Assassin's Creed: Limited Edition

Summary

Assassin's Creed is an open-ended action-adventure video game in which players take control of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a 12th-century Levantine Assassin operating during the Third Crusade. His experiences are relived through the Animus by his 21st-century descendant, Desmond Miles. The North American version of the game includes a three-inch collectible Altaïr figurine, a Penny Arcade comic, a mini strategy guide, and a bonus disc. The bonus disc features behind-the-scenes footage, developer diaries, trailers, interviews with the production team, and the winning entries from the Assassin's Creed short film contest. The European limited edition includes a twelve-inch Altaïr figurine, an art book, and a bonus disc. This disc contains several short films and content comparable to the North American edition.

Storyline

Desmond Miles, a bartender, is taken by Abstergo Industries to be used as a test subject in the "Animus," a device capable of simulating ancestral memories. Abstergo plans to use Desmond to access the memories of his forebear, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood in 1191, who lived during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. At first, Desmond struggles with the device, but over the next few days, he gradually experiences Altaïr's adventures. The game then shifts to Altaïr's perspective, with occasional returns to Desmond's viewpoint, either due to issues with the Animus or the effects of the Bleeding Effect. The game begins with Desmond entering Altaïr's memory, but he quickly encounters synchronization difficulties. During this time, the voices of Lucy Stillman and Warren Vidic can be heard debating Desmond's safety within the Animus. After a few setbacks, Desmond exits the simulation, and Vidic explains the Animus' mechanics before starting a tutorial sequence. Once Desmond completes the tutorial, he enters the nearest synchronizable memory of Altaïr. Lucy explains that Desmond must relive key events in Altaïr's life to improve his synchronization, ultimately reaching the final memory that contains the information Abstergo is after. Altaïr is first seen attempting to recover one of a set of powerful artifacts known as the "Pieces of Eden" from Solomon’s Temple, aided by his allies Malik Al-Sayf and his brother Kadar. Their mission is interrupted by Robert de Sablé, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar and the Assassins' sworn enemy. In his attempt to kill Robert, Altaïr violates all three of the Assassins' tenets, but fails in his mission. During the ensuing chaos, Malik's brother is killed and his left arm is severely injured and later removed. When Altaïr returns to the Assassin stronghold in Masyaf with apologies, Malik, who survived the encounter with de Sablé, returns with the artifact and scolds Altaïr for his pride. After fending off a retaliatory attack from the Templars, Al Mualim, the leader of the Assassins, demotes Altaïr to a novice but offers him another opportunity to prove himself. Al Mualim assigns Altaïr the mission of assassinating nine key individuals across the Holy Land—Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus—with the goal of bringing peace between the Crusaders and the Saracens. Each target is based on a real historical figure from the Third Crusade, including Majd Addin, Garnier de Naplouse, Jubair al Hakim, Abu'l Nuqoud, Sibrand, William of Montferrat, and Robert de Sablé. As Altaïr completes each mission, he uncovers the connections between the targets and Robert, revealing their shared goal of ending the Crusades and taking control of the Holy Land. With casualties on both sides, he learns that Robert's final plan is to unite the Christian and Muslim forces against the Assassins. Altaïr confronts de Sablé before Richard the Lionheart, failing to convince the king to end the war, but successfully stopping Robert's scheme. From de Sablé, Altaïr discovers that Al Mualim was once a Templar who had used the Assassins to eliminate other members who knew the artifact's true power, keeping it for himself. Returning to Masyaf, Altaïr confronts his master, who confesses the truth: the Piece of Eden, which Altaïr had helped recover before his transgression, is capable of creating illusions. Al Mualim dismisses religion and other supernatural events—such as the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the Red Sea parting, and the Greek gods in the Trojan War—as illusions caused by the artifact. He then reveals his plan to use the Piece to brainwash humanity, ending all conflict. Altaïr sees through the deception and kills Al Mualim. When Altaïr retrieves the artifact, the Piece of Eden activates, displaying a holographic map of the world with other Pieces of Eden marked in various locations. After the memory is complete, Desmond learns that Abstergo is a modern front for the Templars, already searching for other artifacts based on the locations from Altaïr’s memories. He also discovers that the modern-day Assassins had tried to rescue him before the memory was complete but failed. Desmond was to be killed on the orders of a high-ranking Templar, Alan Rikkin, but Lucy Stillman saves him. At one point, she tucks her ring finger into her palm, a reference to the Assassin tradition of removing the finger. Though still trapped in the Abstergo lab, Desmond's time in the Animus has caused a Bleeding Effect, allowing him to access Altaïr's Eagle Vision. This ability lets him see strange messages painted on the walls and floor of the lab. The messages reference various apocalyptic prophecies from different cultures, including multiple mentions of December 21, 2012—the date Abstergo plans to launch a satellite to "permanently end the war." It is implied that this plan will use the same method Al Mualim used to hypnotize Masyaf, but on a global scale. The game ends with Desmond pondering the meaning of the messages and who might have painted them.

Screenshots

Release dates by platform

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