Did Ubisoft manage to finish their 3 part DLC trilogy with an epic final installment? Matt Swindell plays through and finds out…
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: Out Now
Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Price: 800MSP / £7.99
Continuing on from where the second installment ended, the third and final installment of the Assassin’s Creed DLC continues with Ratohnhake:ton’s, or Connor’s (which is much easier to say and spell) mission to stop King George Washington and restore peace to a nation that has fallen under his terrible rule as part of this alternate history epic.
Right from the get-go you are back in New York Harbour aboard the Aquila. The action starts straight away and the first order of business is a battle at sea. Nothing new here if you’ve played the main game, but it’s a nice change of pace to indulge in a bit of naval warfare. With the next Assassin’s Creed outing being Black Flag based on a pirating mission, this was an invaluable pre-test for Ubisoft to make sure they’ve got those features spot on for a major release.
Following the sea battle, once we reach the dry land of New York, little time is wasted as we are given our latest animal guide power; the might of the bear. The strength of this animal enables the player to pound the ground using enormous strength, taking out the opposition in the process. Very handy later in the game, especially if you are inclined to achieve 100% in each section, but I still found the eagle power the most useful of all three gifts.
The sequence to achieve the power of the bear was a bit random and silly though. The objective? Climb an enormous bear and remove spears from its legs and head. Surreal, to say the least.
In New York a few things stand out straight away; most noticeably there’s a whopping great pyramid being built in the centre as Washington’s base of power. There’s also a mood swing; the people of New York believe in Washington’s eventual demise now and therefore are prone to more civil unrest. This also explains the enormous numbers of guards dotted around the area.
You can even capitalise on this unrest; Connor can incite riots, destroy statues of Washington and line dart guards in the street at will, encouraging the people to stand up against Washington’s regime.
Traveling around the map has now been made much harder thanks to the increased troop numbers, so the occasional fast travel is welcomed, but not always possible if you are trying to complete the various side missions available. This makes the experience quite frustrating.
It was also on one of the side missions that I discovered “the glitches”. Admittedly, they only happened to me twice, but I’d be keen to know if anyone had a worse experience. On one occasion I was casually strolling along but was recognised by a guard as I hadn’t made myself completely inconspicuous. The guard attacked and I took him out. As I did, however, another guard appeared, and another, and another, to the point where I was fighting for a good 10 minutes and they still kept coming. Intrigued, I kept going, using wolf pack and bear might occasionally to spice up the battle. Eventually, I succumbed to the sheer numbers of my attackers, but not before I timed it – I lasted just under 20 minutes and guards were still showing up.
On the second occasion, I was notorious and fleeing some pursuers in fear of having to fight for another twenty minutes. I got to the safe zone after putting some distance on my pursuers, but then ended up having no enemies left anywhere on the map. It stayed like this until I started the next main mission. Very weird.
The rule of thumb with The Redemption? Stay out of sight.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Assassin’s Creed without a few famous historical American figures guiding along your quests, and there will also be searches for treasure and more lucid memory artifacts.
This buffs up the main portion of the game as we build towards the finale. This, inevitably, takes place at the top of the New York pyramid. Sounds exciting, but unfortunately, I found even more issues with the content in the build up to this.
You have to follow in your Mother’s footsteps via a series of flashback sequences once you enter the pyramid. This section has no room for deviation and tells you precisely where to go. The problem? I didn’t want to be told where to go, I wanted to discover it for myself.
I also found the puzzle to get into Washington’s Throne Room far too easy. The content is also conspicuous for its lack of Washington. He’s been a big part of the previous two instalments, but his presence in The Redemption is lacking.
And then there’s the final battle……
Atop the pyramid, it’s just Connor and Washington, one on one. This could have been epic, but it felt underwhelming. The whole event breaks down into scripted sequences of using different animal powers to get past his ever-changing defences, but there is no consequence for getting them wrong. You never lose any lives, or have to start again from back inside the pyramid, nothing. You take a few knocks, work out what to do next, take a few more knocks, use a different tactic, take a couple more knocks, and oh, wait, he’s defeated.
Then there’s the closing moments. On the whole, disappointing, especially if you have collected all the memory glyphs in all three parts. None of the usual Assassin’s Creed revelations to be had, unfortunately.
On the plus side, The Redemption really picks up the pace of the story from the first two and feels more driven than either The Infamy or The Betrayal. As a concluding episode, that drive is an absolute necessity, however.
Ubisoft made it clear that this content was for true Assassin’s Creed fans, and it really is. I know I’ve given it a bit of a drubbing here, but as a true fan, I really enjoyed playing all three installments, faults and all.
That said, I do wish it could have bridged more of a gap towards Black Flag, or at least given us an inkling of what to expect.
On the whole, however, a solid piece of content, but one that doesn’t quite fulfil all it set out to achieve.
Pros:
- Story picks up the pace compared to the other two installments
- Bear might is useful for those hoping for 100% in all the main missions
- Creating havoc in the city is great fun
Cons
- Silly dream sequence to get the power of the bear
- Occasional glitches that see endless streams of guards, or remove them entirely from play.
- Being told where to go in a mission rather than finding which way to go for yourself
- Final battle has no consequences for failure.
- Slow ending
- Could have linked into Black Flag in some way
RATING: 3.5 out of 5
You must be logged in to post a comment.