Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China Reviews
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China doesn't look like an outcast, but its tedious and bland gameplay make it the ugly duckling of the Assassin's Creed franchise. That's not to say that it's a bad or awful game; it's simply boring and forgettable, despite featuring decent mechanics and great presentation values.
I don't fault Ubisoft for trying something different with its acclaimed Assassin's Creed franchise, and in some respects there's a lot to like. However when the game stumbles it does so in grand fashion, creating an infuriating experience that makes me want to throw my controller more than continue on my quest.
Assassins Creed Chronicles: China does an impressive job of taking the lore and core mechanics of the series and making them work in a 2D game. It's slick, fast-paced and entertaining, with some beautiful stylised art, and all it lacks is a little magic to turn it from a good spin-off into a great one.
Assassins Creed Chronicles: China sees a massive departure from the core gameplay of the franchise, and while it is refreshing to see the game take some risks it never really finds its own identity.
That is kind of the way Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China feels like in general — it starts out okay, but soon becomes dull fairly quickly thanks to a lackluster plot and uninspired gameplay. While there is a lot to explore, especially considering the $10 price tag, the poor enemy AI and almost useless gadgets probably won't have you staying in the game's visually beautiful world for long. Unless you are the world's biggest Assassin's Creed fan, you should probably think long and hard before giving this a go.
As someone who has admittedly grown a bit tired with the Assassin's Creed series, I found Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China to be an invigorating breath of fresh air. The minor quibbles I had while playing it weren't enough to ruin what is, to me, an expertly-crafted side-scrolling adventure.
In the end, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China takes a bold new step for the franchise. While I did have fun, I spent most of the game frustrated by buggy controls and A.I. that seemed to forget what its limitations were.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is an absolutely solid spin-off in almost every way. Traversal is fluid and fun, combat is enjoyably simple, and the level design is often lovingly crafted, but it never comes close to stepping out of its comfort zone and trying something remotely memorable. Even outside of Ubisoft's main series, the confining walls of Assassin's Creed remain recognisable and reliable, but they're in increasingly desperate need of a new lick of paint.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a decent stab---no pun intended---at bringing the series to a 2.5D realm, though it's sadly let down by poor level design and dull combat.
At this point, unless you're an Assassin's Creed diehard, this offering is difficult to recommend in the face of the competition.
Assassin's Creed Chronices: China is a nice change of pace for the series, and a great way to spend $10. I had a great time with the experience, and am on board for the next two whenever they release. If you like bite-sized stealth adventures like Mark of the Ninja, this is definitely one to check out.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a wonderful setting for a competent, but fairly unimaginative, 2.5D stealth title. Hopefully this won't be Shao Jun's final appearance.
This side-scrolling spinoff of the famous series is a striking, well-executed game, but it could have been a lot more.
'Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China' features a unique art style and fun level design, but the stealth-focused gameplay starts to wear thin after a while.
It's always somewhat tacky to compare products, but it's warranted when so very much is borrowed. This game is a bit of a knockoff of the superior Mark of the Ninja. Mark has a better story, less frustrating mechanics, and guards that are slightly less lobotomized than these dolts. If you've beaten Mark and want another crack at a decent sidescroller, Chronicles China should fit that bill, but let's hope they bring some new concepts to the table for the next two outings.
Retaining the flavor of core Assassin's games without the stodginess and content padding that undermines them, China is – in my humble opinion, of course – a superior Assassin's Creed production. It's clear that China took the best bits of its larger siblings and added its own flavor – I feel the big budget work of Ubisoft Montpelier would be served well by returning the gesture.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China feels like an Assassin's Creed game without the sense of adventure and scope, and a Prince of Persia game without the cool platforming and exciting combat.
A refreshing take on the extended fiction of the series, and the most stealthy to date.
Without a better story, and the game ending before you can really ever test your mettle, Assassin's Creed Chronicles feels lackluster.
Despite its issues, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is one of the most entertaining experiences I've had from the series in a while.