Assassin's Creed II
Sequel set in Renaissance Italy following Ezio Auditore's quest for revenge.
Assassin's Creed II is an action-adventure game from 2009, created by Ubisoft Montreal and released by Ubisoft. It serves as the second main entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise and follows up on the 2007 original. The game launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2009, then arrived on Microsoft Windows in March 2010 and OS X in October 2010.
The story blends fictional elements with real historical events, centering on the long-running conflict between the Assassins, who champion peace and free will, and the Templars, who seek order through control. The modern-day framing follows Desmond Miles as he uses a machine to relive the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, hoping to find secrets left by an ancient race called the First Civilization and end the Assassin-Templar war. The main plot takes place during the Italian Renaissance, from 1476 to 1499, and tracks Ezio's quest for revenge after his father and brothers are killed. Players use combat, stealth, and parkour to navigate the environment and defeat enemies. The open world includes accurately recreated Italian cities such as Florence, Venice, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, and Forlì.
Development began shortly after the first game's release, using an updated Anvil engine. As part of the marketing, Ubisoft released a three-part live-action short film called Assassin's Creed: Lineage, which acts as a prequel and features most of the game's cast. Two chapters—The Battle of Forlì and Bonfire of the Vanities—were cut during development due to time constraints but later released as downloadable expansion packs on Xbox Live and other platforms. Extra in-game content like missions, outfits, and weapons could be unlocked through Ubisoft's Uplay service.
The game received widespread critical acclaim for its narrative, characters, world design, and improvements over the first game. The PC version faced some criticism for its digital rights management system, which was later permanently removed. Considered one of the best video games ever made, it sold over nine million copies within six months. It led to two direct sequels, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010) and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), plus a spin-off, Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (2009), all expanding on Ezio's story. The next numbered entry, Assassin's Creed III, came out in 2012.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Assassin's Creed II
- Developer
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Director
- Patrice Désilets
- Producer
- Sébastien Puel · Jamal Rguigui · Vincent Pontbriand
- Designer
- Benoît Lambert · Patrick Plourde · Olivier Palmieri
- Programmer
- James Therien
- Artist
- Mohamed Gambouz
- Writer
- Corey May · Joshua Rubin · Jeffrey Yohalem
- Composer
- Jesper Kyd
- Series
- Assassin's Creed
- Engine
- Anvil
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins and the Templars. The framing story is set in the 21st century and follows Desmond Miles as he relives the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, to uncover mysteries left by an ancient race known as the First Civilization. The main narrative takes place at the height of the Renaissance in Italy from 1476 to 1499, and follows Ezio's journey as an Assassin while seeking revenge against those responsible for the death of his father and brothers.
Reader's Guide
Assassin's Creed II received universal critical acclaim from video game publications, with praise for its narrative, characters, world design, and improvements over the first game. The PC version was met with some criticism in relation to the digital rights management system, which was later permanently removed. Considered one of the best video games ever made, it sold more than nine million copies within six months. The game spawned two direct sequels: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010) and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), and a spin-off, Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (2009). Remastered versions of Assassin's Creed II, along with Brotherhood and Revelations, were released as part of The Ezio Collection compilation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch in 2022.
Did You Know?
- A three-part live-action short film titled Assassin's Creed: Lineage was released as part of the marketing campaign.
- The game features a large open world comprising several Italian cities including Florence, Venice, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, and Forlì.
- Leonardo da Vinci aids the player by creating new weapons from translated Codex pages left by Altaïr.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Assassin's Creed II?
It is a 2009 action-adventure stealth game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, serving as the direct sequel to the 2007 original. Players assume the role of Ezio Auditore as he moves through Renaissance-era Italian cities.
Who is the protagonist and what drives the plot?
Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Florentine nobleman, is thrust into the Assassin-Templar conflict after the Templar Order executes his father and brothers. His initial motive is personal vengeance, but it gradually broadens into a fight for the free will of the Italian populace.
What stealth and combat upgrades does AC II bring over the first game?
The title introduces a crouch-and-hood stealth system, a more varied parkour toolkit, and a heavier close-quarters combat layer with multiple weapon types and counterattacks. Assassinations with the hidden blade also gained more contextual options, such as striking from behind or from above.
Why do fans regard AC II as the franchise's defining entry?
It scaled up the open-world design, deepened the personal revenge narrative, and polished stealth mechanics to a level the first installment never reached. Many longtime players point to it as the game that set the tonal and structural template every later Assassin's Creed title builds upon.
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