Dissection: Assassins Creed 2 – The Battle of Forli

Warning - the following review contains spoilers for those who have not finished Assassins Creed 2

Assassins Creed 2 was one of the best games of 2009 – a fantastic experience that delivered on it’s promises and gave players a wealth of content. So you can imagine then, that when Ubisoft announced not one – but two pieces of downloadable content in early 2010, the many fans of the game were excited at the thought of playing the two memory sequences that were originally discarded due to time constraints.But of course we all know the universe balances itself out with these things and such is the case with this first memory sequence - The Battle of Forli. For 320 Microsoft Points you get just over thirty minutes of content, I’m not kidding – that’s it. Surely Ubisoft knew what they were doing when they cut this from the original game.


What’s worse is that the time you spend with this content isn’t really fun, challenging or important story-wise. The first strike against it is that it’s 100% combat; there are no interesting stealth challenges or any large amounts of free-running – making it feel rather one dimensional.

I mean, even If they intended to do that because it’s the Battle of Forli then they’ve still failed due to the scope of the “battles” never going beyond what was seen in the first third of the main game and it always seems to be an escort mission – plus they never even attempt to vary the enemies.

For those still reading or worse still interested in the Battle of Forli, the story kicks off shortly after Ezio obtains the Apple of Eden in Venice (at which point the main game fast forwarded to several years and two memory sequences later) and after Leonardo Da Vinci accidentally opens the Apple, Ezio decides he needs to keep it safe from his enemies. So he heads to Forli to seek the help of Caterina Sforza.

I don’t know what is to be expected as this is part of an existing game, but the fact that we already know what happens to Ezio and more importantly, Desmond (who doesn’t appear at all here), makes it feel somewhat hollow. A big part of Assassins Creed 2’s story was that the player wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen and with that lost it feels like you’re going through the motions.

This must’ve been Ubisoft’s mindset because there are a few things that make this DLC rushed. When I loaded up the game after downloading the content (and parting with over 600 megabytes of my precious download quota), the main menu gave me no indication that there was something new to play – causing me to fumble around with the menus for ten minutes thinking I’d been duped. Only after I went back into my old save file and wait a few minutes did the content activate – was there not a more elegant way to do this?

Another issue I have with the Battle of Forli is that nothing is really added to the game. Where are some extra capes, robes, weapons for us to buy or even a tomb or two to explore? The only sort of extra you are given (other than some more pointless side missions) is an opportunity to use the flying machine for as long as you like around Forli – but it’s most likely they added the sequence to appease those who missed the one time flying machine achievement in the main game.

Some freshness was always needed, as Forli is definitely one of the more pedestrian environments throughout Assassins Creed 2.

So if you’re still thinking about bothering with The Battle of Forli then I cannot help you. I glowingly reviewed Assassins Creed 2 back In December – yet now, I grudgingly think about playing the next memory sequence, knowing full well that I won’t be entertained.

How did this happen?

What compelled Ubisoft to release content that serves no purpose to their original vision? Perhaps if they had released both sequences at the same time, instead of leaving a pointless month long gap between the two – then maybe it wouldn’t have felt so pointless and hollow. It’s a sad indictment of a game when the saving grace of the experience is that it’s so short, leaving you with only a slightly bitter taste in your mouth. The Battle of Forli represents the worst part of the DLC concept and for that I cannot even begin to think about recommending it.





WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT –

Spread your wings: You can use the flying machine whenever you like even if there isn’t anything to do with it.

Stubble trouble: The Battle of Forli solves the mystery of Ezio’s mysteriously appearing beard.



WHAT THEY GOT WRONG –

Short-term Memory: Six memories and a couple of arbitrary side quests can be beaten in half an hour. Not exactly value for money.

Can’t run, jump or sneak: Everything you do is combat-based escort missions with basic enemies and just lacks the overall variety of the main game.

I know all: Why isn’t there a dedicated side story? I already know the conclusion to Ezio’s journey. Hopefully, the next sequence, The Bonfire of the Vanities separates itself from the main story.

Where are the extras?: Added content should mean content that adds to the experience. Ubisoft doesn’t reward the player at all here.

Menu Setup: There is no clear indication of where to access the DLC – do you not want us to play this Ubisoft?