Occasionally here at Player2.net.au we will play something that deserves your attention but probably doesn’t need a full review written for it. Be it DLC for the latest AAA title, a little indie game or even an Android/iOS title. We play these titles for a blockbusting amount of time (2 – 5 hours) and report back to you the reader on what we found. So grab your popcorn and settle in for the latest episode of Blockbuster Gaming.
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India – Blockbuster Gaming
When news broke that we wouldn’t be getting a new Assassins Creed this year, I immediately thought that we were starting to see the inevitable series fatigue that was bound to set in after so many releases over the years. Imagine my surprise then, when this little title passed my review desk, I was awestruck, wondering how a new Assassins Creed (AC) game managed to sneak by my gaze, I also thought that Ubisoft needs to fire their PR Team. It didn’t take long to see what this actually was, an AC game, neatly packed and delivered in a side scrolling format.
The game started and suddenly I’m having flash backs of Prince of Persia. Trust me when I say, It’s a good thing. There are a lot of parallels to that classic title, but Chronicles India takes what the old series did, injects it with steroids and evolves the genre. This game doesn’t mess about either, the introduction is short and sweet and you’re thrown into the mix faster than stealthy take down! You have a few weapons at your disposal, smoke bombs, noise darts and projectiles that ricochet off the walls and allow you to hit those hard to hit obstacles.
But this wouldn’t be an Assassins Creed game without being able to stealthily take out your enemies or bust out some mad sword skills when the time calls for it and AC Chronicles India has this in droves. There appears to be multiple ways to attack each section and sometimes multiple paths, but realistically there’s usually the right way to do it, and varying degrees of wrong. Believe me when I say, you’ll die a lot here, going in guns blazing is just going to result in a quick death and a restart at the nearest checkpoint. Frustration can seep in when you’re caught out by one little mistake that’s easy to make, this game takes no prisoners and gives no apologies for it.
And none of this is a bad thing, the game can be rage inducing at times, sure, but it’s also challenging and intrinsically rewarding. You may curse the heavens when you fail five times in a row when pressing the wrong button and that stupid Guard shouldn’t have even been looking there in the first place, but when you nail it on that sixth attempt, it’s a fist pump in the air and moving onto the next thing. This constant moving forward and feeling all the better for it will keep you coming back for more. On top of this, the game fuses 3D elements in well but not by sacrificing the 2D gameplay, the new Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze games did a very similar thing. This game will appeal to a lot of gamers, its quick fun and nothing too in depth and for those looking for that sort of action, look no further than this game!
Adam Rorke