Assassin's Creed II The title of this game might contain a number, but for many, the adventure of Ezio Auditore da Firenze is the starting point for the franchise as we know it today. The first game established the central pillars of parkour, combat, and stealth in broad daylight in a historical setting, but the sequel took all of that and raced across the rooftops with it at breakneck speed, setting the template for future games to follow. And with Assassin's Creed Shadows Bringing its own set of new and exciting features on November 15, it's the perfect time to revisit Assassin's Creed II – one of the many games included with Ubisoft+ Premium or Classics subscription – and take another (or first!) look at the foundations laid by our introduction to Ezio.
Assassin's Creed II takes players on an epic journey through the Italian Renaissance as Ezio, a young nobleman turned assassin whose quest for vengeance takes him through the underworld of Florence, Venice, Tuscany and Romagna, and all the way to the highest echelons of 15th-century of power. Yes, it's the one where you fight the pope – but not only any The Pope. Rodrigo Borgia, aka Pope Alexander VI, is widely regarded as one of the most corrupt figures of an era when “corruption” was the norm, and he’s an effective villain here, manipulating events behind the scenes as the menacing Templar originally known as “the Spaniard.”
Borgia is one of many real historical figures and events woven into the fictional narrative of Assassin's Creed II (which also stars a young Leonardo da Vinci as Ezio's ever-enthusiastic best friend/gadget maker). The story plays with the past; it establishes a secret history where Assassins and Templars spread across the world, for example, and suggests that this history was deliberately shaped by the prehistoric and highly advanced First Civilization. But there's enough fact here – much of it backed up by an in-game database that entertainingly provides context for the people, places, and events players encounter – that the game's recreation of the Renaissance is richly realized and rewarding.
Another big part of that feeling is due to Assassin's Creed II's gameplay, which holds up remarkably well. While parkour in particular has benefited from some polish in later games, Ezio's skills are impressive, allowing players to scale walls and discover elaborate, free-form “highways” of platforms, tightropes, and horizontal bars that allow Ezio to jump, swing, and climb to move gracefully (and evade angry guards) more quickly. It's also immensely fun to scale famous landmarks like Giotto's Campanile or St. Mark's Basilica, getting up-close looks at classical buildings while using their height to survey cities and hunt for secrets. Ezio's abilities really shine when players discover “Assassin's Tombs” hidden in the corners of famous landmarks, which feature self-contained (often timed) obstacle courses and bring players closer to unlocking unbreakable armor.
A wealth of combat options also await players; Ezio can quickly wear down his enemies with blows from his sword, mace, hammer, or dagger, and instantly kill most opponents with a well-timed counterattack. He can fight bare-handed and disarm his opponents before killing them with their own weapon – or drop the weapon and strike them. Advanced techniques allow him to trip enemies with a stolen polearm, or blind them momentarily with a handful of sand. If he can reach an enemy without being seen – either by climbing, hiding, or blend in with the crowd – he can administer a lethal dose of poison, or simply perform a classic hidden blade assassination. Later in the game, he can even use the hidden pistol to take down unsuspecting enemies from a distance.
Even today, Assassin’s Creed II manages to make players feel like tourists in history. The Italian Renaissance, a seemingly dusty and largely unexplored period outside of history books and art museums, feels alive and even relevant through the lens of Assassin’s Creed II. The fact that Ezio and his friends are so charmingly written and performed is a big part of why it works, and being able to experience Italy through Ezio’s eyes as he grows from angry teenager to suave secret agent still offers a rare kind of connection between the audience and the protagonist—and a reason to care about his world and the conspiracies that shape it.
There is much to discover in Renaissance Italy, and Assassin's Creed II still has a lot to offer gamers 15 years later. Assassin's Creed II is available on PC (via Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, and Steam) and is included in a Ubisoft+ Classics or Premium subscription; and on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and Switch as part of Assassin's Creed The Ezio Collection (also included in a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription on Xbox, and with Ubisoft+ Classics on PlayStation, available as part of PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium, or via a standalone subscription.
To learn more about Assassin's Creed, check out The Evolution of Stealth in Assassin's Creed, The Evolution of Assassin's Creed Eagle VisionAnd How to play Assassin's Creed games in order.
