I have always been hesitant to acknowledge the iPhone as being a true gaming console.  The lack of buttons and the accelerometer didn’t do a whole lot for me and while most games were cheap, they were more a novelty than anything else, and couldn’t be played for more than 5 minutes.  Having never played or even followed the Nintendo DS version of this game, Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles is a huge leap forward in gaming on the iPhone.  Whereas Metal Gear Solid Touch was merely a name recognition cash grab and an incomplete game, ACAC is a full game with responsive controls and a lengthy playtime of about 6 hours.

ACAC is an action platformer that takes place before the events of the original Assassin’s Creed on consoles and PC.  Altair’s mission is to secure a sacred chalice in the year 1191 AD in several locations around Jerusalem.  The game has a progressive upgrade system that gives you access to more moves and weapons as you complete levels.  It is for the most part totally linear and I suggest playing through once on the easy difficulty setting before the harder one for maximum replay value.

The graphics of ACAC are standout.  Rich and vivid colors and competent animations make this game one to showcase to your friends the true power of the iPhone.  Slow down did occur on a handful of occasions when the action got hectic but it was never that bothersome.  Even though your thumbs are all over the screen, the widescreen presentation works well overall and you never feel like the screen is too small.

The sound was decent at best.  Street noise and clatter were a nice ambient backdrop, but the voice acting left something to be desired.  The dialog could have been picked out of hat and Altair’s voice was weaker than the NPC voiceovers.  The music and sound did cut out many times randomly but did not affect gameplay.  What also affected the sound was the use of your right hand on the iPhone as it often covered the speaker and muffled the volume.

The gameplay controls worked way better than I initially expected.  With a very analog feel, Altair could: walk, run, shimmy, jump, kick, climb walls, and fight with relative ease.  A bit of a learning curve, you’ll often find you thumb slipping off of the control surface and leaving you vulnerable during a fight or a jumping sequence.  There are combos available to you and other moves that are location specific and all the combat and jump buttons work great the majority of the time.  You will find yourself dying a lot at the beginning as you adjust to the control scheme, and the game will let you jump off the edge in any direction.

Other things I noticed was that it was harder to play the game with earphones in as the port is right where your hand is.  Either way the experience is going to be somewhat hindered by your right hand muffling the speaker or your left hand being obstructed by the earphone plug.

Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles is a totally playable title well worth $9.99 and really ups the ante in terms of graphics, gameplay, and production quality of iPhone gaming.  As my buddy “The Lord” always says, never be satisfied and something can always be better, ACAC is an enjoyable portable game with more accolades than glaring flaws.  Absolutely more well rounded than the console and PC versions, ACAC achieves what it sets out to be and more.

Update: Checkout our Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Review.

Pros:

• Beautiful graphics and presentation
• Fun and long for $9.99
• Decent replay value

Cons:

• Controls require some time to get a good handle on
• Sound and music randomly cut out
• Periodic slowdown