Critical Analysis - Assassin's Creed III

I wrote this up as a homework assignment for the Fundamentals of Game Design course.  This is not a review of the game, but I do love the hell out of it!

Assassin’s Creed 3 (AC3) is the latest in the series of this game type and content.  The original game was released back in 2007 and has since seen 3 other games released up until AC3 was released in October of this year.   The main story among all the games is that it allows the user to play as an assassin, which is a secret society group, fighting arduously against the Templars who are working to control the world and events that take place in history.   Game play and story takes place over a span of different periods in time, but in AC3 the focus is late 18^th century in colonial America. A special machine called the “Animus” is able to read the playable character’s DNA and can then digitally replicate periods of time in history through the perception of DNA ancestors.  Going back in history the players not only experience historical events as they really were, but can work to influence events as well.

Control and movement is very simple and easy to pick up.  The fluidity of the controls and precise responses allow immersion for the player to really sense they are able to push the character of Connor to the limits he was designed for.  This complexity though also leads into some small issues that bugged me when I played.  Often times you have to tail a character or possibly chase them if they know you are following.  When this occurs I get my player character running as fast as possible, but NPCs (non-player characters) and objects are often in the way.  In my attempts to duck and dodge during a chase I sometimes find myself controlling the character into doing something I do not want at all such as climbing up a wall when I had just wanted them to turn sharply while running.  Once the chase breaks and I’m climbing, I often cannot recover fast enough to continue the pursuit, I am desynchronized (I died) and forced to restart that segment of the game. As much as I want to stick to what I hope is working, if I continue to find myself running up walls when not intended, I am forced to alter my route of chase and rethink how I react to obstacles in my way.   Maybe the game was designed this way such that I need to find the best path, but with the flexibility of open world play, I always hope my dynamic choices of action will come out with intended results.

An amazing new mini game mode introduced to AC3 is Naval Warfare. I’m extremely impressed with the gameplay design and the visual beauty during these sequences. I’ve not played any past games where naval warfare was view directly from the ship’s captain’s 3^rd person point of view, but this Ubisoft has created something amazing here.  As captain of the ship you’re given a basic control scheme, half sail, full sail, and stop for boat control.   For warfare you’re given 2 gun types, a single swivel gun to shoot any targets on each side, or the main row of cannons on each side of the ship.   The game modes typically consist of you escorting another large ship through contested waters or else you go out to hunt pirating vessels and sink them.  The included NPC animations are really tickled me to watch them running around on deck and completing tasks while I control the ship and command attack or defend orders.  The sound effects and the NPC screams and yells of commands or if in pain add to an immersive and fast paced energetic atmosphere. 

I find that 3^rd person perspective is a perfect fit for the gameplay and style of this game.  This view allows the player a more advantageous view of what is going on around them, along with the ability to see full animations when they appear during an action the player completes.  It would have been interesting to know if the game developer could have created an optional point of view through FPS for the game.  I know some game players are very critical about the point of view and not having their preferred style will deter them from trying out games. 

One portion of the game I feel is a bit of a letdown is in the controls and movements while on horseback.  A player will often need to jump on a horse to cover a distance faster than walking.   The basics in this are fine where you can lead a horse where you want and you can control your speed, however the downfalls in this hit two areas: proximity to objects, and riding across elevation differences.  When you’re pushing your horse for full speed and come in close proximity to a fixated object like a tree, rock or a building, your horse does not brush past, it just about stops dead in its tracks.  I find this frustrating, and even worse is during times when you really want to ride fast you end up trying to rush away but just jumble up the horse with objects further delaying your travel.  Another issue I do not like is that you cannot control the horse to jump down small edges or ledges.  If you’re on horseback and an elevation change is not directly jumpable, like a fence, then you’ll have to dismount the horse, walk past the barrier and then call the horse to come to you so you can get back on. I get the core logic in this, to avoid hurting the horse, but in the end this is just a cumbersome time loss for me as a player.

I really enjoy the world created in AC3 because of the NPCs and how they were built for interaction in game.  If a player is in a populated area like a city, most NPCs are tasked with mundane things like walking around, milling in groups, or possibly doing some labor work.  All of this creates a wonderful lively atmosphere of life within this game.  Unfortunately, I cannot interact with these NPCs to gain any relevant information in game or open up anything new in game.  They are well designed though in that if I do any unacceptable social actions including fighting or killing someone in their view, they will react to me, typically to cry in fear or run away yelling possibly.  Some characters do shout for help and may run off to have guards come get me.  I like these features in the game, but it would be excellent to one day be offered a fully interactive world where I can spend time with all sorts of NPCs and actually receive dynamic reactions or conversations based on my input.  Amongst the crowd of NPCs, there are singled out characters that instigate missions or tasks when I interact with them.  Many of these are enjoyable, but they do feel very canned and sometimes forced and predictable.

Combat in this game is both beautiful and brutal simultaneously. The combat animations and slow time sequences when you pull a special move are incredible to watch as your character brutally hacks enemies with his tomahawk, sword, dagger or whatever tool you’re using at the time.  Combat happens in many games, but the way it is done in this game is fresh and fascinating.  The newest combat item I use for best results in this game is the rope dart.  This device is commonly used to snag an enemy and yank him off his feet.  This helps immobilize him for my attack or it just slows him down while I focus elsewhere.  For situations when you’re outnumbered and need to pace the fight into a controlled schemed to make sure you don’t die, the rope dart is a savior.  Ubisoft did add a very fun feature to this tool such that if you’re at an elevated height compared to your enemy you can use the rope dart to choke your enemy out quietly, or even snag them, and pull them up to the ledge you’re using, as you jump down which creates a noose effect to hang the enemy in the air as both a kill method and a distraction to other NPCs.

Overall I find that this game includes a number of different aspects of gameplay or fun control mechanics that I have experienced in separate occasions in other games.   The combinations offered give the game quite a lot of lasting appeal.  A gamer has something different or new to spend the time playing or completing other than the main plot to reveal hidden stories, characters, and complete assassinations.  What started out as a great idea for a story playing as an assassin could be considered to offer another experience as a virtual tourist. The world and built for the game offers the ability to visit modern locations in their re-imagined ancient grandeur.  The side missions, activities and mini games make this an incredible value for a gamer and can appeal to wide audience.  Assassin’s Creed will continue to be a top hit as long as they continue to build upon the established features that gamers want and enjoy.