After two games of traversing the streets of Renaissance Italy, Revelations first big jump in scale is taking the game to Constantinople (not Istanbul -- yet). While the general flow of running, scaling, and leaping remains consistent, the Eastern setting is refreshing in contrast to the familiar cobblestones of Italy. Ezio can nimbly cross the dozens of domes dotting the skyline of the Byzantine city -- where he previously stumbled on rounded surfaces. The city is enormous and split into sections accessible by ferry.
But it's the hidden Masyaf Keys that really show off how far Assassin's Creed: Revelations takes the adventure. Masyaf Keys are the Revelations equivalent of Tombs and Lairs. As a player who tackled all of Da Vinci's weapon quests, all of the Romulus Lairs, as well as all the Assassin Tombs in II, I've seen a lot of dungeons, ruins, and treasures. But in the two instances of Masyaf Keys that led me into the memories of an older Altair, I saw that the scope of the exploration had ratcheted into a higher stratosphere.
The first dungeon took place in an enormous cavern full of waterfalls, collapsing scaffolding, and what looked like a bottomless pit. The new zip lines throughout the game help escalate this sense of depth throughout the environments. Crumbling scaffolding and falling pillars aren't new to the formula, but the size and sense of impending doom add to the drama.
The second Masyaf Key dungeon feels similar to the Naval Cannon quest in Brotherhood in which you stalk a boat through an underground river. But in the case of Revelations, there's no stealth involved, the soldiers on the boat blast you with rifles as you chase them across crumbling archways, pilings, with fire nipping at your heels. Rather than slipping into a boatyard without being seen, this chase scene ends at a waterfall – and I won't spoil more.
Speaking of guns, there's a new kind of big fight in the form of rifleman aiming at you from point-blank range. While guns aren't new to the series, the sharpshooting rifleman stands as a new combat bane that was just annoying enough to add difficulty. But with the addition of bombs, these steady-eyed nuisances might not be as annoying as they initially seem.
Where else have the mechanics taken a turn for the more complex? In the Revelations version of Borgia Towers: Contested Dens. Assassin's Creed: Revelations takes a page from the Tower Defense playbook and sets up an interesting new way to battle for contested dens. When an Assassin Den takes on the contested status, you'll find yourself watching a street from the rooftops. You then assign Assassins to the other rooftops and place riflemen and crossbowmen along the eaves, with barricades in the streets. Wave after wave of Templar troops charge down the streets and you can launch explosives on their heads and try to turn them back before they reach the den. It's a familiar formula, but the fresh coat of paint Revelations paints it with is a welcome addition to the city-management style minigames that the series has taken on.
With all the tweaks, changes, and new places to seek out adventure, only one question remains: does bigger mean better? The latest demo showed off some awesome elements, but it's going to take the full retail game to see just how well the experience pans out.