Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles is a video game released for the Nintendo DS, iPod Touch 4/iPhone 4, Symbian Mobile, Windows Phone 7, and Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play as a prequel to Assassin's Creed. It is published by Ubisoft, and developed by Gameloft,^[1] and was released in the United States on February 5, 2008. A port with improved graphics and gameplay was made for the iPhone OS by Ubisoft, and released on April 23, 2009.^[2]

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 2.1 Coming Home 2.2 The Quest for the Chalice 2.2.1 Assassination of Tamir 2.2.2 The Dancer 2.2.3 The Red Hospital 2.2.4 The Hidden Party 2.2.5 Killing the Killers 2.2.6 The Temple of Sand 2.2.7 Infiltrating a Templar Stronghold 2.2.8 Infiltrating the Siege Camp 2.2.9 Discovering a Traitor 2.2.10 Duel on Basilisk's Ship 3 Memories 4 Assassination Targets 5 Reception 6 Gallery 7 Trivia 8 References

GameplayEdit

Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles takes advantage of the Nintendo DS's features by utilizing the touch-screen for mini-games, like interrogation and pickpocketing, as well as for displaying a map during standard gameplay. The game's main gameplay is primarily a Prince of Persia-style of platforming, mixed in with stealth and combat.^[3]

The game's combat system consists predominantly of weak attacks, strong attacks, and combinations of the two, as well as including bombs and projectiles in battle. Seven different weapons are available, including the Hidden Blade, Altaïr's Sword, a Crossbow, explosive bombs, smoke bombs, throwing knives and a grappling hook which can be used to pull enemies' feet from underneath them. The grappling hook is also used for swinging across gaps with no rope.^[3]

Weapons and skills can be upgraded or unlocked by using orbs, which can be found throughout the game. The game also features three different levels of difficulty, allowing for more experienced players to take on a bigger challenge.^[3]

PlotEdit

In the year 1190 AD, the wars of the Third Crusade engulfed the Holy Land, and Crusaders clashed with Saracens for control of the Holy City, Jerusalem.^[3]

Coming HomeEdit

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassins, returned home to Alep from an arduous journey and found it under attack by the sworn enemies of the Assassins, the Knights Templar. Left with no choice but to repel the attack, the Assassin defeated many of them, even killing a low-ranking captain before the attack was halted.

Afterwards, tasked by Al Mualim, the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr was sent to find and retrieve a sacred object known as the Chalice, which was said to have the power to unite all the factions under one flag of whichever side possessed it, ending the Third Crusade in victory for either the Crusaders or the Saracens. Setting off immediately, Altaïr embarked on his new quest.^[3]

The Quest for the ChaliceEdit

Assassination of TamirEdit

Altaïr began his journey in Damascus and met with a Rafiq, who tested his skills on a target, before informing him that the merchant, Tamir, had connections to the Templars in the area. After interrogating Misbah, a man with connections to Tamir, Altaïr confronted the merchant and killed him, but not before learning that the Chalice was kept in the Temple of the Sand and that three keys were needed to enter.^[3]

The DancerEdit

Altaïr then visited the circus dancer Fajera, but she was unwilling to help him and left the Assassin to fight a circus brute known as Badr. After defeating the man and catching Fajera, she gave Altaïr the first of the three keys and told him that a man at the Templar hospital in Tyre could help him find the other two. Before he left, Fajera tasked Altaïr with killing a Templar named Alaat.^[3]

The Red HospitalEdit

Later arriving in Tyre, Altaïr first sought Hamid – the

Rafiq of the city – from whom he learned that Roland Napule, the head of the hospital and a Templar, had been questioning someone. In order to infiltrate the hospital, Altaïr navigated his way through the sewer, gaining entry to the building from below, before proceeding to assassinate Roland. Altaïr was then given the second key that he needed by a prisoner of Roland, an old man who had been to the mysterious Temple that the Chalice was contained within.^[3]

The Hidden PartyEdit

From there, Altaïr travelled to Jerusalem and spoke with Kadar, a local Assassin agent, learning that the Templar leader of the region, Lord Basilisk, was frequently at the royal palace with the king, and that he had the third key for the Temple of the Sand.

The king of Jerusalem was going to throw a party somewhere soon that day, and in order to get closer to Basilisk, Altaïr logically decided that the location should be discovered, so that he could sneak inside. After Altaïr overheard some of the noblemen's conversations, he then questioned Ayman, a man who was invited to the party, and found out where the party was about to begin.

Infiltrating it with the help of one of Kadar's men, the two of them encountered Lord Basilisk for the first time, and after a brief battle with him, Altaïr obtained the key, but had no time to kill the Templar master before he retreated.^[3]

Killing the KillersEdit

After the confrontation with Lord Basilisk, a group of Templars attacked Hamid and stole a map to the desert temple where the Chalice was supposedly located. Altaïr chased them to their tower and climbed to the top, while facing heavy resistance in the form of catapults, archers, and a mindless man known as The Brute, who he faced off against in a courtyard.

After making his way through the tower's defenses and killing the archer captain in charge, Altaïr encountered the Master, an Assassin-like figure who was actually a high-ranking Templar. Having no choice, Altaïr fought his way through the tower, killing the Master's guards and his student, until he finally reached the Master himself. After facing off against the Master and killing him, Altaïr retrieved the temple map from his body.^[3]

The Temple of SandEdit

Leaving the tower afterwards, and following the map he obtained from the Master, Altaïr arrived at the Temple of the Sand. There, he encountered Templar forces, which he fought his way through to get to the antechamber, finally entering it after dispatching a large brute carrying an axe. Inside, he found an empty chest and Basilisk, who hinted to the Assassin that the Chalice was in fact, a woman. Basilisk taunted Altaïr and fled once more, leaving the temple to crumble around him. Managing to escape, Altaïr made his way to Tyre as the temple collapsed.^[3]

Infiltrating a Templar StrongholdEdit

In Tyre, Hamid told Altaïr that in order to infiltrate the local Templar stronghold, he would need to free two captured men. After Altaïr found and freed the two captive brothers, who pinpointed the entrance for him, Altaïr infiltrated the hold, encountering another brute along the way.

Making his way inside, Altaïr came across Basilisk, and engaged into a fight with the Templar master, badly wounding him in the process. Altaïr proposed to Basilisk that in exchange of his life, he would be required give Altaïr information, and Altaïr listened as Basilisk revealed that the Chalice was in fact, in Jerusalem and that the Templars were besieging Acre. He also revealed that the Templars planned to poison the water in order to speed up their assault. Before he left for Acre, Altaïr set fire to Basilisk's ships, disadvantaging him, so that he couldn't reach the Chalice before him.^[3]

Infiltrating the Siege CampEdit

Altaïr journeyed to the besieged Acre and helped the city by fighting off attacking Templar soldiers, before sneaking into the siege camp in the disguise of a soldier, then as a scholar, and finally killing the Templar commander. With the commander assassinated, Altaïr managed to escape the camp by using a catapult.^[3]

Discovering a TraitorEdit

After leaving Acre and arriving at Jerusalem, Altaïr successfully rescued the Chalice from a group of Templars. Identifying the Chalice as Adha, a woman who he knew from his past, Altaïr learned from her that the Templars had paid off Harash, the second-in-command of the Assassins.^[3]

Duel on Basilisk's ShipEdit

After cumulating a plan to attack Alep – the Assassin fortress – and kill Harash, before running away with Adha, things did not go as Altaïr had hoped.

After making his way through Harash's Assassin guards and killing him, Adha

was kidnapped by Basilisk and taken to the Templar port in Tyre. Tracking her down, Altaïr fought through the Templar forces and killed Basilisk in one final confrontation on his ship. However with the Chalice nowhere to be found, he was disheartened to learn that Adha was on a different ship, which escaped from Altaïr before he could catch it. Swimming to shore and, seeing the Templar ship far off in the distance, he yelled out a promise of "I will find you, Adha!" into the sky, as the vessel sailed further and further away.^[3]

MemoriesEdit

Altaïr's Chronicles contains a feature in the main menu called Memories, much like the DNA Sequences from Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. This lets the player select a mission that they have already completed, and continue the game from there. The Memories are categorized into 13 chapters, with up to 5 sub-chapters within them (e.g. 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4).^[3]

Chapter 1: Coming Home

• Consists of 4 sub-chapters.

Chapter 2: The Hunt Begins

• Consists of 3 sub-chapters.

Chapter 3: The Dancer

• Consists of 3 sub-chapters.

Chapter 4: The Red Hospital

• Consists of 2 sub-chapters.

Chapter 5: The Hidden Party

• Consists of 2 sub-chapters.

Chapter 6: Kill The Killers

• Consists of 3 sub-chapters.

Chapter 7: Temple Of Sand

• Consists of 3 sub-chapters.

Chapter 8: Great Angry Wall

• Consists of 4 sub-chapters.

Chapter 9: Flow of Poison

• Consists of 4 sub-chapters.

Chapter 10: The Running Wind

• Consists of 1 sub-chapter.

Chapter 11: The Chalice

• Consists of 1 sub-chapter.

Chapter 12: Snake Heart

• Consists of 2 sub-chapters.

Chapter 13: Always An End

• Consists of 1 final sub-chapter, being the last chapter in the game.

Assassination TargetsEdit

The following are all of Altaïr's targets in Altaïr's Chronicles:

• Tamir
• Alaat
• Roland Napule
• The Master's Student
• Master of the Tower
• Harash
• Lord Basilisk

ReceptionEdit

The Nintendo DS version of the game had been received with mixed opinions. IGN gave it a 7/10, GameSpot gave it 6/10, Nintendo Power gave it a 7.5/10, X-Play gave it a 2/5, and Game Informer magazine gave it a 6.5 out of 10. The iPhone version was well received overall with a 4.5 stars overall from customer's reviews on the App Store.

GalleryEdit

TriviaEdit

• The Abstergo Industries logo that acts as a visibility indicator, which is present in the loading screen, shows that an Abstergo Animus was being used. The Animus-like features (DNA health meter and memories menu) support this.
• Snakes are present in the game and are possible to kill.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Ryan Perez, "Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles," GamePro issue 235 (April 2008) page 40.
2. ↑ http://www.qj.net/Assassin-s-Creed-now-on-App-Store/pg/49/aid/130668
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15} Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles

Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles Characters Assassins Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad ∙ Al Mualim ∙ Hamid ∙ Harash ∙ Kadar Templars Alaat ∙ Axe Warrior ∙ Basilisk ∙ Master of the Tower Others Adha ∙ Ayman ∙ Badr ∙ Fajera Locations Acre ∙ Alep ∙ Damascus ∙ Jerusalem ∙ Temple of the Sand ∙ Tyre

Assassin's Creed Series Main series Assassin's Creed ∙ Assassin's Creed II ∙ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood ∙ Assassin's Creed: Revelations ∙ Assassin's Creed III ∙ Assassin's Creed IV Spin-offs Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles ∙ Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines ∙ Assassin's Creed II: Discovery ∙ Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Downloadable Content Battle of Forlì ∙ Bonfire of the Vanities ∙ The Da Vinci Disappearance ∙ The Lost Archive Other media Assassin's Creed: Lineage ∙ Assassin's Creed: Ascendance ∙ Assassin's Creed: Embers ∙ Assassin's Creed: The Fall ∙ Novels ∙ More... Cancelled media Assassin's Creed: The Invisible Imam ∙ Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy