Assassin's Creed : Bloodlines

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines for PSP is a 2009 single-player action-adventure developed by Griptonite Games and published by Ubisoft. Built as a direct continuation of the original Assassin’s Creed, it returns players to the role of Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad shortly after his confrontation with Robert de Sablé. Rather than adapting the series into a side-scroller, this PlayStation Portable release brings its climbing, rooftop movement, stealth, and close-quarters action to a portable entry in the franchise.

The story follows Altaïr as the surviving Templars leave the Holy Land for Cyprus. Their new leader, Armand Bouchart, is establishing control over the island, and Altaïr pursues the order while working with a local resistance. The adventure takes place across the cities of Limassol and Kyrenia, where the conflict between the occupying Templars and the population supplies the backdrop for Altaïr’s campaign. Maria Thorpe, the Templar agent whose life Altaïr spared in the first game, also becomes an important part of this chapter of his story.

Exploration is central to Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines. Altaïr can run across roofs, climb buildings and other structures, leap between beams, and use elevated viewpoints to reveal useful activity in each city. Missions lead toward major targets, but the route involves more than a string of duels: players take on jobs for allies, help civilians facing Templar soldiers, deliver messages, and intercept couriers. The game introduced several mission types for this portable installment, creating a chain of tasks that advances the hunt for the Templar leadership.

Combat and covert play use the series’ familiar tools. Altaïr has his sword, Hidden Blade, throwing knives, and fists, with high- and low-profile actions shaping how conspicuous he is around guards. A ledge assassination lets him silently dispatch an opponent from above, while knife boxes at safehouses replenish throwing knives. Collectible Templar Coins replace the original game’s flags; their value can be spent on health and weapon-damage upgrades, giving exploration and optional objectives a tangible role in character improvement.

Bloodlines was designed specifically around the PSP’s controls and hardware while retaining a three-dimensional, free-running format. The smaller cities, reduced crowds, and more direct mission structure distinguish it from the 2007 console game, and some of Altaïr’s systems were adjusted for the handheld. It remains a PSP-exclusive release, arriving in North America on November 17, 2009, with releases in other regions later that month and in Japan in December.

It also has a notable connection to Assassin’s Creed II on PlayStation 3. Linking compatible PSP and PS3 saves allowed progress to benefit both games: health and Hidden Blade upgrades earned in Assassin’s Creed II could carry to Bloodlines, while Templar Coins and special weapons from the PSP game could unlock content on PS3. That feature, together with its position between the first Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed II, makes Bloodlines a distinct piece of Altaïr’s story as well as the series’ first PSP game.