The views are spectacular as ever, but shallow side quests spoil the journey.Īs usual, a little persistence goes a long way with these enjoyable nuggets, offering a welcome change of emphasis to what's usually expected from Ezio. Occasionally a chase ensues, or a minor scuffle, but for the most part the emphasis is firmly on figuring out how to get from A to B. Spiritually aligned to both Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider, the emphasis is firmly on athletic platform-puzzling, with plenty of patient trial-and-error required to pick your way through these devious locations. As ever, the general idea is to explore the innards of an intricate interior location in search of treasure.

That annoyance to one side, all three Templars' Lairs are well worth investigating, adding the kind of hand-crafted experiences that we all hoped the other DLC would provide.

Sadly you can't actually buy the Templars' Lairs separately if you happen to buy the cheaper pack first. If you bought the limited edition Black version of the game, then you'll own all the Templars' Lairs already, but for everyone else the more expensive option is well worth the extra. One simply tacks on Memory Sequence 13 into the game for your 320 points, while the other also adds three new Templars' Lairs to explore for an all-inclusive price of 560 points. The truth is that you never need to use it even once.Īlso to make matters needlessly complicated, there are actually two distinct options for buying The Bonfire of the Vanities DLC. The addition of the new Spring Jump move is utterly superfluous, and made worse by the fact that the game fails to adequately demonstrate how you use it, or in which context. Strangely the package doesn't even offer the added bonus of extra Achievement points or Trophies, leaving what feels like a meaningless bolt-on. With no more upgrades or new weapons to play for, the incentive to keep plugging away fades very quickly. As beautiful as the game world is, and as slick as the mechanics are, you find yourself wishing that the DLC would dare to do something outside of the basic comfort zone.

There's precious little invention, and no real narrative hook to drive you from one to the next. For the most part, though, these assassination missions aren't much of a challenge, and they tend blur into one another as you quickly realise you're going through the motions.

Bonfire for the vanities