UbiSoft has released a new short film, Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, in preparation for the release of their game Assassin’s Creed 2 on November 17. It is the first part of a three part trilogy.
The short film is part of an ongoing effort on the part of UbiSoft to bring creative properties to multiple platforms. The goal is to engage gamers in as many entertainment mediums as possible. They have been strategic in their approach, acquiring Canadian special effects firm Hybride in order to produce quality films. Hybride was the company responsible for green screen epics such as 300.
After watching the film I would have to say it is the first Italian Renaissance ninja film I’ve ever seen. I think Italian ninjas are better dressed than their Japanese counterparts but their acting range seems to be about the same. The film itself has beautiful cinematography but I think they missed an opportunity to really create a different kind of narrative for the game.
Ubisoft has stated that they are doing these films as part of a campaign to create a more immersive experience for the gamers who are playing Assassin’s Creed. Games, especially first person shooters, or in this case, first person stabbers, aren’t very good at narrative. The cut scenes are limited in the depth and scope and most are quickly skipped by the players so they can move onto the next challenge in the game. Here was a chance to build on the strengths of film and work on mood, atmosphere, exposition and character. Perhaps they were just creating an action genre film for the demographic they had identified for the game. I’m not really sure how much interest those kinds of hardcore gamers have in film, even this one. I had just hoped that when game and film started to converge, they would have let each approach the story from a completely different direction. Instead of playing to the strengths of each medium, Lineage becomes a great looking film that looks like gameplay. Everything I’ve seen in this first film could have been achieved by cut-scenes and voice-overs within the game itself. I’ll withhold final judgment until I see the final two installments of the trilogy, perhaps this is all going someplace even I don’t expect.
