Chicken-clucking Jerusalem
The story of Assassin’s Creed follows the life of Desmond , a humble bartender who through the use of the Animus, a device which allows the retrieval of genetic memory, travels back into the body of his ancestor Altair, an assassin during the Third Crusade.With sword in hand you travel on horseback to the Holy cities of Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre where you’re ordered to get to the bottom of a conspiracy and carry out the assassination on nine set targets for your master.
If you’ve seen the barrage of screenshots and trailers over the last year or so you’ll know that the game looks incredible. The first time I rode on horseback across the dusty plains of the Kingdom to arrive high on a mountain road overlooking the city of Damascus I was quite gob-smacked at the sight that I saw in front of me and couldn’t wait to get inside the city walls and start exploring. I’d describe that moment as being similar to the time when I first broke out of the castle in Oblivion and was greeted with the stunning world of Kalneil at my feet.
The three major cities in Assassin’s Creed are apparently modelled on how the Holy places may have looked back in the days of the Crusades and the atmosphere that has been created in the bustling streets is certainly one to be savoured. There’s a soothing blend of natural sounds, such as background chatter, chicken’s clucking and church bells ringing , while Kyd’s blend of orchestral music, his use of choirs and Middle-Eastern instrumentals fills the streets with a warm vibe.
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Click for larger imageA flock of birds scatter in the town square as you brush past, smoke bellows out of the chimneys of the stone-clad buildings and the locals barter with the market traders. It’s a wonderful achievement from the studio and they’ve managed to create such a great energy within the environment, something that I haven’t quite experienced in any other game.
There isn’t a day and night cycle in Assassin’s creed, which I think would have been an exciting addition, but still the sun reflects and bounces off the gilded domes and the light cascades through and around trees and other objects casting shadows on the town’s walkways and generally breathing life into the city.