Assassin's Creed II - Discovery

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery for Nintendo DS is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Griptonite Games and published by Ubisoft. It presents a handheld side-scrolling chapter in Ezio Auditore da Firenze's story, released alongside Assassin's Creed II for home consoles. Rather than attempting to duplicate the console game's broad three-dimensional cities, Discovery reshapes the series' climbing, stealth, and assassination ideas into a 2.5D format designed around the DS. A separate iOS version followed in 2010, but this Nintendo DS release is the original handheld edition.

The story takes place in the late fifteenth century, during Ezio's search for the Apple of Eden. After events in Venice draw him into protecting Christopher Columbus, Ezio learns that Spanish Assassins have been rounded up under the Spanish Inquisition. He travels through Spain to aid the Brotherhood and investigate the interests behind the arrests. The campaign connects with the wider Assassin's Creed II era while giving the DS game its own route through locations including Barcelona, Zaragoza, Granada, and the Alhambra.

Each mission is framed as an Animus memory and asks Ezio to reach a target, escape danger, rescue allies, or complete another focused objective. He runs, jumps, rolls, climbs walls and buildings, and swings across gaps as players use the D-pad and buttons to navigate compact platforming stages. Guards can be bypassed by taking cover or using hiding places, while direct confrontations allow Ezio to use his Hidden Blades, sword, and throwing knives. Assassinations from ledges, hay, and other cover reward careful positioning, making movement and observation as important as fighting.

Discovery varies its level rules through normal, chase, and stealth memories. Standard memories leave room to explore for hidden items, while chase missions emphasize a rapid route to the goal under pressure. Stealth missions restrict open combat and limit how often guards can spot Ezio before the memory fails. Completion earns synchronization points, with optional conditions encouraging players to revisit stages and improve their performance. The game also includes challenge rooms unlocked through collected Renaissance maps, adding self-contained tests beyond the main story.

Exploration supports progression with several kinds of collectibles. Memory paths help point out a route, knives replenish Ezio's ranged supply, and wanted posters contribute toward larger health reserves when enough are removed. Hidden rooms can reveal art pieces, and the collected items give players reasons to look beyond the most direct path through a mission. Synchronization points can also unlock Animus hacks, optional modifiers that alter such elements as character appearance, movement, or perks; only one can be selected at a time.

As a Nintendo DS entry, Assassin's Creed II: Discovery is notable for translating a major open-world historical action series into a structured portable platform adventure without abandoning Ezio, the Animus framework, or the Assassin-versus-Templar conflict. Griptonite had previously made Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles for the DS, and Discovery builds another handheld story around climbing routes, stealthy approaches, and short mission-based objectives. Its DSi camera feature could place a player's photo on in-game wanted posters, a hardware-specific extra not central to the main DS cartridge experience. For players exploring Ezio's period of the series, it supplies a parallel adventure set between portions of Assassin's Creed II.