Yet another game that has so much potential--at least for what it was intended to be--only to be full of disappointment and shortsightedness.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a very entertaining story, despite how short it is in length, dialogue, and even text in the database files--although this is all to be expected, considering the Chronicles trilogy were initially released on the PlayStation Vita. They are very contained narratives, so you aren't missing out by avoiding them, however they do offer much in the way of the expanded universe of Assassin's Creed. For example, with this game in particular, it does continue the story of Shao Jun after her return to China following her training under Ezio (see Assassin's Creed Embers for the introduction.) Shao Jun has a very unique style of combat and assassinations, making her a welcome change to the formula we've come to expect with the main game Assassins--that is, until Odyssey and Valhalla. The gameplay is mostly fun, and rewards stealth as well as efficiency. Although I haven't searched online, I have no doubt it would make for a good or at least an introductory speed runner's game, as it can be thrilling to see how far you can get with golden ranks without surrendering your speed at completing each sequence. Yes, it scores you as you play--per section, to be exact--and even records your style based on how stealthy or how combative your play-style is per section passed. This is different for the franchise, which usually focuses on synchronization, however it is neither unwelcome nor out of place. Without a modern day, synchronization makes little sense without an Animus. Instead, your "challenges" are trying to get through each section through "ghosting", or remaining completed undetected and even exclusively killing your primary targets.

It all sounds great, does it not? So where are the problems, you might ask. To put it simply, the game can decide--upon reloading a checkpoint--that a collectible or secondary objective you've obtained/completed has been undone. This means you have to exit to the main menu, and restart the chapter. It can be very tedious, and the process is just a tad longer than it needs to be; they easily could have offered a level restart with the "reload checkpoint" option. The key placements are also a little awkward, but again, the game was meant for the PSVita, not a keyboard and mouse. Just something to consider.

Although I may give this game an overall thumbs up, it's certainly not for everybody. Especially it being a side-scroller intended for a handheld and not a mouse and keyboard.