this game has some really good narrative elements that appeal to me. the philosophical elements and conflicts between the brotherhood and the templars are a good mechanism to portray an interpretation of utilitarianism and virtue ethics. i even liked the desmond sequences an amount, even if other people may find them boring. regardless, the way this game portrays the templars and assassins is more complex than it ever is during the whole ezio trilogy, where the templars are just sort of the bad authoritarian guys with no real individual perspectives and justifications for their actions. really bothers me how in this game altair takes the time to talk to his targets while ezio just says "requiesce in pace" and calls it a day, but i digress.

though, the gameplay is dated. i really cannot rate this any higher even with my appreciation of this early narrative that is far more compelling than later entries. the flag collectible system is awful, and after having lost my completionist desires for such things, it really makes me realize how much of a waste of time it was getting all those flags. aside from that, the combat is just parry and riposte with ok (but dated and repetitive) animations. the climbing is much more grounded than later entries, but it has its issues as a result.

the locations are pretty good here, there are some interesting spots and historical buildings, and each city has their own sort of structure to them that makes them varied. the kingdom is too big though honestly.

i dont think this game appeals to everyone, but it does its job for the people it does appeal to, and i appreciate it for that.