“Easy to learn, hard to master” is one of those design philosophies that few developers seem to get right. Either it’s hard to do both, all around easy or just easy with no need to master. Nintendo manage this sort of gameplay with each release of Super Smash Bros. and other titles, notorious at being played by simpleton and fanatic alike.

For some reason, most players seemed unwilling to master the combat in Assassin’s Creed. In fact, just about everyone I knew complained that as soon as you learned how to perform a counter it was too easy, while beforehand it was challenging. Few players I’ve spoken with or reviews I had read delved deep into the additional mechanics that expanded upon the abilities in melee.

Perhaps the flaw in Ubisoft’s design was these additional abilities were delivered much too slowly or in an improper fashion. However, when it came time to save a distressed citizen I withdrew my blade and prepared for a fight.

Fighting in Assassin’s Creed makes me giddy.

There are two methods that a game can make a player feel like a true bad ass. By throwing them into a difficult scenario that they barely make it out of, and by presenting them as being a bad ass. The downside to the former strategy is every player has a different level of skill, not to mention a variety of difficulty modes can change the effect overall. One player may make it out of a heated ambush with their life hanging on the brink and ammo near depletion, thrilled and exhilarated that they beat unlikely odds. Another may walk out with barely a scratch, proverbially dusting themselves off as they reload and switch to another weapon. Then there’s the least skilled player that kicks their console out the window and into traffic after dying for the seventh time.

Instead of taking this route, Assassin’s Creed instead chooses to present you as a bad ass. Instead of creating a mass of button combos they provide three primary buttons. One attacks, one focuses on feet and another focuses on grabbing your foe. Holding the R-trigger swaps between defensive and offensive modes of each of these buttons. Sounds simple enough, and once the counter ability is learned you can simply wait for enemies to attack you.

But where is the fun in that?

Early on the first ability gained is combos, though this is a rather misleading term. By timing the attack button properly, pressing it roughly when Altair’s blade meets that of his foe, a cinematic finishing move can be executed. At first the move may be a bit tricky, but it truly isn’t very hard to learn at all. Once this ability and the counter are learned, the basics of combat are provided. The stepping stones to truly being bad ass are laid out before your feet.

Towards the end of the game, I had been able to manipulate grab-breaks, counters, power combos and dodges well enough that I didn’t have to wait for the enemy to attack. I’d counter one enemy, ending his life and smoothly moving onto one of his comrades shouting in anger, only to perform a combo that left them on the ground. An attempted grab allowed me to break their hold and toss them into a stand, knocking them out of commission while once more leaping towards my next foe. Though he may deftly dodge my blow, I’m quick enough with my thumbs that Altair’s feet dance equally swift, stepping to the side only so my blade crushes down upon the fool guard’s neck. The fight didn’t even take me five minutes.

It is true that the combat in Assassin’s Creed can be annoying. However, that is not the issue with the design. Sure, the player can just wait for enemies to attack him and use the counter ability. This is just laziness on the part of the player. The problem is a lot of gamers and reviewers criticized Ubisoft for this design decision, one that allows combat to be easy to learn yet difficult to master.

The truth to the combat is that it is designed well. It is designed to provide a cinematic presentation of battle that allows the player to feel as if they are extremely skilled, even if they aren’t all that great at video games. In other words, designed so the player leaps from the couch and screams “Yeah! I’m bad ass!” as Altair dodges a blow, kicks his emissary onto their knees and drives cold steel into their neck.

This same strategy is even taken to assassinations. If you rush a job, trying to kill a guy too early, then you’ll be spotted and the guards will start chasing you. The game is forgiving enough that you can still assassinate most of your targets in combat, or at the very least chase them down. However, the vast majority a player should be able to take down a target without them seeing it coming. All it takes is patience, waiting for the perfect opening that always comes. When it’s there, just drop down from above and drive that cold steel into their neck.

It makes my tummy tingle just thinking about it.

Comment on this article