Assassin's Creed II is an action-adventure video game released in 2009. It was created by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. This game is the second major part of the Assassin's Creed series, following the 2007 game Assassin's Creed. It was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2009. Later, it became available for Microsoft Windows in March 2010 and for OS X in October 2010.
The story is based on a mix of real historical events and fictional elements. It shows a long-standing conflict between two groups: the Assassins, who fight to protect freedom, and the Templars, who believe peace can be achieved through control. The story begins in the 21st century, following Desmond Miles as he experiences the memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, to learn about an ancient group called the First Civilization. The main story takes place in Italy during the Renaissance, from 1476 to 1499. It follows Ezio’s journey as an Assassin seeking revenge for the deaths of his father and brothers. Players use Ezio’s combat, stealth, and movement skills to defeat enemies and explore the game world. The game includes large, detailed versions of Italian cities such as Florence, Venice, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, and Forlì, all designed to match their historical appearance.
The game used an updated version of the Anvil game engine and began development shortly after the first Assassin's Creed game was released. To promote the game, Ubisoft made a three-part live-action short film called Assassin's Creed: Lineage, which acts as a prequel to the main story and features actors from the game. During development, two chapters—The Battle of Forlì and Bonfire of the Vanities—were removed due to time limits but were later released as downloadable content. Additional in-game items, such as missions, outfits, and weapons, could be obtained through Ubisoft’s Uplay service.
Reviewers gave the game very high praise for its story, characters, world design, and improvements over the first game. However, the PC version faced some criticism because of a system that required players to stay connected to the internet. This system was later removed. The game sold more than nine million copies within six months and is considered one of the best video games ever made. It was followed by two direct sequels: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010) and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), and a spin-off called Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (2009). These games continue Ezio’s story with new characters, events, and locations. The next main game in the series, Assassin's Creed III, was released in 2012. Remastered versions of Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations were later released as part of The Ezio Collection for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, and for Nintendo Switch in 2022.
Gameplay
Assassin's Creed II is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view and set in an open world inspired by Renaissance Italy in the late 15th century. Players can explore freely and choose their own path, with gameplay focusing on fighting enemies, sneaking around, and discovering new areas. The Animus 2.0, an updated version of a machine from the first Assassin's Creed game, helps explain changes and additions in the game. A database is also included, offering extra historical details about landmarks, characters, and services players encounter. The health system is more dynamic, connecting to the Animus so that characters recover from small injuries but need to visit a doctor or use medicine for more serious wounds.
Players can now swim in water, and Eagle Vision—a tool that helps identify people and landmarks—can be used while moving and in third-person view. A young Leonardo da Vinci appears in the game, helping players by creating new weapons based on translated pages from a book left by Altaïr, the main character of the first game. Leonardo’s flying machine, inspired by real-life airplanes, is used during one mission. Other ways to move include horses (outside major cities), gondolas (in Venice), and carriages (used during a mission with Leonardo). Locations in the game are more detailed than in the first Assassin's Creed, and characters act more naturally, such as civilians coughing or sneezing. Players can hire mercenaries, courtesans, or thieves to help with missions. A day and night cycle adds a sense of time, with some missions and events happening only at specific times.
Players can interact with other characters in many ways, such as throwing money or leaving a body on the ground to distract guards. Enemies vary in strength and agility, and some actively search for hiding spots. During combat, players can mock enemies. The combat system is more complex, allowing players to disarm opponents with counterattacks and kill enemies instantly if they steal their weapons. Leonardo provides special weapons, like dual hidden blades, poison blades, and a hidden gun (a small wheellock firearm), based on designs in Altaïr’s book. Players can also buy swords, cutlasses, maces, axes, and daggers from vendors, pick up weapons from the ground, or use items like brooms or broken spears. Players can buy artwork for their villa, earn new armor, and dye Ezio’s clothing. Larger pouches allow carrying more throwing knives and medicine. Six extra weapons are available in the PlayStation 3 version by connecting to a PlayStation Portable with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.
Ezio’s headquarters is the Auditore family’s villa in Monteriggioni. The surrounding area, where players can buy items like medicine and weapons, can be upgraded with earned money, giving discounts and increasing income from the villa. This income is stored in a chest inside the villa and must be collected regularly. Upgrades and purchases also increase the villa’s value.
Players now have more ways to hide or blend in, such as diving underwater to avoid guards or blending into any group of people. A notoriety system makes guards more alert based on Ezio’s actions, location, or mission. This can be reduced by bribing guards, removing wanted posters, or assassinating corrupt officials.
Missions are more varied, with some changing from escorting someone to a chase or assassination. Investigations are less direct, and missions may follow a story or person. There are about 150 missions, two-thirds of which are part of the main story, while the rest are optional tasks like assassinations or races. Cities include hidden areas like catacombs and caves, which reward players with an Assassin’s Seal. Collecting all six Seals unlocks the Armor of Altaïr, hidden in the villa.
Like the first game, Assassin's Creed II includes historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza, and Pope Alexander VI. Locations include Tuscany (Florence, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano), the Apennine Mountains, Romagna (Forlì), Venice, and the Vatican (only in the final mission). Specific landmarks are St. Mark’s Basilica, the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Sistine Chapel, and Palazzo Vecchio.
Plot
After the first game, Desmond Miles (Nolan North) is rescued from Abstergo by Lucy Stillman (Kristen Bell), an undercover Assassin. She takes him to a safehouse where he meets her team. The team includes Shaun Hastings (Danny Wallace), a historian and analyst, and Rebecca Crane (Eliza Schneider), a technician. They built their own Animus, which they use to train Desmond as an Assassin. The "bleeding effect" allows users to quickly learn skills from their ancestors. Desmond is asked to relive the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Roger Craig Smith), who was born into a wealthy Florentine family in 1459 during the Italian Renaissance.
By 1476, Ezio becomes a confident but careless young man. His father, Giovanni (Romano Orzari), and brothers, Federico (Elias Toufexis) and Petruccio, are unfairly accused of treason and executed by a corrupt judge named Uberto Alberti (Michel Perron). Ezio retrieves his father’s Assassin equipment and kills Uberto in revenge. Ezio and his family—his mother, Maria (Ellen David), and sister, Claudia (Angela Galuppo)—flee Florence and go to their ancestral home in Monteriggioni. There, Ezio’s uncle, Mario (Fred Tatasciore), explains that his family is part of the Assassin Brotherhood. He also reveals that Giovanni was killed because he discovered a secret plan by the Templar Order, the Assassins’ enemies.
After training as an Assassin, Ezio seeks revenge against the Templars, many of whom are from noble families like the Pazzi and Barbarigos. His journey lasts over a decade. During this time, Ezio makes allies, including Leonardo da Vinci (Carlos Ferro), who helps him with equipment based on information from the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad; Lorenzo de’ Medici (Alex Ivanovici), whom Ezio saves from an assassination plot; and Caterina Sforza (Cristina Rosato), the Countess of Forlì. Ezio eventually discovers that the Templar leader, Rodrigo Borgia (Manuel Tadros), plans to control Italy and use a powerful Apple of Eden. In 1488, Ezio intercepts the Apple and confronts Rodrigo. Rodrigo reveals his plan to unlock "the Vault," which he believes will give him god-like powers. Ezio defeats Rodrigo, but Rodrigo escapes with the Apple. Mario and other Assassins later welcome Ezio into the Brotherhood, believing him to be "the Prophet" destined to open the Vault.
In the present, Desmond experiences side effects from the "bleeding effect," including a memory of Altaïr. Inside the Animus, he finds symbols similar to those he saw in his cell at Abstergo. These symbols lead to a video showing two humans stealing an Apple. The video ends with the letters "EDEN" in ASCII code. The team guesses the two humans are Adam and Eve, the first people.
Some memories are too damaged to access (later added as DLC). The team sends Desmond to the final memory in 1499. Ezio learns the Vault is beneath the Papal Palace. He infiltrates the Vatican and fights Rodrigo, now Pope Alexander VI, who uses the Papal Staff—another Piece of Eden. Ezio defeats Rodrigo but spares his life. He unlocks the Vault using the Apple and the Staff. A hologram of Minerva (Margaret Easley) appears and explains that her people, the First Civilization, created humans to serve them but were destroyed in a disaster. Survivors worked with humans to build vaults to protect their technology. Minerva tells Desmond that only he can fulfill a prophecy, leaving him and Ezio confused.
In the present, Abstergo agents led by Warren Vidic (Philip Proctor) attack the hideout. The team escapes, and Lucy tells Desmond that strange changes in Earth’s magnetic field may be linked to a future solar flare, which could cause another disaster. Desmond prepares to reenter the Animus, leading into the events of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
In 1488, after recovering the Apple from Rodrigo, Ezio meets Mario, Leonardo, and the Assassin Niccolò Machiavelli (Shawn Baichoo) to discuss protecting the artifact. They decide to send it to Caterina Sforza in Forlì. However, when Ezio and Machiavelli arrive, they find the city under attack by mercenaries hired by Rodrigo. The mercenaries, led by Checco and Ludovico Orsi, kidnap Caterina’s children to force her to surrender a map showing the locations of Altaïr’s Codex pages, which lead to the Vault. Ezio kills Ludovico and rescues the children but learns that Checco stole the Apple. Ezio kills Checco and retrieves the Apple but is stabbed and collapses. A mysterious man in black robes takes the Apple. Caterina helps Ezio recover, and he gets the map from her. He suspects the thief is a friar and tracks him to a monastery. The abbot reveals the thief is Girolamo Savonarola.
In 1497, after nearly a decade of searching, Ezio finds Savonarola in Florence. Savonarola used the Apple to remove the Medici from power and take control. Ezio works with Machiavelli to plan a way to expose Savonarola. Ezio kills nine of Savonarola’s lieutenants, causing the public to turn against him. Savonarola tries to use the Apple on the crowd but is stopped by Ezio, who recovers the artifact. Savonarola is taken to the Piazza della Signoria
Development
Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot officially announced that Assassin's Creed II was in development on November 26, 2008, during the company's financial report. Later, Michael Pachter suggested in GameTrailers' "Bonus Round" that the game might be set during the French Revolution, but this was incorrect. On April 6, Ubisoft released a promotional video showing a skull, hidden blade designs, and Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine drawn on a scroll. On April 16, Game Informer shared details about the game, including images of the main character Ezio, and a new teaser trailer was released. Ubisoft officially announced the game on that day. In May 2009, Sebastien Puel said the development team for Assassin's Creed II had grown to 450 members, which was three times larger than the team for the first game.
On June 1, 2009, Ubisoft showed a four-minute cinematic trailer for Assassin's Creed II at E3. The next day, Ubisoft demonstrated the first live gameplay demo, which lasted six minutes, at the Sony Press Conference. GameTrailers shared an exclusive developer walkthrough from E3 2009. In an interview with GameTrailers, Ubisoft Montreal's creative director, Patrice Desilets, said that the character Desmond would do more than walk around and find clues.
At the Assassin's Creed panel at Comic-Con 2009, it was announced that a live-action mini-series called Assassin's Creed: Lineage, with three episodes, would be released. This series would show events before the game and the history of Ezio and his father, Giovanni. It was also revealed that comedian Danny Wallace would voice a new character named Shaun Hastings, a sarcastic historian who helps Desmond. Shaun's appearance in the game would be based on Wallace's likeness. Actress Kristen Bell was confirmed to reprise her role as Lucy Stillman.
The game was originally planned to release on all three platforms at the same time. However, on September 24, 2009, Ubisoft announced that the PC version would be delayed until the first quarter of 2010 to allow the development team more time to improve the game's quality.
Remastered versions of Assassin's Creed II, along with Brotherhood and Revelations, were released as part of The Ezio Collection for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022. The remastered version also supports UHD resolution on the PS4 Pro. Online service for the game ended on June 1, 2021.
Marketing
On October 20, 2009, Ubisoft announced a series of short films to be shared on YouTube. These films, called Assassin's Creed: Lineage, provided extra background stories and introduced characters from the game. The series had three parts and was created by Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies, a team that also worked on films like 300 and Sin City. The films focused on Giovanni Auditore, the father of the main character Ezio, and combined real people with computer-generated images. The first film was released on October 27, 2009, with the other two released on November 13, 2009.
On November 12, 2009, Ubisoft added Assassin’s Creed II-themed virtual items to PlayStation Home to promote the game and another game, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, for the PSP. Similar items and an Ezio costume were also added to the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Marketplace. On November 19, 2009, more virtual items and an Ezio costume were released on PlayStation Home, with the costume becoming available for players to use on November 26, 2009. On December 3, 2009, additional items inspired by 15th-century Italian Renaissance themes were added to PlayStation Home. An Ezio “Purple Assassin” costume became available for download on LittleBigPlanet through the PlayStation Network on December 8, 2009.
Assassin’s Creed II was the first game linked to Ubisoft’s Uplay feature. Players could earn points by progressing through the game, which could be used to unlock rewards such as a new area to explore and an Altaïr costume.
A novel titled Assassin’s Creed: Renaissance, written by Oliver Bowden, was published by Penguin Books in November 2009.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ubisoft launched a campaign called “Play Your Part, Play At Home.” As part of this, PC users could claim a free digital copy of Assassin’s Creed II (along with other games) through the Ubisoft website.
Several limited editions of Assassin’s Creed II were released. The “Black Edition” included an Ezio figurine in a black outfit, three bonus areas and missions, an art book, a DVD with part of the game’s soundtrack, a premium PS3/Xbox 360 theme, behind-the-scenes videos, and two desktop wallpapers. It was available in Europe and Australia. The “White Edition” included one bonus area/mission and an Ezio figurine in a white outfit. The Master Assassin’s Edition, the North American limited edition, included an Ezio figurine, two bonus areas, an art book, and a Blu-ray with music and behind-the-scenes videos.
After player complaints about needing to complete the three Templar Lairs (only available in the “Black” or “White” Editions) to achieve 100% synchronization, Ubisoft released The Complete Edition. This edition included download codes for the DLCs Battle of Forlì and Bonfire of the Vanities, as well as the three Templar Lairs. Later, the Game of the Year Edition was released, which included the base game, the two DLCs, the three Templar Secret Locations (Palazzo Medici, Santa Maria dei Frari, Arsenal Shipyard), and bonus skins and unlockable content. Both the Game of the Year Edition and Complete Edition included a Bonus Skin, which required a game code to unlock.
A “Deluxe Edition” was later released, containing the three bonus areas and missions, as well as the DLCs Battle of Forlì and Bonfire of the Vanities. This edition is only available through digital download on PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network and on PC through the Epic Games Store and Steam. It also included a Bonus Dye for Ezio’s outfit, which was unlocked from the start of the game and available for free in Monteriggioni.
The Windows version of the game now requires a one-time online activation. Once activated, the game, its activation key, and the Uplay account are linked. The game can then be played offline, even if the Uplay Launcher is set to “Offline Mode” in the settings. Users who already own the base game on Steam can upgrade to the “Deluxe Edition.”
Music
The music for Assassin's Creed II was created by Jesper Kyd. It was made at Capitol Records with a group of 35 string musicians and a choir of 13 singers. Melissa Kaplan provided singing for the soundtrack. The soundtrack was available for download on November 16, 2009. Fourteen songs from the soundtrack were also included on the game disc that came with the special Black edition of Assassin's Creed II, which could be ordered before the game was released. In the advertising for the game, the song "Genesis" by Justice was used in the "Visions of Venice" trailer.
Downloadable content
On December 1, 2009, Ubisoft announced The Battle of Forlì, the first downloadable content (DLC) expansion for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Assassin's Creed II. This DLC added more details about Forlì and Caterina Sforza, who had a small role in the main game. It was released on January 28, 2010. A second DLC, Bonfire of the Vanities, followed on February 18, 2010. This expansion shows Ezio returning to Florence to deal with Girolamo Savonarola during the burning of sinful objects in the city. Both DLCs are labeled as Sequences 12 and 13 in the game. They are added smoothly into the main story, taking place just before the final memory sequence, Sequence 14. This is because the two sequences were originally planned for the main game but were removed due to time limits and later released as DLC. The game’s story explains this by saying the Animus caused problems with some memory sequences, which Rebecca later fixed using a computer patch, allowing Desmond to experience Ezio’s missing memories.
Both DLCs include new story missions and special features. The Battle of Forlì includes a replayable memory of Ezio flying Leonardo’s machine over Forlì, the only such memory in the game. Bonfire of the Vanities adds Florence’s southern district, which is not available in the main game. Later versions of Assassin’s Creed II include both DLCs, and players cannot skip them.
Ubisoft’s Uplay system allows players to earn points by playing the game. These points can be used to unlock rewards, such as an Assassin’s Creed II theme or wallpaper for PC and PlayStation 3, five extra throwing knives, Altaïr’s outfit, and a map to the Auditore Family Crypt.
Three additional areas—Palazzo Medici, Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and Arsenale di Venezia—were originally included in the "Black Edition" (European and Australian release) of Assassin’s Creed II. The "White Edition" included one of these areas, and the North American "Master Assassin’s Edition" included two. Ubisoft later released these areas as DLC through PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. They are now part of the "Game of the Year Edition," "Complete Edition," "Deluxe Edition," and "Ezio Collection" versions of the game.
A special costume dye is unlocked by entering a code obtained after purchasing the Assassin’s Creed II 3D mobile game from the Verizon App Store. This bonus skin is also included in the "Game of the Year Edition," "Complete Edition," "Deluxe Edition," and "Ezio Collection" versions of the game.
Reception
Upon its release, Assassin's Creed II received very positive reviews on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with mostly good reviews on PC. A website called Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of 91 and the Xbox 360 version a score of 90, making it the highest-rated game in the series on that site.
In an exclusive review by Official Xbox Magazine, Assassin's Creed II scored 9 out of 10. Official PlayStation Magazine US gave it a perfect score, while Official PlayStation Magazine UK scored it 9 out of 10. Jeremy Parish of 1Up.com gave the game an A− and said, "AC2 is everything a sequel ought to be: An improvement on the original in nearly every way. Perhaps more impressively, it actually has me interested to see where the series goes from here—something I wouldn't have expected after I slogged my way through the original."
A German magazine, Computer Bild Spiele, reported that the game's publishers offered to provide a pre-release copy if the magazine promised to give it a "very good" review. The magazine refused and instead delayed its review.
GameSpot, which reviewed the PC version, said the game was "fun and beautiful" but questioned the higher price. It also noted that the game was affected by Ubisoft's DRM system and said, "The game deserved better. For that matter, PC gamers deserved better too."
According to early sales estimates, Assassin's Creed II sold 1.6 million copies worldwide during its first week, a 32% increase over the first week of sales for the original Assassin's Creed. By May 2010, the game had sold 9 million copies.
At the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, Assassin's Creed II was named Best Action Adventure Game. IGN named it Action Game of the Year for Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Game of the Year. Game Informer also named it Xbox 360 Game of the Year. It received Game of the Year awards from GamePro and The New York Times.
During the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (now called the D.I.C.E. Awards), the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Assassin's Creed II for "Game of the Year," "Adventure Game of the Year," and for outstanding achievements in "Animation," "Art Direction," "Game Direction," "Gameplay Engineering," "Original Music Composition," "Original Story," "Sound Design," and "Visual Engineering."
The game was also nominated for several Game Developers Choice Awards, including "Best Game Design," "Best Visual Art," "Best Technology," and "Game of the Year."
The game is included in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.
The Windows version of the game uses Ubisoft's Uplay platform, which includes a digital rights management (DRM) system that initially required players to stay connected to the Internet while playing. In the original retail version, any progress made after the last checkpoint was lost if the Internet connection was interrupted. Ubisoft said that if the disconnection was temporary, the game would pause. The company also stated that there were many checkpoints in the game. The company faced criticism from U.S. military members overseas, who could not play the game in areas with unreliable or expensive Internet connections.
Shortly after the Windows version was released, Ubisoft claimed that a cracked version of the game had not been created, and this was confirmed by at least one website. The following weekend, Ubisoft said that the DRM servers for Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin's Creed II were affected by a denial-of-service attack. Ubisoft later said that 95% of players were not affected, but a small group of players who tried to start a game session received errors. A server emulator to bypass the DRM was developed, and a cracked dynamic-link library that removed the need for an Internet connection was released in late April.
After the server issues, Ubisoft offered owners of the Windows version all DLC from the Assassin's Creed II Black Edition (even though some DLC was already included in the game) or a free copy of Heroes Over Europe, Tom Clancy's EndWar, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, or Prince of Persia (2008).
In December 2010, Ubisoft changed the DRM system. The game no longer required a constant Internet connection while playing, but players had to connect to the Internet every time the game was launched. In 2012, Ubisoft announced that the game would be updated to remove the need for an Internet connection entirely. Now, the Windows version requires a one-time online activation, after which the game, its activation key, and the Uplay Account are linked. Once activated, the game can be played offline, even with the Uplay Launcher set to "Offline Mode." The game can be reinstalled on the same or a new machine and still played offline. This rule now applies to all Ubisoft PC games that previously required an Internet connection. However, the Mac OS X version of the game still requires a constant Internet connection, and players lose progress if the connection is interrupted.
Sequel
Before the release of Assassin's Creed II, discussions about Assassin's Creed III included ideas about a female character in England during World War II. However, co-writer Corey May explained that the series would not take place during that time, as a goal was to explore settings rarely seen in games. Ubisoft's Philippe Bergeron mentioned possible locations, such as England during the time of King Arthur or feudal Japan, which many staff members enjoyed. On March 1, 2012, it was announced that Assassin's Creed III would be set in colonial Boston during the American Revolution, featuring a Native American main character named Ratonhnaké:ton. The game was released in October 2012.
Two games were released at the same time as Assassin's Creed II: Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines and Assassin's Creed II: Discovery. Discovery includes missing chapters from Assassin's Creed II and follows Ezio Auditore. A direct follow-up, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, was released on November 16, 2010, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It continues the story after Assassin's Creed II, with Ezio as the main character. The game includes a new online multiplayer mode and takes place mainly in Rome, the center of power for the Borgia family and the Knights Templar. The main enemy in the game is Cesare Borgia, the son of Rodrigo Borgia.