Unparalleled beauty and design, it is the best in the entire series mechanically. However, not all of it coincides.
Desmond leaves Ezio this time in favor of a new historical ancestor, Connor Kenway. Though the few hours present a different turn of presentation from the other titles in the series, it was for the best. Character development has never been this detailed and surely explained. Voice acting is perfect, pinning all accents accurately and wonderfully. As the story comes to its peak, so has the degree of haste Desmond has to act for the salvation of humanity. Visuals are definitely improved, I could confidently proclaim they've got one of the best facial animations ever done without using facemotion scan tech present in LA Noire.
With that at hand, what made the experience truly astounding was in its overall game structure. Controls have been polished for a seamless feel, interfaces for both the map and the menus are now more informative, displaying what you truly need to know strategically without annoying blocking. Missions play out accordingly and in line with the present pace. Suffice to say, the pacing is superb. Things tend to slow down when it needs to, only turning the heat once again at the proper moment. Characters are greatly presented with various nuisances for a more grounded delivery. Though some are excellent, some aren't. Most notably would be Connor's mentor and a bunch of other uninteresting characters. Though they should be serving a far significant role, their characters feel empty and shallow. These little annoyances somewhat result in flat story moments.
These however, are completely neutered by the game's investments. There is a LOT to do in Boston, the frontier, your Homestead, and New York. These varying activities are fun, lovely and certainly a joy to participate in. Betting at board games, chasing down almanac pages, helping out civilians, and a lot more.
What sold me though was only two things. Hunting and naval missions. And what pleasure they certainly bring. With the new anvil engine, animals are now part of the game's fictional universe. As seasons cycle and weathers change, a huge number of these in-game animals live realistically to how they're supposed to, prompting different kinds of approaches to hunt them down. Some are cakewalk, some are, well they are QTEs, and no, they don't suck and they actually fit to the context of reacting right at the proper moment in such a flash of time. With this year's new economy system, expect to be invested to the amount of financial work needed to be managed. Pelts from your hunt can be sold for cash, along with other items you could get your hands on, and with that money, lots of upgradable stuff are at your disposal. Homestead comes at first, as it's your own home for living in. Trading wood and planning how it would be delivered may sound too tedious but it expanses what we thought of the series as a basic adventure into a more deeper mini-RPG genre.
The naval missions are breathtaking. It's the certain kind of word to be used upon experiencing. The atmosphere is just sheer amazing. From the waves that whip your ship dancing around the open ocean waiting to be traversed, to the crew scurrying around, climbing up and down rafts making sure everything's accordingly adjusted. Weather effects are showcased impressively as a fine, blue, sunny day could turn at any moment into an overcast of storm, rumbling down the sea, tossing the ship side to side with an audio so disturbingly real the mere splash of wave instill a sense of personal danger. Coupled with combat and you've got one of gaming's most ingenious creations ever made. Cannons creak as they reload, bullets tear through wood perfectly, and sails come crashing down as you dance your way in circles firing hot lead around enemy ships.
However, amidst all these unimaginable achievements there comes a price. A buggy, glitchy, messy and somewhat broken experience. With the animations looking slick as ever, jarring transitions and stunted environment interaction break some of the parkour feel normally executed in previous games. Engaging the enemy also has its downsides, the revamp of the system resulted in a disjointed pace between encounters which must feel fluid and instinctive. The slow-mo effect you get after having countered an attack doesn't feed the system well, dragging the momentum from a gracious display of executions to a halt then back up again. However, that does not mean a wasted opportunity. With its amazing presentation both in narrative and gameplay, it is a grandeur of elements greatly sewn together for an ambitious intention of bringing out a wonderful sense of scale.