Assassin's Creed II might have a numeral in its title, but for many, the adventure of Ezio Auditore da Firenze is where the franchise as we know it today truly began to take shape. The first game established the central pillars of parkour, combat, and broad-daylight stealth in a historical setting, but the sequel took all that and ran 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, now's a great time to revisit Assassin's Creed II - just one of the many games included with a Ubisoft+ Premium or Classics subscription - and take another (or a 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 revenge carries him through the underbellies of Florence, Venice, Tuscany, and Romagna, and all the way to the highest echelons of 15th-century power. Yes, this is the one where you fistfight the Pope - but not just any Pope. Rodrigo Borgia - aka Pope Alexander VI - is widely regarded as one of the most corrupt figures in an era when "corrupt" was the standard, and here he's an effective villain, manipulating events from behind the scenes as the glowering Templar known initially as "The Spaniard."
Borgia is one of a number of real historical figures and events woven into Assassin's Creed II's fictional narrative (which also features a young Leonardo da Vinci as Ezio's boundlessly enthusiastic best friend/gadget-maker). The story plays fast and loose with the past; it establishes a secret history where the Assassins and Templars spread across the world, for example, and suggests that said history was deliberately shaped by the prehistoric, highly advanced First Civilization. But there's enough fact here - much of it supported by an in-game database that entertainingly gives context on the people, places, and events players encounter - to make the game's re-creation of the Renaissance feel richly realized and rewarding.
Another big part of that feeling is thanks to Assassin's Creed II's gameplay, which holds up remarkably well. While the parkour in particular benefited from fine-tuning in later games, Ezio's skill set is impressive, letting players scramble up walls and discover elaborate free-running "highways" of platforms, tightropes, and horizontal bars that let Ezio leap, swing, and climb to gracefully get around (and escape angry guards) more quickly. It's also immensely fun to scale famous landmarks like Giotto's Campanile or the Basilica di San Marco, getting a close-up look at classical edifices while using their heights to survey the cities and hunt for secrets. Ezio's abilities really shine when players discover the "Assassin Tombs" hidden in the recesses of famous landmarks, which present self-contained obstacle courses (often on a timer) and bring players one step closer to unlocking an unbreakable suit of armor.
A wealth of combat options await players as well; Ezio can quickly wear down foes with strikes from a sword, mace, hammer, or dagger, and instantly kill most opponents with a well-timed counter. He can fight bare-handed and disarm opponents before killing them with their own weapon - or drop the implement and punch them out. Advanced techniques let him trip enemies with a stolen polearm, or momentarily blind them with a fistful of sand. If he can reach an enemy unseen - either by climbing, hiding, or blending with the crowds - he can administer a lethal dose of poison, or just go for a classic Hidden Blade assassination. Later in the game, he can even employ the Hidden Gun to take down unsuspecting enemies from a distance.
Even today, Assassin's Creed II does an effective job of making players feel like a tourist in history. The Italian Renaissance, a seemingly dusty period largely unexplored outside of history books and art museums, feels vibrant and even relatable through Assassin's Creed II's lens. That Ezio and his friends are written and acted so charmingly is a huge part of why it works, and getting 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 audience and protagonist - and a reason to care about his world and the conspiracies that shape it.
There's a lot to discover in Renaissance Italy, and Assassin's Creed II still has plenty to offer players 15 years later. Assassin's Creed II is available on PC (via Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, and Steam) and is included with 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 through a standalone subscription.
For more Assassin's Creed, check out The Evolution of Assassin's Creed's Stealth, The Evolution of Assassin's Creed's Eagle Vision, and How to Play the Assassin's Creed Games in Order.
