If you snag all 20 collectibles in The Lost Archive, you'll "break the loop" and get a proper ending. Otherwise, you start back at the first mission. Look out!For a game whose title promised juicy details, Assassin's Creed: Revelations wasn’t very successful at tying up loose ends or fleshing out its perplexing backstory. Luckily, the new Lost Archive add-on dangles a couple of tantalizing threads in that regard, with a brief, story-centric experience based on the puzzle sequences introduced in the main game.
While the on-disc levels focused on Desmond's upbringing, these seven missions finally shed some light on Subject 16, his mysterious predecessor who was sucked into the Animus for good. Spawning platforms out of thin air — plus new high-jump bounce pads — you'll overcome obstacles while finding out more about the creation of the Animus, not to mention a huge reveal about Lucy's role in everything.
As in Desmond's Journey, the actual puzzle-platforming mechanics are rudimentary and clunky. But as a relatively non-taxing base for narrative exposition, it works — and the surreal visuals are both haunting and beautiful in spots. Beyond the archive, the DLC offers other bits partially pulled from Limited Edition sets, including a bonus quest in the main game, along with extra costumes, ammo-capacity upgrades, and three multiplayer characters, all usable in Revelations.
It’s an intriguing new piece of the puzzle, to be sure. But the two-hour Lost Archive quest doesn't go quite far enough in pushing forward the overall series storyline, making it less essential for those who care more about Assassin’s’ open-world adventuring than the lore behind it.
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft • DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal • ESRB: Mature • MULTIPLAYER: None • ACHIEVEMENTS: Tricky • COST: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)
+ Offers insight into Subject 16 and franchise lore.
+ Alluring presentation makes strong impression.
– Platforming is clunky and can be frustrating.
? Will these story details feed into the tale in Assassin’s Creed III?
