It appears that the Auditore family has fallen victim to a terrible conspiracy, but fortunately we have a plan in motion to put a stop to it by presenting evidence.
And once we do, we can go back to the life of a happy 15th century Italian nobleman.
Many, including myself, have made jokes about Ezio’s ostentatious Assassin’s Robes and how they do the exact opposite of blending into the crowd. Especially since it comes into stark contrast with Altair’s robes from the first game, that are designed specifically to closely resemble the garbs of the various scholars seen throughout the Holy Land in which we conducts his business in the Third Crusade, allowing him to pass himself off as one of them. Ezio’s outfit lacks that same practicality from a world-building standpoint.
However, in my mind, I think of that in much the same way I think of Agent 47’s barcode on the back on his head. While it does stand out, and it is strange to think a detail that significant would go unnoticed and unmarked on, for the player looking to pick their avatar out in a crowd of NPCs, a distinct visual design goes a long way towards making that a simple task. And because Ezio’s outfit fits that criteria, players don’t have a problem identifying him.
More than that though, Ezio’s outfit cemented the “look” of an Assassin’s Creed lead. When Assassin’s Creed 2 established that the franchise could go to any era in all of human history, they needed to establish a visual identity that transcends time and place. When looking at the key art for the original game, both for Desmond and Altair, it makes perfect sense to make the combination of white hood and robes a visual signature for the Assassin Order. That way, no matter where they decide to take the series after Ezio, they can merge that core idea into whatever style is popular for the time period, and create the new look for our next protagonist.
In other words, the outfit is silly. But that is offset by the many practical considerations from a development standpoint that are answered by it.
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