rule. But that time had passed and the Templars had moved on. While Altaïr was in Kyrenia, the Templars managed to empty the Archive of all artifacts and ship them elsewhere. Armand Bouchart states that Altaïr must instead be left behind.
After a cruel and skillful battle, Altaïr stabs Armand Bouchart, to which the Templar says that Altaïr indeed lives up to the tendencies of his creed. Altaïr says Armand Bouchart did not do the same for the Templars, as the Templars lost the true meaning of their creed. Armand Bouchart states it as "Just expanding the horizon." Altaïr then states the Apple of Eden will not be in anyone's hands but his own, for the sake of peace throughout the holy land, to which Armand Bouchart responds he should hold onto it dearly, and warns Altaïr that in time he will come to the same conclusions the Templars did.
Altaïr leaves Armand Bouchart to die and meets up with Maria who has been laying unconscious during the battle. They both opt to escape the Templar Archive - but all the while, the Archive is falling to pieces fast. Altaïr boosts Maria up to the upper floors of the archive while climbing after her, and they barely make their escape before everything tumbles down.
After escaping Limassol Castle, Altaïr and Maria walk up to the docks, both speaking of what life will hold for the both of them now. Maria tells Altaïr that she no longer wants to be a Templar, nor wishes to look for the original spirit the Templars were once formed in. She does not wish to return to England either. She mentions she will travel for a while, somewhere far East - to India perhaps, or further.
Maria then asks Altaïr of his plans. Altaïr reminisces about his former devotion to the Creed, but realizes his life's purpose changed dramatically since the death of Al Mualim. Altaïr speaks of his curiosity about the Apple of Eden, not out of greed, but out of pure intellectual wonder. He hopes to learn everything he can about the artifact; why it is here and to what end it was created. Maria states that such a thing is a bit much to learn in one lifetime, but Altaïr states that “one lifetime just might be enough.” Maria then asks Altaïr where he will continue his journey. Altaïr responds, “East...” and walks away from the port. Maria turns to follow.
Codex Scene 6: Altaïr writes and wonders why life is formed around chaos, around warfare and around murder. Yet, despite this, the world received such gifts as the Apple of Eden. What is mankind’s purpose? As Altaïr continues scribbling in his Codex, Maria enters and leans over his shoulder to look at his writing.
's version of Assassin's Creed II. It was revealed at the E3 2009
that by connecting a PSP to the PlayStation 3, six exclusive and unique weapons can be unlocked on Assassin's Creed II as well as on Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.
There are 6 unique Boss weapons that are unlocked for use in Assassin's Creed II once you beat each boss in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. Also coins acquired in Bloodlines will be transferred over as Florins to Assassin's Creed II.
In Bloodlines, you can unlock extra health, the ability to block with the hidden blade, and the ability to shoot daggers in a similar fashion as the Hidden Gun in Assassin's Creed II by acquiring codex pages and completing certain missions where codex pages are given in Assassin's Creed II.
which praised its sound-effects but heavily criticized the platforming, small areas and over-emphasis on combat neglecting other areas. However IGN
gave it a 6.9 criticizing its repetitive sound effects as well as one dimensional combat but praising the game's visuals. GameSpy
gave the game a 2.5 out of 5 praising its faithfulness to the series and its gameplay though heavily criticizing its environments, repetitive gameplay as well as poor script and voice-acting. Gamezone's Louis Bedigian gave the game a 5.3/10, saying the game is "Generic at best, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a great example of what can be done on the PSP visually, but should in no way be considered an example of great gameplay."
The design for the throwing knives has been altered. In the first game it is simply a flat knife, but in the game, it now possess a cylindrical hilt and four sided blade.
During the introductory cut-scene of Bloodlines, a short version of Access the Animus, one of the first game's original scores, can be faintly heard in the background.
The game had some errors and glitches, such as the invisible wall glitch and the invisible plank glitch.
Throughout the game, Altaïr's model is rendered without the short blade's sheath on his back. This creates a minor visual glitch in the animation, causing Altaïr to reach for his back when drawing (and returning) the short blade, even though nothing is there.
At the end of each Memory Block (except for the sixth), a cut-scene plays where Altaïr is seen writing down his thoughts on his personal journal (this journal would later become known as the Codex). The exact time and date this occurs is debatable, but it is more likely that he began to work on the Codex after the events in Bloodlines, due to conflicting events. However, some entries from the Codex show that Altaïr wrote entries before his time on Cyprus.
The Apple of Eden can be seen on Altaïr's desk while he writes the Codex pages between Memory Blocks.
The only action present in Assassin's Creed and not in Bloodlines is the 'gentle push', which is replaced by 'grab'.
In each Codex entry, Altaïr wrote the following subjects (in chronological order):
1) His time with the Apple of Eden.
2) His opinion and observations about the Apple of Eden's creation and origin.
3) The common man's natural instincts that results to violence.
4) The origins and legacy of Those Who Came Before
5) His confrontation with Al Mualim.
6) The chaos that surrounded life, and life's purpose.
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and is part of the Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is an award-winning historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The bulk of the game takes place during the Third Crusade, with the plot revolving around a sect known as the Secret Order of...
franchise, taking place in between the events of Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is an award-winning historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The bulk of the game takes place during the Third Crusade, with the plot revolving around a sect known as the Secret Order of...
and Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed II is a historical third-person action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is the second video game installment of the Assassin's Creed series, and is a sequel to the 2007 video...
. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
in conjunction with Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games
Griptonite Games, is an American video game developer developer located in Kirkland, Washington. It is currently wholly owned by Glu Mobile, but was formerly a part of super-developer Foundation 9 Entertainment, where it was previously a studio of Amaze Entertainment.-History:Steve Ettinger opened...
and published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, it was released on November 17, 2009 in North America and November 20, 2009 in Europe.
Gameplay
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines contains similar, if not the same, gameplay to Assassin's Creed in terms of control style, although there were minor modifications to the control scheme, due to the lack of specific keys and buttons. Some features from the previous game, such as Eagle Vision, were removed for the betterment of the controls. Due to the system platform, the AI has been seen as somewhat inferior when compared to the first game, making combat easier and simpler. A minor addition was featured in the combat aspect of the game, allowing players to instantly assassinate a target when they are downed in combat.Another difference between the two games is the amount of civilians present on the street. While the first game was filled with random civilians, Bloodlines has little to no civilians, explained in-game that the civilians were in a constant state of insecurity due to the new system of governance. Still, civilians will react to Altaïr's improper behavior, such as scaling buildings, and running around the streets.
Stealth in Bloodlines was downgraded, again for the reason of controls. Blending was downgraded, due to the system platform. Although scholars are still present in-game, Altaïr can no longer use them as a way to hide. Although Altaïr can still blend, it only acts as a way to safely bypass guards without raising suspicion. Scaling the side of buildings was made easier and faster, resulting in simpler animations, again, due to the system's inferiority. High and Low profile movements were still present in-game, though they were downgraded.
Taking the place of flags, a new collectible featured in the game are Templar Coins that can be used to upgrade health bars, and the amount of damage a weapon can inflict. Three types of coins are present in game: Bronze, Silver and Gold, with Gold holding the highest value. Similar to the previous game, Side-missions are available to players, such as saving civilians from Templar soldiers and performing specific tasks for allies of the resistance. The variety of tasks has been expanded, such as delivering letters, and intercepting couriers. In return, Altaïr will receive coins as a reward, instead of assistance from previous groups, such as scholars and vigilantes.
The setting of this game was based on two areas: Limassol and Kyrenia. The look of the area is very similar to some of the cities in the first game, going as far as having the same atmosphere. Due to the small setting, Horseback riding was removed in Bloodlines. Like in the previous game, Altaïr can synchronize from high vantage points around the city in order to map out the city. Although the map itself is already drawn out, synchronizing will provide the locations of various side-missions.
New assassination techniques were featured in Bloodlines. Weapons from the previous game return in Bloodlines, such as Altaïr's sword, his short blade, throwing knives, and his fists. His usage of each of the weapons is very similar to the first Assassin's Creed. Assassinations are also similar to the first game, although the animation has been toned down to better fit the system. A new, yet very minor assassination technique has been added to the game, allowing Altaïr to pull opponents off of ledges, similar to Assassin's Creed II.
In Bloodlines, cut-scenes are played through preset dialogue, with the character models acting in preset motions and gestures. Unique gestures were only present in confrontations between boss characters, such as Moloch and the Dark Oracle. Subtitles were also added to the game.
Story missions and assassinations were simplified and straightforward. As a replacement for eavesdropping and pickpocketing, missions were played in the same structure as Assassin's Creed II, with Altaïr handling one task after another and slowly gathering vital information from both his allies and enemies as each mission was cleared.
An in-game achievement system is featured in Bloodlines, which rewards players with Templar coins. Achievements can be earned after performing specific tasks, such as killing a set number of soldiers in a specified order, and also collecting all of the Templar coins located throughout the game world. Despite all the downgrades, a new feature is also in this game that doesn't apply to the other games: Altaïr can now regain throwing knives by walking over his used ones. Since pickpocketing was removed and was the only way to regain throwing knives in the first game, Altaïr can now reuse his throwing knives provided that: the knife he threw landed on the ground or an enemy; if the knife lands on water, Altaïr cannot reuse them. Throwing knives may also be regained by interacting with the newly added knife box in the safehouses.
Synopsis
Memory Block 1The game opens with Altaïr leading an assault on a Templar harbor fortress in Acre, where Templars boarded ships heading West. Altaïr reached a balcony overlooking the harbor and found Maria Thorpe, the former steward of Robert de Sable (and his female decoy from Assassin's Creed), speaking with various Templar guards. Maria stated that she is to accompany the Templars to Cyprus, but the Templars reply that this is not a good idea, as Armand Bouchart is the new Grand Master of the Knights Templar and he does not hold Maria in high regard.
After her conversation with the Templars, Altaïr confronted Maria, and Maria asks Altaïr if he had now come to finish what he did not before. A battle ensues, in which Altaïr almost robs Maria of her life - but Altaïr decides to let Maria live a little longer. Altaïr interrogates Maria about the Templar's plans for Cyprus; Maria responded with a flippant joke: "Everyone deserves a holiday..." She then warns Altaïr that the Templars will stop at nothing to recover the Apple of Eden from him. Unshaken, Altaïr took Maria prisoner and discussed the current turmoil on Cyprus with a fellow Assassin. After learning that King Richard had actually sold the entire island to the Templars, Altaïr was determined to find out the Templar's schemes. He asked the Assassins to send a message to their contacts on Cyprus, informing them of Altaïr's imminent arrival.
Codex Scene 1: Altaïr is at a large desk strewn with books writing an entry in his Codex. He wrote that he does not know if the power the Apple of Eden holds is truly intended to be evil; but if this proves to be true, he hoped to have within him the power to destroy it.
Memory Block 2
Altaïr had traveled by boat to Limassol with Maria accompanying him as a prisoner. While passing through the port, Altaïr was stopped by some men patrolling the waterfront. After Altaïr reveals himself to be an Assassin and one of the men identifies himself as Alexander, a member of the Cypriot resistance, and the Assassins' primary Cyprus contact. Alexander asks Altaïr about the woman he is with; Altaïr refers to her as "Robert de Sable's girl" and says he hopes to use Maria to lure the other Templars into the open. Alexander offered to escort Maria to the Resistance safe house and Altaïr agrees, giving him time to freely look around Limassol.
Eventually, Altaïr reaches the Resistance safe house and learns from Alexander that the leader of the Limassol Templars is hidden inside the Limassol Castle. In order to have a chance at getting into the castle, Altaïr must assassinate the captain of the Templar Guards so that Osman, a man working as a spy for the Resistance, can get a promotion within the ranks of the guards. Altaïr leaves the safe house and assassinates the Guard Captain, after which he returns to the safe house. Alexander gives Altaïr the mission to go speak with Osman, the spy within the Templar guard ranks and deliver a coded message: "Wish his grandmother a happy birthday - he will trust you then."
Altaïr reaches Osman without being detected and delivers the message Alexander suggested. Osman laughs, praising his dearly departed grandmother, and tells Altaïr that he will reduce the castle watch so that the Templar guard leader, Frederick The Red, can be reached. Osman also tells Altaïr that the Templars have built an Archive of some kind on Cyprus, and are using it to store weapons and information. After this brief meeting, Altaïr headed back to the Resistance safe house to tell Alexander what he learned, and set out to infiltrate Limassol Castle.
Altaïr headed to Limassol Castle and infiltrates the castle, but was spotted by Fredrick the Red on the courtyard. A battle ensued, which ends in the death of Fredrick the Red. Altaïr escaped the castle and returned to the safe house. Upon entering the city, Altaïr learned that the safe house of the Assassins was under attack. Altaïr fought a wave of Templars outside the safe house, and finds Maria had disappeared. Altaïr manages to track her as far as the Cathedral square, where he finds the current Grand Master, Armand Bouchart surrounded by guards and berating the people of Cyprus for Fredrick the Red's murder. Maria suddenly appeared, shouting Bouchart's name. Her hands still bound, Maria warned Bouchart that an Assassin had come to Cyprus, however Bouchart received her coldly, and assumed that she in league with the Assassins. Maria was furious at this suggestion, but before she can object, Bouchart had her arrested and hauled away.
Altaïr chose to rescue Maria rather than follow Bouchart. He disposed of the guards holding her, and in return suffered Maria's insults for being considered a traitor by her fellow Templars. She warns Altaïr that she will kill him when she gets the chance. He responds by telling her that she will never find the Apple of Eden if he died. They both then returned to Alexander in order to speak about getting to Armand Bouchart. Alexander tells Altaïr that Armand Bouchart was the one who set the Resistance safe house on fire just before leaving for Kyrenia by boat. Alexander believed a friend of his, Pasha, can help Altaïr find a way to travel to Kyrenia. Altaïr left Maria with Alexander to go look for Pasha by the docks.
Altaïr found Pasha and asks him for the favor of travel to Kyrenia. Pasha makes no problem of this and also told Altaïr a rumor that secret artifacts were being shipped by the Pirate Templars via the Grand Ship headed to Kyrenia. Altaïr left Pasha to investigate the Grand Ship, searches the entire boat and finds the ship's manifest. It is filled with obvious errors and distortions. Altaïr returns to Alexander and Maria.
Altaïr stated he will head for Kyrenia. Alexander told him to meet with Kyrenia's Resistance leader, Barnabas; he is a friend of Alexander’s and can surely help Altaïr. However, Alexander told Altaïr that he had not heard from Barnabas for a month. Altaïr says farewell to Alexander and leaves for Pasha’s boat with Maria in tow. Maria struggled in order to get free from Altaïr, but complied in the end.
Codex Scene 2: Altaïr wrote that he does not know where the Pieces of Eden originally came from, but he was almost certain the Pieces are not of divine power. He felt the Artifacts were man-made in every way, modeled after the character of the humans and well handcrafted at the mercy of the beholder.
Memory Block 3
We find Altaïr and Maria inside the hull of the ship. Altaïr notices a ring around Maria’s finger and compliments it. Maria responds she got the ring from her former commander Robert de Sable, for the high rank she has obtained within the Templar Order. Altaïr then speaks to Maria of philosophy, eager to convince her that the Templar view of the world is a corrupt one. He speaks of the curious teachings of the Greek philosopher Empedocles, who preached a bizarre precursor to the theory of natural selection. He emphasizes the importance of free thought, and warns her that the Templars' plan for peace involves mental enslavement. Maria seems to somewhat agree with Altaïr on this subject, but remains reticent.
As the ship docks in Kyrenia, Altaïr and Maria stand make ready to climb the ladder to the ship’s deck. Altaïr cuts her bonds so that she may climb out, but when he is distracted by two combative pirates, Maria kicks Altaïr down the ladder and escapes. Altaïr deals with the pirates and escapes to Kyrenia's harbor. After a short while, Altaïr finds Maria among several men who have just saved her from several angry pirates. The leader of the men introduces himself as Markos, a low-ranking soldier in the Resistance. Altaïr asks Markos and his men if Maria can stay with them for the time being while Altaïr explores the land, to which Markos agrees.
Altaïr locates the Resistance Safe House in Kyrenia Commons and enters. He is greeted by a man who calls himself Barnabas and after a short chat with Altaïr, Barnabas tells Altaïr of Buffavento Castle, an old property the Templars had seized from an earlier heiress, and also where Armand Bouchart keeps his prisoners. In order to help Altaïr, Barnabas asks him to perform a service for the Resistance. Altaïr needs to seek out Jonas, a respectable merchant who Barnabas claims is a traitor.
Altaïr seeks out this man named Jonas, and interrogates him. Jonas speaks of a bounty put on Altaïr's head and the head of his female "consort." This does not bode well for Altaïr, and Jonas' disrespect causes Altaïr to take his life. Thereafter Altaïr rushes to the harbor to find Maria, who is currently being attacked by Templars along with Markos. Altaïr helps the two out of trouble, and Altaïr asks Markos to bring Maria to the Assassin's safe house in Kyrenia. Markos complies. Before Altaïr leaves, he speaks with Maria about ‘The Bull’ - a man Maria calls Moloch, the one behind their ambush. Altaïr then leaves to meet up with Barnabas and later meet everyone inside the Resistance safe house.
Once inside the safe house, Altaïr again speaks with Barnabas - apparently the death of Jonas has sparked riots throughout the city. Barnabas states that it is necessary for Altaïr to murder the fanatics causing the riot, and Altaïr complies. Upon returning to the safe house, he finds that Maria and Markos have arrived, but Barnabas is nowhere to be found. Altaïr speaks with Maria about this man named Moloch - specifically about his location. Maria realizes she has said more than she should have and warns Altaïr not to duel him, for Altaïr would not survive. Altaïr does not think twice and infiltrates the Kantara Castle where Moloch is hidden. Upon finding the Bull, he tries to assassinate him, but Moloch intercepts the Assassin before he can strike and throws him to the ground. A battle ensues, in which the end Altaïr takes the life of Moloch. Altaïr then escapes the Castle of Kyrenia and safely returns to the Assassin's safe house.
Codex Scene 3: Altaïr wonders why violence lives so heavily amongst people. Altaïr believes people could not live with one another, as man likes to kill each other over power. He believes the world is not made by the divine - to Altaïr the world seems the work of a madman.
Memory Block 4
Altaïr reaches the safe house and speaks with Markos, only to find everybody else missing. Markos tells Altaïr the Templars came in and took Maria, as well as everybody else. Markos also speaks of a Dark Oracle from Buffavento castle who was mentioned by the Templars, but Altaïr believes Barnabas was behind the attack. Markos is confused by this suggestion and tells Altaïr that the resistance leader Barnabas was executed the day before Altaïr arrived in Kyernia. Clearly the Barnabas Altaïr met was a Templar Agent.
Markos then tells Altaïr the Templars are executing fellow Resistance soldiers in the marketplace. Altaïr rushes to the marketplace, prevents the execution and saves the soldiers. Back at the safe house Markos tells Altaïr that some Resistance members are still imprisoned. Altaïr locates and interrogates a prison guard, who tells Altaïr that there is only one Templar who holds the keys to the jail cells. Altaïr can find this Templar at the Crusader Outpost. Altaïr then takes the life of the Prison Guard.
Altaïr rushes to the Crusader Outpost, kills the guards, steals the keys to the cells and heads back to Kyrenia Harbor. Once inside the harbor, Altaïr fights his way to the cells and frees the prisoners, but Maria is not among them. The freed men say that Moloch's son Shalim has taken Maria away in chains. Altaïr decides to speak with Markos about this. Upon returning to the safe house, both decide Altaïr should pay a visit to this Dark Oracle of which the Templars speak - for it seems Grand Templar Armand Bouchart knows every plan the Resistance has made.
Altaïr infiltrates Buffavento Castle in order to look for the Dark Oracle. He overhears Armand Bouchart and Shalim arguing over Maria's escape - apparently Maria has slipped from Shalim's clutches. In addition, Armand Bouchart asks Shalim to send a message to Alexander in Limassol. Altaïr is shocked to learn that Alexander has been working with the Templars.
Altaïr descends further into the castle, only to find the Dark Oracle at the bottom. She attacks Altaïr, leaving him no choice but to battle with her and in the end, kill her. Before the Dark Oracle loses her life, she babbles and cackles her devotion to her God’s will, and that there is no undoing. After her death, Altaïr escapes the castle and heads back to the Assassin's safe house.
Codex Scene 4: Altaïr wonders about Those Who Came Before. “Who are they? What drove them? Are these so-called artifacts mere toys or were they created for a greater purpose?”
Memory Block 5
Once back inside the safe house, Altaïr discusses Shalim's position. Because Markos could not give much information about Shalim, Altaïr decides to track him down to learn more about the Templars and the Archive. He finds Shalim in the heart of Kyrenia, feasting on women while spending another's coin. Altaïr first decides to assassinate the men Shalim is traveling with, after which he decides to assassinate all the duelists feasting on women as well. After all these assassinations, Altaïr returns to Markos for more information. Markos sends Altaïr to ask help from the local scholars, since Shalim's lifestyle demands frequent confession rituals at the church. Altaïr then seeks out and speaks with a scholar about Shalim's confessions, only to find the scholar unable to speak about Shalim and the Archive in public, to which he asks Altaïr to return later.
Moloch's son suddenly interrupts the conversation by standing in the midst of the Crusader Outpost and speaking towards all passers-by. But this is not Shalim - it is Shahar, Shalim's twin, although neither the player nor Altaïr are aware of this fact. Shahar is a much more level headed man, arguing very rationally for loyalty to the Templars. When Altaïr then goes to speak with the scholar a second time, the scholar is killed by falling wooden crates from above. When Altaïr looks around for the cause of this incident, he finds a mysterious, masked Templar warrior on the rooftops. Altaïr gives chase, but after a long pursuit the mysterious figure escapes from Altaïr and is left looking for clues about the unknown warrior. He then finds Maria's ring when searching the last known position of the mysterious figure and decides it’s best to go speak with Markos.
Back at the Resistance safe house, Altaïr speaks with Markos of the twisted ways of the Templar's doings and hopes to locate Shalim again. Markos mentions that Shalim can frequently be found in the harbor whenever ships full of lovely consorts arrive.
Altaïr reaches the harbor and finds Maria there, disguised as a consort herself and about to sneak into a palanquin headed for Saint Hilarion Castle. Altaïr decides to follow her in, but notes that the road ahead is full of Templars on the look out for both of them. Altaïr decides to clear the path, and quickly disposes of the guards along the road all the way to Saint Hilarion Castle. Upon entering the castle, the palanquin stops and Maria steps out. Two Templar Guards await her arrival and escort her inside the castle. Altaïr doesn’t hesitate a moment and finds a way inside the castle.
Once inside, Altaïr eventually finds the Great Hall. Meanwhile Maria sneaks into Shahar's private room and confronts him about the Templars' wicked plans for the “Apple of Eden”. She asks Shahar if Templars would do ill with this artifact. Shahar states the Templars have no interest in liberty - just order, by any means. At this moment Altaïr busts in the room, apologizing for letting himself in. Shahar calls on his brother Shalim to join the fight. Maria escapes from Shahar's clutches, killing two guards who try to stop her. Altaïr and Maria now stand side by side, faced against Shalim and Shahar. Altaïr smiles: "Two of them.. and two of us". Maria laughs at Altaïr and flees. The battle then ensues between Altaïr and the brothers Shalim and Shahar, ending with both their lives taken. Altaïr then escapes from the castle and heads toward the safe house. Upon entering the safe house, Markos tells Altaïr that the Templar ships are leaving the harbor of Kyrenia. This leads Altaïr to believe that is Templar Archive is not Kyrenia, for surely they would not leave it unguarded. Since all the ships are headed back to Limassol, the Archive must be there. Altaïr departs with kind words.
Codex Scene 5: Altaïr reminisces about his former leader, Al Mualim, and how his leader had betrayed him using the Apple of Eden, just because a single piece of doubt was in Altaïr’s mind. Luckily, he states, he was able to embrace the truth in his mind and set himself free of doubt and disbelief.
Memory Block 6
Altaïr is back on Limassol, as he and Markos thought the Templar Archive ought to be there. Altaïr heads to the Resistance Safe House in Limassol to start an argument with Alexander. They both accuse each other of treachery, until Alexander reveals the contents of the message the Bouchart sent him from Kyrenia; the head of the real Barnabas in a sack. Altaïr despises this, and tells Alexander this was not the man who met with him in Kyrenia. Additionally, Alexander tells tales of how Templars have been murdering and pillaging around the city of Limassol while Altaïr was away. Additionally, false reports of Altaïr's alleged treachery (the death of Jonas) spread fast, and many Resistance leaders have since turned against Altaïr.
Altaïr wants the heads of those responsible for the murders and pillages, and heads out to the marketplace, where he fights and kills the Templar Duelist Captain. He then heads to the Templar pirate ship in the harbor and slays its captain. Finally, Altaïr heads for the new Templar Captain in the Limassol Cathedral Square. Altaïr starts a fight with the man, and in the end, takes his life as payment.
Altaïr learns of recent murders in the ports, and interrogates the Port Watchman to find out what happened. The man states he does not know, but his men were killed last night while a Templar Captain had the watch over the port. The Templar Captain is presumably praying over at the Cathedral, and Altaïr sends out to find this man. Upon finding the Templar he flees, sending multiple waves of Templars. Altaïr slays them all, interrogates the Templar Captain and find his answers lie with a man named Demetris, a rich tailor in the marketplace. Altaïr then assassinates the Templar Captain and heads for Demetris.
Upon entering Demetris’s house, he finds Demetris surrounded by women. Altaïr confronts Demetris, accusing the merchant of accepting bribes to sneak Bouchart back into Limassol. Demetris claims to know nothing about this. Altaïr puts more pressure on Demetris to speak truthfully, but the merchant is killed by a throwing knife in the back. Altaïr tries to follow, only to again find the mysterious Templar standing up and speeding away. Altaïr climbs to the roof as fast as he can, but the mysterious Templar warrior is already gone. Altaïr decides it’s best to speak with Alexander at this point and returns to the Resistance safe house.
But upon entering the safe house, Altaïr does not find Alexander. Instead, Altaïr finds a note left by Alexander, stating that he has a plan and needs Altaïr to come to the courtyard inside the Limassol Castle. Altaïr then rushes to the Limassol Castle, but reminds himself to stay cautious. After passing through the gates of Limassol Castle, he finds Alexander's lifeless body laying in the middle of the courtyard.
The mysterious Templar warrior appears, unmasked, and speaks to Altaïr as if he was already a dead man. This is the same man who previously named himself as Barnabas: the Templar Agent. Suddenly, the townspeople of Limassol breach the castle gate. They are hunting for Altaïr. As the rioting mob closes in Altaïr pulls the Apple of Eden from his belt and uses it. He tells them that they have been lied to and that they must rally their soldiers against the Templars so that Cyprus can be theirs once more. The people stand in confusion and hypnosis, and exit. The Templar above is quite pleased to find the Apple of Eden so close, and intends to claim it. But before he can attack Altaïr, the steel tip of a sword bursts through his chest, pushed by Maria's hand. The mysterious Templar Agent falls thirty feet to the courtyard floor, dead.
Maria speaks to Altaïr about the Apple of Eden as well, as Altaïr warns that it is a powerful weapon in the wrong hands. Maria remarks that she does not know if Altaïr hands are the "right hands" as well. At that moment, a Templar ambush appears at the courtyard, and Maria orders Altaïr to follow her up the stairs. However, Altaïr is already closed in and has to fight waves and waves of Templars. After fighting off the ambush, Altaïr runs up the stairs and passes through the hidden door inside the wall he had previously seen Maria escape through.
Memory Block 7
Altaïr now suddenly finds himself inside the Templar Archive, hidden well under Limassol Castle. His final mission is to assassinate Armand Bouchart, the Grand Master of the Order of Templars. Altaïr fights through the entire Templar Archive, and finds Maria already fighting with Armand Bouchart. Armand is a skillful fighter and sends Maria flying across the room just as Altaïr intercepts them. Altiar goes to Maria and as soon as he finds out she'll live. Altaïr confronts Armand Bouchart, who spins a tale about the Archive, claiming it had been the best kept secret on Cyprus for many decades. Unfortunately, the former Cypriot Emperor Isaac Comnenus had been a foolish man and through his idiocy, forfeited the island to King Richard. Fearing the Archives would be discovered by the English king, the Templars purchased the island from him - an island they basically controlled for free under Comnenus's rule. But that time had passed and the Templars had moved on. While Altaïr was in Kyrenia, the Templars managed to empty the Archive of all artifacts and ship them elsewhere. Armand Bouchart states that Altaïr must instead be left behind.
After a cruel and skillful battle, Altaïr stabs Armand Bouchart, to which the Templar says that Altaïr indeed lives up to the tendencies of his creed. Altaïr says Armand Bouchart did not do the same for the Templars, as the Templars lost the true meaning of their creed. Armand Bouchart states it as "Just expanding the horizon." Altaïr then states the Apple of Eden will not be in anyone's hands but his own, for the sake of peace throughout the holy land, to which Armand Bouchart responds he should hold onto it dearly, and warns Altaïr that in time he will come to the same conclusions the Templars did.
Altaïr leaves Armand Bouchart to die and meets up with Maria who has been laying unconscious during the battle. They both opt to escape the Templar Archive - but all the while, the Archive is falling to pieces fast. Altaïr boosts Maria up to the upper floors of the archive while climbing after her, and they barely make their escape before everything tumbles down.
After escaping Limassol Castle, Altaïr and Maria walk up to the docks, both speaking of what life will hold for the both of them now. Maria tells Altaïr that she no longer wants to be a Templar, nor wishes to look for the original spirit the Templars were once formed in. She does not wish to return to England either. She mentions she will travel for a while, somewhere far East - to India perhaps, or further.
Maria then asks Altaïr of his plans. Altaïr reminisces about his former devotion to the Creed, but realizes his life's purpose changed dramatically since the death of Al Mualim. Altaïr speaks of his curiosity about the Apple of Eden, not out of greed, but out of pure intellectual wonder. He hopes to learn everything he can about the artifact; why it is here and to what end it was created. Maria states that such a thing is a bit much to learn in one lifetime, but Altaïr states that “one lifetime just might be enough.” Maria then asks Altaïr where he will continue his journey. Altaïr responds, “East...” and walks away from the port. Maria turns to follow.
Codex Scene 6: Altaïr writes and wonders why life is formed around chaos, around warfare and around murder. Yet, despite this, the world received such gifts as the Apple of Eden. What is mankind’s purpose? As Altaïr continues scribbling in his Codex, Maria enters and leans over his shoulder to look at his writing.
Connectivity
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines features exclusive connectivity with the PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's version of Assassin's Creed II. It was revealed at the E3 2009
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, commonly known as the E3 2009, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment...
that by connecting a PSP to the PlayStation 3, six exclusive and unique weapons can be unlocked on Assassin's Creed II as well as on Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.
There are 6 unique Boss weapons that are unlocked for use in Assassin's Creed II once you beat each boss in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. Also coins acquired in Bloodlines will be transferred over as Florins to Assassin's Creed II.
In Bloodlines, you can unlock extra health, the ability to block with the hidden blade, and the ability to shoot daggers in a similar fashion as the Hidden Gun in Assassin's Creed II by acquiring codex pages and completing certain missions where codex pages are given in Assassin's Creed II.
Reception
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines has received an average reception from critics. It received a 5.5 from GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
which praised its sound-effects but heavily criticized the platforming, small areas and over-emphasis on combat neglecting other areas. However IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it a 6.9 criticizing its repetitive sound effects as well as one dimensional combat but praising the game's visuals. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
gave the game a 2.5 out of 5 praising its faithfulness to the series and its gameplay though heavily criticizing its environments, repetitive gameplay as well as poor script and voice-acting. Gamezone's Louis Bedigian gave the game a 5.3/10, saying the game is "Generic at best, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a great example of what can be done on the PSP visually, but should in no way be considered an example of great gameplay."
Trivia
Altaïr's voice actor for Bloodlines is different from his in Assassin's Creed.The design for the throwing knives has been altered. In the first game it is simply a flat knife, but in the game, it now possess a cylindrical hilt and four sided blade.
During the introductory cut-scene of Bloodlines, a short version of Access the Animus, one of the first game's original scores, can be faintly heard in the background.
The game had some errors and glitches, such as the invisible wall glitch and the invisible plank glitch.
Throughout the game, Altaïr's model is rendered without the short blade's sheath on his back. This creates a minor visual glitch in the animation, causing Altaïr to reach for his back when drawing (and returning) the short blade, even though nothing is there.
At the end of each Memory Block (except for the sixth), a cut-scene plays where Altaïr is seen writing down his thoughts on his personal journal (this journal would later become known as the Codex). The exact time and date this occurs is debatable, but it is more likely that he began to work on the Codex after the events in Bloodlines, due to conflicting events. However, some entries from the Codex show that Altaïr wrote entries before his time on Cyprus.
The Apple of Eden can be seen on Altaïr's desk while he writes the Codex pages between Memory Blocks.
The only action present in Assassin's Creed and not in Bloodlines is the 'gentle push', which is replaced by 'grab'.
In each Codex entry, Altaïr wrote the following subjects (in chronological order):
1) His time with the Apple of Eden.
2) His opinion and observations about the Apple of Eden's creation and origin.
3) The common man's natural instincts that results to violence.
4) The origins and legacy of Those Who Came Before
5) His confrontation with Al Mualim.
6) The chaos that surrounded life, and life's purpose.