Overwhelming frustrations thwart what is otherwise the most thematically compelling narrative of the series to date
Contains: Strong Bloody Violence
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Assassin's Creed 3 is a historical action adventure set in a fictional history of real world events and follows the centuries old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles who, with the aid of a machine known as the Animus, relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The story proper is set in the 18th century before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783 and follows Desmond's half-English, half-Mohawk ancestor Connor as he fights the Templars' attempts to gain control of the colonies. The story is a slow-builder and it takes a few hours before you get to see the familiar open world set-up of side missions, economy system, and collectible exploration. But the excellent characters, and especially the deep, complex writing, keep you invested for things to come, aswell as a nice plot twist early on that rewards your patience and maintains your curiosity into where the story is headed from there on which creatively takes you through real moments of history during gameplay too.
There is certainly enjoyment to be had in this new setting, and plenty of historical information ripe for lengthy reading passed your way, with an abundance of ways to make the most of the opportunities. Previous games failed to captivate with an intense narrative (with the exception of the original) but struck gold when giving you freedom to assassinate when and where you please, and this fifth instalment delivers on the story front aswell as during the gameplay (mostly). The world itself is finely made, and quite marvellous to behold actually when taking into account all the attention to detail in architecture, clothing and weapons, aswell as a typically believable atmosphere which the series is so well known for. However, the combat system has changed a bit. Being tweaked was unnecessary since the sword-fighting mechanics were already fine and needn't be altered, so combat may take time to settle into, and at first not having the same ebb and flow about it. But once you become accustomed to the combat system you'll notice it packs some viscerally satisfying moments when you string together a combo, grab a human shield to block incoming fire, and then chase and assassinate the final combatant who took his chances fleeing into the wild (it's quite possible a wolf or cougar may take care of any stragglers like this too!). Stealth and controls feel inconsistent during certain missions, turning some sections of shadowy assault into rather strenuous passages that can exhaust your patience, but thankfully this isn't a frequent intrusion on your fun, and the kills (whether from hiding spots or in open combat) are delightfully violent as always.
The large, multiple open areas cover the frontier and cities with equal amounts of relishable details that draw you in (even going as far as having a steam-like effect in the lush woodland to show humidity). And with such areas brimming with tiny, applaudable features it's not a surprise that it gives you that sensation of actually wanting to meander over the terrain and roads to sniff out every nook and cranny. Particularly in the frontier, in which you have to cover large distances by running, and occasionally by horse, leading to many encounters against many vicious predators to keep things from feeling monotonous (an adult Elk charging you, head down, antlers lethally sharp, is a formidable sight). You can turn the tables and twist the dire situation of being the hunted into the hunter, and the hunting mechanics are cool and unique, even if (depending on your point of view) it could be considered pointless unless you enjoy collecting and selling pelts (amongst other things) or moving through a wide variety of challenges. It does offer a nice side activity to soldier slaughtering I suppose though, and is admittedly fun when you analyse a clue in the environment as to the whereabouts of an animal, and can then set traps and bait to catch the smaller beasts, or choose to rise to the tree canopy and poison one of the more dangerous animals. Assassin's Creed 3 without a doubt gives you a lot of stuff to do: Viewpoints to reach and synchronize, letters to deliver, flying pages in the wind to chase, trinkets to uncover, free-flowing platforming, challenges to complete, and even riotously well made seafaring battles as you engage in a variety of naval missions at the homestead. Sailing the high seas with your crew is unbelievably authentic with your team all performing admirably well to convince you in their actions that you are actually the captain of a ship. The ship handles very well (feeling appropriately heavy to steer) and firing cannons feels hefty and impactful when you witness cannon fire splintering other ships and turning them into fiery wrecks. Contending with numerous vessels at once is challenging but never difficult, and when storms hit, dodging rogue waves is a scary ordeal whilst trying to destroy your enemies. Along with the naval missions, some of the mission highlights are the ones that involve solving mysteries established by local frontiersman and hunting societies that include investigating the likes of a mythical sea monster, a bear that's developed a taste for human flesh and even UFO sightings. Sitting around a campfire and listening to adventurers talk about the famous legend for each case and then setting out for clues is great fun and although they all resolve as you'd probably expect, there is a genuine atmosphere about them all, like when creeping about the woods to look for the 'headless horseman' or nearing a supposedly haunted lighthouse in the dead of night, and that eerie quality lingers at the expense of your imagination when pursuing each unlikely lead and eventual hoax ending.
Like in all previous Assassin's Creed games there is a number of immersion-breaking visual blemishes which you'll no doubt be familiar with. Object pop-in and screen tearing are common but don't detract from the experience too much. Whereas on the other hand, there are an unpleasant and surprising number of bugs that can negatively impact your attitude during the game, most of which can be resolved by restarting from a previous checkpoint, but nonetheless annoying to bare witness to on your journey. Optional objectives during missions are often more trouble than they're worth too, and because failing them looks so unrewarding, and ultimately is by not giving you full synchronization at the end, you almost feel forced to repeat specific sections in order to get 100%, thus alleviating frustration further. If that hurts to hear, then the ridiculous amount of guards in the second city area takes the cake, and trying to get rid of full notoriety becomes an arduous and aggravating endeavour. Overall Assassin's Creed 3 is another reasonably successful entry into the long-running franchise, and while needing some work here and there and proving to be the weakest of the series, it isn't running out of steam just yet. Great sword-fights are feisty duels, watching your homestead grow slowly over time is fascinating to accomplish, and Desmond even has his share of action and platforming this time around in a story which you'll be riveted to see what historic event it places you next. With plenty more to offer, and putting blemishes and frustrations aside, Assassin's Creed 3 is a highly involving historic action adventure that makes sure that assassinating with hidden blades is still a sneaky, pleasurable act.
Story - 4/5
Characters - 5/5
Gameplay - 4/5
Graphics - 4/5
Sound - 5/5
Controls - 3/5
Atmosphere - 5/5
Enemy AI - 3/5
Length - 5/5
Replay Value - 2/5
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OVERALL SUMMARY - 8/10
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Good Points: Terrific voice acting all-round, Breathtaking atmosphere and attention to historical accuracy, Entertaining bloody combat, Deep story filled with splendid writing and drawn-out characters, Beautiful graphics and scenery, Open world offers a lot of variety, Naval battles are tense and exciting experiences.
Bad Points: Unpleasant intrusion of glitches, Stealth and control annoyances, Optional objectives feel forceful and incur frustration, Accounting and crafting is rubbish, Far too many guards in cities.