Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection Brings a Classic Story Arc to the Nintendo Switch

Andrew Chen
·4 min read

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Ubisoft just released Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection for the Nintendo Switch, and it offers a new generation of gamers a chance to experience the genre-defining story arc of a beloved character, Ezio Auditore.

This cornerstone of the Assassin’s Creed franchise spans three full games – Assassins’ Creed II, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations – all of which are included in The Ezio Collection.

And as a bonus for fans of the series, this collection also features two short films (one live-action, the other CG animation) that reveal more backstory about the Assassin’s Creed universe at the height of the Renaissance in 1400’s Italy. For the live-action episode, the costumes, sets, and action were all fantastic, and I hope it’s an indication of what the highly-anticipated Netflix Original Assassin’s Creed show will be like.

Game Snapshot: Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection

assassins creed the ezio collection
Credit: Ubisoft

The Ezio Collection follows the story of Desmond Miles as he recounts key moments in his ancestors’ lives, specifically through the eyes of Ezio Auditore, using a device called the Animus that accesses his DNA to unlock “memories.”

With real historical events as a backdrop, you’ll explore a centuries-old struggle for power between the Assassins and Templars, while using combat, stealth and free-running skills to dispatch your enemies.

Titles included in The Ezio Collection:

  • Assassin’s Creed II

  • Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

  • Assassin’s Creed Revelations

  • Assassin’s Creed Lineage (short film)

  • Assassin’s Creed Embers (short film)

Pricing:

A Must-Play for Fans of the Assassin’s Creed Series

assassins creed the ezio collection
Credit: Ubisoft

If you’ve tried any of the more recent Assassin’s Creed games, then you owe it to yourself to see where it all started. The free-running and stealth mechanics along with an engrossing storyline left an incredible impact on players when Assassin’s Creed II was initially released over a decade ago. And many modern games still draw inspiration from this style of play and storytelling.

The drama that unfolds during Ezio’s journey still holds up today, and it’s worth revisiting for those who experienced it as younger versions of themselves – the themes throughout the story feel even more meaningful now, after having leveled up with our own real-life experiences.

assassins creed the ezio collection
Credit: Ubisoft

All three titles have plenty of classic RPG elements, offering hours upon hours of side quests and bonus objectives that involve combat, exploration, racing, delivery, and more. As you become stronger and earn more currency, you can craft or upgrade weapons, armor and your overall appearance.

I felt that Ubisoft did a nice job of optimizing the games for handheld mode on the Switch. The HUD, text, and key elements are easy to see on the small screen, and the camera placement offers a wide enough view to see the expansive landscape without losing out on details.

assassins creed the ezio collection
Credit: Ubisoft

Ubisoft also added exclusive features for the Nintendo Switch version, like HD rumble, a touch screen interface, an optimized HUD, and support for TV mode. I enjoyed using the touch screen to quickly navigate in-game menus, equipment inventory, and the map – the pinch and swipe gestures are intuitive and identical to that of a smartphone.

It’s worth noting that Assassin’s Creed II is playable via a cartridge, but the two other titles as well as the short films are only available as downloadable content. The full collection uses 35GB of storage, and will require a separate MicroSD card.

Should You Play Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection?

assassins creed the ezio collection
Credit: Ubisoft

You’re getting a lot of gaming and content for just $39.99, and the graphics and gameplay still hold up for a modern classic that helped define the stealth-action RPG genre.

Like I mentioned before, if you’re even remotely familiar with Assassin’s Creed, you owe it to yourself to experience the origins of this creative re-telling of the universal struggle between people and power.

Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection is available now from the Ubisoft Store or wherever you buy Nintendo Switch games.

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