Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China Reviews
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A joy to play for any fan of stealth and secret stabbing, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is nuanced and immersive in a gorgeous setting. If you loved Mark of the Ninja, you really shouldn't miss out on this one.
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.
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.
Cramming many of Assassin's Creed's calling cards into ACC: China's diminutive 2.5D frame, while amping up the importance of stealth, is impressive. But too much of the game is flat and uninspired. There's the barest bones of a great game here. Let's hope one of the sequels expands on that promise.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China could definitely be a better game, and it’s definitely setup all the foundations of one.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China isn't terrible in any particular way. It is, from top to bottom, entirely middle of the road standard at best and its main attraction is the cheap selling price for a few hours of side-scrolling action.
I suggest waiting until more of these Chronicles titles have been released to see how well they end up fairing as a whole. They might be worth it in the end, but for right now? Only if you're wanting a few hours of meaningless stealth action in your life.
If the other two Chronicles games can build on this start then Ubisoft and Climax Games could show that just as with Child of Light and Valiant Hearts it's possible to make a smaller, superior experience.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is sadly a bit of a let down. Gorgeous to look at, fiddly to control and a tad dull to experience, this is yet another AC iteration that falls flat. A bold idea, poorly executed.