Assassin’s Creed Revelation will have new environment with new faces for us to see and to know. We’ll still be playing the role of Ezio, but things will be different from Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood, where most of the characters are repeated. This time Ezio is leaving home and chasing his “dream” and, in time, question things like the truth and meaning of life.

There will be fewer familiar faces this time around. Instead, Ezio’s adventures in Constantinople introduce a new cast of compelling characters, many of whom are based on real-life historical figures.

We’ve been playing Ezio for two games now, watching as he passed through birth, boyhood, and into maturity before our eyes. Boy he sure has grown up mature and a lady killer. But speaking of killer, Ezio’s path through life was governed by the desire for vengeance. Much of his family was killed. Later, his beloved Uncle Mario was brought down by the Borgias.

Until now, Ezio’s actions have been a response to these terrible crimes, and it’s all about killing. So what now, after all those are behind him? In Revelations, we see Ezio for the first time beginning to question his role in life. Caterina Sforza no longer is around, and our hero now has a new desire to have a family of his own.

By 1511, when Revelations is set, Ezio is seeking purpose and direction, particularly in his role at the head of the Assassin’s Order. He looks to his own ancestor to help find the answers – a man named Altaïr.

Altair Ibn-La’Ahad

We only played his role for one game, and that’s the original Assassin’s Creed. Subject 16 is also a mystery. The early life of Altair and the things that happened after he became Grandmaster are still a mystery, although there is some small info that the PSP game Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines helped to clarify. But Ezio is going back to find more info on Altair this time in Revelation.

Revelations will reveal new details about the life of Altair through playable game sections. For the first time, these sections won’t be about Desmond living through the events of Altair’s life. Instead, Ezio encounters objects in his quest that allow him to look back and experience Altair’s memories for himself. While it’s unclear exactly what story points will be uncovered in these sequences, Ubisoft has promised that we’ll finally get a clear picture of exactly what Altair discovered all those centuries ago.

Manuel Palaeologos

This real-life historical figure might once have been an emperor if the Byzantine empire had not been brought down by the rising tide of the Ottoman empire. Instead, Palaeologos ended up as a wealthy man living a life of indolent luxury, but without any of the political power that might have otherwise have been his.

Within the Assassin’s Creed universe, Palaeologos is still tied to the Byzantine remnant that remains within Constantinople, but he also has some mysterious ties to the Templar order. Ubisoft has suggested that a major plot point in the new game will revolve around figuring out whether his loyalties lie first with the Byzantines, or if the Templar cause is his true calling.

Sofia Sorto

Many characters in the Assassin’s Creed universe are based on actual historical figures, but Sofia Sorto will be one of the first based purely on a piece of art. The basis for her character is a painting by Albrecht Durer entitled Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman.

Sorto is Ezio’s love interest in Revelations. Like Ezio, Sofia Sorto is a transplant to Constantinople from Italy. She came from Venice to help spread learning and knowledge to the people there. With the recent invention of the printing press, books are far more common that just a few years earlier. Knowing that, she opens a bookstore in the metropolis. There, a customer comes into her shop named Ezio – an intriguing and handsome man with an air of mystery and excitement. Over time, the two will become closer. The catch? Ezio can’t manage to tell her about his sordid past and his connection to the Assassins.

Prince Suleiman

Many historically-minded readers will recognize the name: Suleiman the Magnificent is one of the most well-known rulers in history, acclaimed for his over forty years of rule of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power.

In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, we meet Suleiman as a young man of 17, some nine years before he will rise to the throne. Suleiman is in a complicated political situation as the game begins. His family is at war with itself to determine the next ruler of the Empire. His grandfather, the current sultan, has designated his eldest son, Ahmet, as the heir. Suleiman’s father, the younger brother, feels differently, and military conflict looms surrounding the issue. As the game begins, the situation has yet to be decided.

As Suleiman comes to terms with this precarious situation, he meets Ezio – a strange foreigner with impressive leadership capabilities, and intriguing philosophies. Suleiman has a great deal to learn from the older man.

Yusuf Tazim

While Ezio Auditore has risen to the rank of grand master within the Assassin’s order, he has counterparts in other cities around the world. One of these masters is Yusuf Tazim, the master assassin in Constantinople.

Though Ezio is technically of higher rank within the order, the two men are close companions and friendly rivals. While Ezio has a great deal of wisdom to bring to Constantinople’s assassins, it is Yusuf that first introduces Ezio to the hook blade, the unique device that will change the way that Ezio fights and navigates his environment.

SOURCE via Game Informer