Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles

About

Altair's Chronicles is a side-scrolling adventure set during the Third Crusade, letting players control the legendary assassin before his iconic redemption arc. Navigating four Middle Eastern cities in 3D environments, you use parkour-like moves, swordplay, and ranged attacks to complete missions. Combat mixes close-quarters brawling with daggers, explosives, and a grappling hook while pickpocketing mechanics let you steal items or extract info via touch-screen minigames. The story tasks you with recovering a powerful chalice said to end the war by uniting warring factions. The game stands out for its blend of platforming challenges and stealth mechanics, offering 11 weapons to master across close and long-range combat. Progression comes through collecting orbs to upgrade health and gear. As a direct prequel to the main series, it fills gaps in Altair's early years battling the Templars. Though no longer on modern mobile platforms, it remains a curious entry for fans of the franchise’s lore. Community reviews note its ambitious scope for a mobile game but highlight dated visuals compared to later entries.

Storyline

In the year 1190, the wars of the Third Crusade engulfed the Holy Land, and Crusaders clashed with Saracens for the control of the Holy City, Jerusalem. Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a renowned Master Assassin of the Assassin Order, arrived at Alep from an arduous journey and found it under attack by the sworn enemies of the Assassins, the Knights Templar. Left with no choice but to repel the attack, the Assassin defeated many of them, even killing a low-ranking captain before the attack was halted. Afterwards, tasked by Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr was sent to find and retrieve a sacred object known as the Chalice, which was said to have the power to unite all the factions under one flag of whichever side possessed it, ending the Third Crusade in victory for either the Crusaders or the Saracens. Setting off immediately, Altaïr embarked on his new quest.