I am kind of biased because I love the AC franchise, and how it mixes historical and science fiction with conspiracy theories, and I have been a fan of stealth games since the original Splinter Cell way back when as well as the Prince of Persia franchise, which I’ve played to the point where each new playthrough would be essentially a speed run with some story interruption. It should be taken into account that this is a port of a PS Vita game, so it doesn’t have the depth and breadth of a typical AC entry, but it is still worth the time. So, let’s get down to it:

POSITIVES:

+Gameplay+

It is the gameplay of the original series, with the evolution stopped at AC3. You parkour your way through a historic population center, stalk and kill targets using stealth and plow through crowds of enemies using them slick Assassin moves. Pretty much the entire moveset that Aveline employs in combat has been lifted from AC3, which I appreciate since the brawling style of Connor was very fun. This however lead to some immersion breaking moments where her hidden blade does stuff that it shouldn’t, since Connor’s was a knife with a mechanism that allowed it to be gripped by the handle when deployed, while hers is the traditional wrist strapped hidden blade. It’s nothing major, but I noticed it.
The interesting bit comes from the Persona mechanic. Aveline can operate as either an Assassin, where everything functions like in previous games, a Lady, where she can bribe guards, charm men and move inconspicuously along the streets, but with severely limited mobility and arsenal due to her attire (“Well, women in London must have learned not to breathe.”) and a Slave persona, which she can use to blend into the crowds, incite riots, infiltrate restricted areas etc. Seeing how a mission can often be completed at least a couple of different ways was a bit of fresh air in comparison to previous entries.

+Story+

The story is above decent and exploring the viewpoint of a person who has been placed in a different place in society than what was intended for them. In a way Aveline is an outcast in every respect. Since the game was originally mean for the Vita, it is way more truncated than a typical franchise entry and it makes the game faster paced as the story ramps up, but will leave people who love to explore tiny different quest lines a bit dissatisfied. Still, there was enough quality there for me to be satisfied with what I got.

NEUTRALS:

=Graphics=

The game has pretty much the same engine and fidelity as AC3, but there was no place in the game that really showcased what was beautiful about its graphics like there was in the third instalment. Furthermore, while the fidelity of the game might have been the same, since the game is essentially a remaster of a Vita title, environments had simpler geometry and less asset density, which made the game world much sparser.

=Presentation=

The only standout area of the game for me was the swamp part of the Bayou which harkened a bit to the forest environment of the previous game, even though it had worse traversal flow, and a bunch of invisible walls, where there shouldn’t be. Still, the game as a whole has more than enough quality to it, and the voice acting is generally decent. There are notably awesome areas like underground caves, ancient ruins and a trippy final level, but all they did was whet my appetite and stop way before it was sated.

=Lore=

There is practically no story to follow up the modern story of AC3, while the historical part is more concentrated on a short glimpse into the Templar order and a First Civilization acquisition struggle. Still it’s satisfying enough, and I guess Ubi had to get their bearings after wrapping up the modern-day arc of the previous franchise entries.

=Music=

While the music is decent, there were no standout themes like in previous entries. I can’t think of a single moment that was “made” by the music.

CONCLUSION:

This is very much a bite-sized entry into the franchise, and while it is a thoroughly decent experience, if you have the AC itch like I had, it will leave you wanting more. As a quick palate cleanser from a live-service game and even as a short adventure, it performs admirably, but don’t expect something on the scale of a main entry to the franchise.

I am kind of biased because I love the AC franchise, and how it mixes historical and science fiction with conspiracy theories, and I have been a fan of stealth games since the original Splinter Cell way back when as well as the Prince of Persia franchise, which I’ve played to the point where each new playthrough would be essentially a speed run with some story interruption. It should be taken into account that this is a port of a PS Vita game, so it doesn’t have the depth and breadth of a typical AC entry, but it is still worth the time. So, let’s get down to it: POSITIVES: +Gameplay+ It is the gameplay of the original series, with the evolution stopped at AC3. You parkour your way through a historic population center, stalk and kill targets using stealth and plow through crowds of enemies using them slick Assassin moves. Pretty much the entire moveset that Aveline employs in combat has been lifted from AC3, which I appreciate since the brawling style of Connor was very fun. This however lead to some immersion breaking moments where her hidden blade does stuff that it shouldn’t, since Connor’s was a knife with a mechanism that allowed it to be gripped by the handle when deployed, while hers is the traditional wrist strapped hidden blade. It’s nothing major, but I noticed it. The interesting bit comes from the Persona mechanic. Aveline can operate as either an Assassin, where everything functions like in previous games, a Lady, where she can bribe guards, charm men and move inconspicuously along the streets, but with severely limited mobility and arsenal due to her attire (“Well, women in London must have learned not to breathe.”) and a Slave persona, which she can use to blend into the crowds, incite riots, infiltrate restricted areas etc. Seeing how a mission can often be completed at least a couple of different ways was a bit of fresh air in comparison to previous entries. +Story+ The story is above decent and exploring the viewpoint of a person who has been placed in a different place in society than what was intended for them. In a way Aveline is an outcast in every respect. Since the game was originally mean for the Vita, it is way more truncated than a typical franchise entry and it makes the game faster paced as the story ramps up, but will leave people who love to explore tiny different quest lines a bit dissatisfied. Still, there was enough quality there for me to be satisfied with what I got. NEUTRALS: =Graphics= The game has pretty much the same engine and fidelity as AC3, but there was no place in the game that really showcased what was beautiful about its graphics like there was in the third instalment. Furthermore, while the fidelity of the game might have been the same, since the game is essentially a remaster of a Vita title, environments had simpler geometry and less asset density, which made the game world much sparser. =Presentation= The only standout area of the game for me was the swamp part of the Bayou which harkened a bit to the forest environment of the previous game, even though it had worse traversal flow, and a bunch of invisible walls, where there shouldn’t be. Still, the game as a whole has more than enough quality to it, and the voice acting is generally decent. There are notably awesome areas like underground caves, ancient ruins and a trippy final level, but all they did was whet my appetite and stop way before it was sated. =Lore= There is practically no story to follow up the modern story of AC3, while the historical part is more concentrated on a short glimpse into the Templar order and a First Civilization acquisition struggle. Still it’s satisfying enough, and I guess Ubi had to get their bearings after wrapping up the modern-day arc of the previous franchise entries. =Music= While the music is decent, there were no standout themes like in previous entries. I can’t think of a single moment that was “made” by the music. CONCLUSION: This is very much a bite-sized entry into the franchise, and while it is a thoroughly decent experience, if you have the AC itch like I had, it will leave you wanting more. As a quick palate cleanser from a live-service game and even as a short adventure, it performs admirably, but don’t expect something on the scale of a main entry to the franchise.