Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Tested on: Xbox One
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India – Review
It’s been a while since the first installment of the 2.5D chronicles spin-off of the Assassin’s Creed series was released, but the long wait for the next part is finally over. While the first part played itself out in China, we now head all the way to India. Even though Bollywood movies were not yet a thing, it was clear from the start that the atmosphere would be properly set. Let’s hurry and get ourselves some curry (slightly out of place, we know).
Story
After the female protagonist in the first part of the Chronicles series, we again get a male assassin in the lead, namely Arbaaz Mir. During the war between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, you are tasked to retrieve a valuable item which was once in the possession of the Assassin Brotherhood. This item just so happens to be a very special diamond, the Koh-I-Noor, which was a legendary item forged by the ‘first civilization’. It’s easy to say that such an item is not easy to retrieve, thus it will take all of his wits.
The story itself is brought by cutscenes that use bright colored stills as some kind of a slideshow. These scenes are voiced, making them rather fun to look at, but it’s fair to say that a little bit of extra story value could have made this game even more beautiful.
Graphics
In terms of cheeriness and liveliness, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India is a lot more vibrant than the grey and gloomy first installment, China. You’ll be treated to much warmer colors, which suit the ‘Indian’ setting perfectly, while being accompanied by other things that perfectly suit the theme, such as fancily decorated elephants, caged tigers and so on. Even your sword attacks leave a certain colorful pattern in their wake, which adds to the overall colorful and crowded feeling you have when imagining the streets of India. Of course, the game doesn’t offer that many different character models and clutter, but there’s proper variation to be found, making it possible to have a gander at your environment(s).
Sound
The game has a very subtle soundtrack, at least when you’re sneaking around unnoticed. You’ll be treated to tranquil background music, which immediately sweeps up when you’re detected, making the tunes reach the foreground, directly getting the blood pumping through your veins, making a tricky situation even more nerve-wracking. In combination with proper voice acting and the gibberish the NPCs constantly spew at you or at each other, everything proves to be a very pleasant experience.
Gameplay
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India is the second installment of the spin-off based on the series with the same name. Unlike the original series, this title is a 2.5D stealth platformer, with some combat elements the further you progress in the game. There is no real sense of freedom in this sub-franchise, but you can approach many situations from slightly different perspectives.
The basic idea of the game is go from point A to B, while solving puzzles, opening blocked passages, all while avoiding traps and guards or if you want to take the highroad, you can simply kill them all, if you have the necessary skills. Kudos to those who can immediately kill all the guards from the get-go (you can’t kill anyone in the first level though), as you will often only be able to take one or two hits before you’re dead (at least in the first stages of the game), while the guards themselves will be able to take multiple hits, some shooting at you from a distance while you’re fighting off another guard closeby.
Due to this the game is actually quite difficult and is one of those games that directs itself mainly to those who love to play games where they will have to wait before making their move. Going in guns (or swords) blazing in this title is extremely hard, but to put it bluntly, this is actually what the Assassin’s Creed franchise was supposed to be. It’s a realistic interpretation of how an assassin would have to go about his business, rather than being able to fight off 30 guards at the same time. Nonetheless, the difficulty difference compared to the main franchise might scare off a few potential buyers, but might attract those who have been hoping for a stealthy games series such as this one to appear.
You’ll have a limited but sufficient arsenal at your disposal to lure guards away, kill foes, block enemies and even use them to clear the way. Combat in ACC: India is rather straightforward, but it relies a lot on timing, as simply flailing your sword around will guarantee your untimely demise. The game offers a few tutorials on combat, but you’ll notice that practice truly makes perfect when you find yourself dying during several battles. One of your most important assets however will be your environment, as there are many places you will be able to hide, making sure you can either cross the guards safely, or dispose of the bodies if you’re feeling in a murderous mood.
The game itself might be a bit slow when it comes to gameplay, but also in terms of moving your character. Climbing things or trying to get on a ledge are pretty much like in real life, where you’ll have to do some effort to perform such actions. Sadly, the controls are not always precise or responsive, making you perform an action you did not want to, which might get you detected by the guards or even killed.
When detected, you’ll have to stay out of sight for a short while, as indicated by a timer. Nonetheless, in sequences such as this, the AI’s intelligence is often very lacking. If you run out of their detection span, which is only a few meters, and stand in front of them on an open area, you’ll be undetected, while in reality the guard is just looking at you. Same can be said about when you’re detected, and you climb higher or drop lower again, that the guards directly above or under them are not contacted to help look, while they’re in hearing distance. This tends to take back the realism the game has going for itself.
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India is a great second installment of the chronicles series. Diehard stealth lovers will surely find their pick of the litter, whit an amazing art style to accompany you from start to finish. While the difficulty might not be for beginners, if you have enough patience, this game tends to grow on you.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India – Review,
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