Review for Assassin's Creed III Remastered. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 29/03/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 21/05/2019
In the year in which no title of the long-running saga Assassin's Creed is in the pipeline, Ubisoft has decided to revive one of the most controversial parts of its ten-year brand. We are talking about Assassin's Creed III, a chapter released at the end of the last videogame generation that has met with a very relative success, resulting, for this reason, one of the least memorable chapters of all time.is. For the occasion, the software house wanted to do things big, bringing to the market a product that was largely renewed on a technical level, but not only.
In an attempt to offer something that is in step with the times, the creators of For Honor, Watch Dogs and many other successful IPs have decided to also put their hand to some gameplay dynamics. A commendable work, at least in intentions, but that clashes with the reality of the facts: times have passed and some things, inevitably, manage to surprise and convince only with reserve. With this we certainly do not want to say that Ubisoft has done a bad job, indeed, but those who are accustomed to the new course undertaken by the saga, in all likelihood, will not be able to appreciate this journey into the maze of memories. We, however, all in all we did it very willingly.
The fascination of conquest
The narrative sector of Assassin's Creed III is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most multifaceted and fascinating of the whole saga, certainly the most mature in terms of themes and for the way in which they are proposed. Against the backdrop of a country in constant struggle for expansion and territorial control, yet another conflict unfolds between Templars and Assassins of which, this time, we will both take on the role. After taking the first steps in the present, as the late Desmond Miles, we will begin the usual synchronization with the past as Haytham Kenway, father of Edward, protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.
During the sequences in the company of the man it is impossible not to imagine finding yourself, once again, impersonating a master assassin, since his movements, his style and - apparently - his intentions seem to be motivated by the sacred creed of the killers. Nothing could be more wrong: Haytham is actually a master of the Templars and not even the union with the beautiful Kaniehti: I (Connor's mother, the "real" protagonist of the story) can dissuade him from his mission. Once the sequences in question are completed, the game puts us in the shoes of a young Connor, son of Haytham and Kaniehti: me, carefree enough but whose life, due to the Templar threat, is about to change inexorably. From then on, Connor will make an impressive development and enhancement path, entrusted to the skilled hands of the player, for the first time involved in all respects in the growth - in every sense - of the controlled avatar.
The voice of the people
At the beginning we talked about how this third chapter has been only partially successful, and not by chance. Net of all the shortcomings attributable to the title, the chapter dedicated to the good Rathonake: thon (aka Connor Kenway, in fact) had great merits, which subsequently marked the fate of the saga. The combat system, for example, has undergone huge upgrades compared to previous chapters; complementary functions have been added, such as crafting, which has greatly enhanced the entire play infrastructure. Watching Connor grow and evolve, empower himself by hunting, exploring, creating his own equipment, is simply priceless, the icing on the cake of an important product that is too snubbed by critics.
Assassin's Creed III is also responsible for the introduction - albeit approximate - of naval battles, which then became, as we all know, a constant appreciated and refined over the course of the chapters (although it is completely missing in some of them). Also on the narrative level, the third (numerical) chapter of the saga was fundamental: it, in fact, had the difficult task of closing Desmond's narrative arc, for the occasion he joined his father William and trusted Rebecca and Josh, to put definitely an end to the plans of Juno and the ancient civilization, determined to destroy the Earth once and for all.
More color for everyone
On a technical level, the changes made to the base game (or, to put it better, to the games) are certainly appreciable, but they do not manage to completely convince. It must be said, to be more precise, that the ramastered in question also includes the polished version of Assassin's Creed: Liberation, a spin-off chapter but with references to the main adventure, released the same day of the same Assassin's Creed III, initially only for PlayStation Vita, and then also land on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. In the title in question we will play the role of Aveline, also engaged in the same situations of the historical period of the main chapter of the saga, albeit never connecting to them directly. The restyling work was certainly more complicated precisely for the title in question, coming from a very different situation from the start, as it was designed for a much lower hardware in terms of computing power like that of PlayStation Vita. In both cases, however, the work done by Ubisoft was certainly important, although the result cannot be said to be totally successful.
At first glance, the total overhaul of the graphics engine used and the excellent work done on the lighting system, assisted by a discreet operation of the HDR, brings to the stage a satisfactory result, but, in reality, misleading. If you look more carefully at the various details, starting with most of the textures, you realize that, on balance, the work done by Ubisoft is not so enviable. In particular with regard to elements such as faces, facial animations, environmental interaction and more generally the polygonal models of the characters, the obsolete nature of the title comes out inexorably. All this without considering the cut-scene factor: in the sequences in question the result is nothing short of disappointing, with polygonal models reduced to a minimum and very low resolution textures on display.
Overall, however, the title runs fairly well in terms of stability, thanks to a frame-rate anchored to 30 FPS. On the PlayStation 4 Pro, then, it runs at a dynamic resolution in 4K, creating an overall pleasant glance.
The call of the past
Even on the plane strictly playful, the various changes made certainly do not scream a miracle. Net of all the best, actually reduced to the bone, the title appears extremely slow and woody, in which even the now iconic acrobatic race turns out to be more clumsy than it might seem. Everything is, of course, also linked to the evolution of the gameplay that the series has undergone over the years but, frankly, we expected some more tangible improvements. This woodiness is also felt in the fighting: especially in the mechanics of the counterattack (dodging at the right time and attack) you can feel all the weight of the years, impossible to disguise and probably a little heavy to digest.
Those who try the title for the first time could be disappointed and probably could leave the adventure early but, for those who tried the title at the time, the opportunity to get their hands on one of the most intriguing games of the saga remains essential.
Assassins' Creed III Remastered is a unique opportunity to recover one of the least appreciated chapters of the saga but which, instead, turns out to be one of the most intriguing of the entire ten-year course of the assassins. For the occasion, Ubisoft has decided to polish the production by offering a total review of the graphics engine and the lighting system, and guaranteeing support for modern features such as 4K and HDR. The result, however, can only be said to be half successful: the limitations are there and you can all see them, and the clearly old-gen nature of the title is unable to diminish, net of all the changes made. Even the gameplay, partially retouched for the occasion, is in the end all too woody and difficult to assimilate for novices, perhaps accustomed to the decidedly different rhythms of the brand's most recent productions.
However, it remains a respectable job that has, in particular, the merit of giving a second chance not only to Aveline (protagonist of Assassin's Creed Liberation, also included in the remaster), but above all to Connor, one of the most fascinating assassins, endowed with a strong charisma but unfairly passed on the sly. The list price is not exactly cheap: the game, in fact, is sold for € 39,99 (free for owners of the Odyssey season pass), a price, however, all in all acceptable, thanks to the presence of two excessively mistreated titles and that deserve a second chance.
► Assassin's Creed III Remastered is an Adventure-Strategy game developed and published by Ubisoft for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 29/03/2019 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 21/05/2019
