re-establishing syncronization...

The flying eagle

The name Altair is Arabic and actually means "the flying eagle"; several hints were implemented by the developers: his hood having the design of a beak, his robe resembles an eagle with feathers being cut at the back. Also, every time you climb a view point , an eagle is standing at the top and when synchronizing the view you can hear the eagle, suggesting the feeling of freedom, that anything is permitted.

Benefiting the training and life in the Hashashein sect, Altair can perform some pretty tricky acrobatics and a full range of combat moves. In my opinion, the combat is the key element of the game. You can kill your opponents in so many ways, more and more finishing moves unlock as Altair recovers his levels in the Brotherhood. The more you keep playing, the more combat becomes a delight, 20 soldiers are nothing but a small challenge that will easily be suppressed.

When any person joined the Assassins Brotherhood, the initiation was to amputate the ring finger from the left hand, between the little and the middle one giving you enough space for the Hidden Blade. This is probably the most used weapon in the game for assassination. It is mounted on a gauntlet and can be used for high profile or low profile assassinations. The high profile assassination is when Altair jumps on his target and stabs him in the neck, this way he attracts the attention of every person around him. On the other hand, the low profile assassination can be performed quick, Altair moving at the back of the target stabbing him in the ribs and even if in the middle of the street, you won't attract the attention of the people, the death being noticed only after a few seconds.

The Short Blade is used when surrounded by lots of enemies, the weapon gives you room for a lot of agility. The Short Blade can be upgraded once during the game, giving you more damage to the attacks.

The Long Blade is more powerful than the Short Blade but also much slower.

Then there are the Throwing Knifes which can be selected on the same button as the Short Blade. When the enemy is outside the melee range, the Throwing Knifes are automatically selected. One can carry up to 15 knifes.

You also have the Punch, which isn't really a weapon and can be used only in interrogation missions where you need to beat the information out of targets.

The combat is very immersive , multiple opponents can be killed without taking any damage, for the simple fact that no more than one soldier will be attacking you at a time. If you need to escape, you need to make way between the citizens which will be a real obstacle course. To escape the followers, you first need to break the line of sight, then you need to hide somewhere and wait to them to lose track. Usually you can hide in a pile of hay or hiding spots found on the rooftops of the buildings. While running, you will attract more attention on yourself and the guards will suspect you did something. A good way to lose track is to find the monks, there are several groups in each area, and you can blend in, but first you also need to break line of sight.

Besides the combat, the feeling that you can do anything, you can go anywhere, is actually there. You really are the ultimate assassin and nothing can stop you. Climbing the walls of a building, jumping from house to house; gives you the feeling that Altair does not obey the laws of physics, every move being so simple, so acrobatic, almost like a feather in the wind. Climbing a building/walls looks very real just because any visible ledge can be grabbed; the developers took the time to implement these simplistic aspects of the game, which adds to its realism.

... syncronization lost.