Assassin’s Creed III Review: By Foot, By Horse, Or by Ship – This Game Is Fantastic!

Assassin’s Creed III Review: By Foot, By Horse, Or by Ship – This Game Is Fantastic!

Assassin’s Creed III
Played On: PlayStation 3
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action/Adventure

Assassin’s Creed III is a game which I am sure most of us are familiar with by now. It takes place during the American Revolution and provides a most interesting storyline inspired by that timeline. I must say, I’ve always enjoyed the Assassin’s Creed games, but they never were my favorite and I would always reach a point of annoyance. However, once I found out that Assassin’s Creed III was going to take place during the American Revolution and in multiple cities of Colonial America (and just the overall direction they were taking this title), it peeked my interest like never before. This was the first Assassin’s Creed title that I actually looked forward to and it was all because of the timeline they choose for the game. Assassin’s Creed III is beautiful looking, from the cities of Boston and New York to the wide open lands and seas.

I’m going to say it right away – This is by far my favorite Assassin’s Creed title yet, by far. I mentioned earlier how in previous titles there would come a point where I would get annoyed? Well, this time it never came, both with the gameplay and the story. Again, at first it had a lot more to do with the setting of the game rather than anything else, as they pieced together the story very well. The story isn’t perfect though. There were a few moments where I was left with questions, but overall it remains very engaging, to the point where you can look past some of the storyline decisions. The story is interesting, intriguing and has great cut-scenes for you to enjoy throughout the game. Plus, it’s also great to see some well-known names from that timeline introduced into the story of the game. It makes it that much more interesting and likable.

On a personal note: I must be honest, upon receiving my copy, I went to the store and bought a 12 pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager. It’s the perfect beer for exploring Boston, and also, while hanging out with Sam Adams! Just by that, can you tell that I might have been just a little bit overly excited about this game?

Assassin’s Creed III is wonderfully presented. I was already in love with the game and ready for the experience right when I hit the main menu and let the opening theme song play through a couple of times. The characters that you interact with are likable and help build the story further. It was great to see the main story unfolding from the very beginning from one point of view, to the end, from another view. I really loved the beginning segments of the game playing with a very interesting character. I don’t want to give details to avoid spoilers, but the entire opening process of the game and introduction to the new world is fantastic. They really couldn’t have done it any better than what they did.

Assassin’s Creed III has great sequences to experience with multiple missions, most which are a joy to play. Outside of the main missions of the game, there is a lot more for you to do, though I must say, I avoided a lot of the side options for a long time as I pushed through to complete the game. Still, you can do a lot of hunting, play games for cash (I should add that I play a mean game of checkers), and of course sail out to sea. The presentation of the story, the setting, and most certainly from the sea, is well done. And now speaking of the sea, once you find yourself at the controls of a ship, it’s hard to stop.

Let’s jump aboard and explore that experience, having control of a mighty ship at sea. I was very intrigued by this when I first learned about its existence. However, I wasn’t sure how well the experience was going to be. Let me quickly say that it’s very addictive and a lot of fun! Thankfully there are multiple missions for you to play at sea, allowing you to keep the gameplay going for short while. The handling of the ship is very easy, though it may take a minute to get used to the controls, but once you do you’ll be having non-stop fun taking down enemy ships. You’ll also be able to upgrade your ship as you earn money in the game. Ship parts are pretty expensive though. I love lining up a group of enemy ships and shooting everything I have at them. It became a fun experiment to see how many ships I could sink in one firing session. Here is a quick gameplay video from one of my battles.

Colonial America is wide open for you to explore, by foot, by horse or by ship! There is a lot of back and forth traveling in the game, but thankfully the fast travel helps out quite a bit. Still, traveling by foot or horse is a great experience to take in the sights, especially in the winter time where you will see the snow covered land and struggle through the thick snow drifts. It’s simply a beautiful world to explore, in winter and summer, white covered land or full of color. I love the animal life that you’ll run into as well. It ranges from non-threatening animals to the more scary animal life, such as a bear or wolf that will get you if you aren’t ready for it. You’ll also opportunity to do a lot of hunting, from setting traps to luring animals nearby for an up close strike. This game has a lot of side options for you to enjoy, but you don’t have to take advantage of those right away as you can simply play right through the main story of the game.

Let’s get back into the core gameplay of Assassin’s Creed III. It’s still just as fun as before, but in my opinion feels better. There were still moments where my character still didn’t do exactly what I was hoping he would do. As a perfect example, during a chase scene, if I got too close to a wall he would jump off of it. Still, besides those little faults that you may experience, it still feels very good when everything goes right. Sneaking around, eaves-dropping on a conversation while hiding around a corner or within a group of people, all plays out well. You’ll also have a good time climbing the buildings and trees.

The combat feels more natural as well compared to what I remember. It’s much easier to control, no matter what your weapon of choice may be. It’s always great when you perform awesome take downs as well. I’ve always enjoyed it when I got involved in a large group of enemies where you had to counter almost constantly, but it was great to still perform double assassinations and finish with a strong move. The game has a lot of quick action cams as well. I also love grabbing an enemy to cover yourself before a group fires shots at you. There is just so much more to enjoy about this game than before. They took it a new direction and really made sure to create a new experience for the player – everything feels great.

Assassin’s Creed III also features a much deeper multiplayer experience as well. I will give deeper thoughts on that in the next day or two in a separate article.

Assassin’s Creed III is a truly fantastic experience and it’s all because of its great presentation of that timeline. The American Revolution mixed with Assassin’s Creed gameplay is a complete winner in my book. You may stumble across a few technical glitches here and there, but there is nothing that hurts the experience. Every glitch I came across can be looked past. If you are an Assassin’s Creed fan, you are in for a great treat with this game. However, if you haven’t been the biggest Assassin’s Creed fan, but you are intrigued by this title, please do yourself a favor and check it out. Remember, I wasn’t the biggest fan before either and I found this experience to be a lot more enjoyable and easier to handle. Everything had my attention and I would imagine that it will have your attention as well throughout the game.

I was extremely excited about the release of this game and now that I have played it, I am not disappointed at all. Assassin’s Creed III has a truly beautiful world that provides you with a fantastic experience.

Score: 9.5/10