Ubisoft is kick-starting 2016 off with the next chapter in the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series, India. Following on with the side scrolling style of China, more eyes will be on this game with all the current speculation about Ubisoft’s plan for the main game series this year. Can India pick up from where China introduced this Assassin’s Creed spinoff?
The story takes Assassin’s Creed to India in 1841, where tension between the Sikh Empire and the East India company is building. We are introduced to Arbaaz Mir, Master Assassin who must save the person he loves but also retrieve a mysterious artefact stolen from the Brotherhood.
Those who played China will instantly recognise the gameplay mechanics as they return for India but with some refinements. The focus of the Chronicles series is very much taking the key elements of Assassin’s Creed and putting them at the heart of the game. The side scrolling aspect allows for an interesting twist on them that is all the more enhanced by intelligent and at times devious level designs which will punish if the player fails to execute the skills an Assassin should be masterful in using.
Stealth is very much the soul of the Chronicles series and in India, as with China, you can use the environment to avoid the attention of enemy guards by hiding in the shadows or using the very environment to sneak around their positions. As you progress through the story you are given more skills and equipment to help which allow for more options in how players can approach the intricate puzzles within each chapter and level. Those levels which appear to be simply go from A to B make brilliant use of foreground and background switching to add a 3D depth to this 2D Side Scroller.
Visually India uses a beautiful almost painting like art style which is vibrant and colourful which for me really elevates the experience. Each Assassin’s Creed title absorbs the cultural aesthetics of the historical setting they use and India really is a banquet for the eyes. Character models are wonderfully drawn and the animation is sublimely fluid especially in the movements of Arbaaz. Between levels the story is told via animated storyboard cut scenes which delicately blends everything together to create a great atmosphere for storytelling. The musical score is beautiful and a real audio feast for the senses.
I came to really enjoy the story and Arbaaz Mir as an Assassin with a very similar personality to Ezio Auditore. Charming, insightful and very much a believer in the Creed, I was impressed with how well the game brings him to life after he was a character in the Assassin’s Creed graphic novels Brahman and Underworld. To lift this character off the pages and into the gaming world will no doubt please many Fans of the series.
Precision, timing and patience are all key to enjoying how India plays. I found that the difficulty and challenge in the levels ramp up far more quickly than China with a rather short time allowed to get to grips with how the game requires it to be played. This can be very frustrating as the number of guards you will be tasked with either taking out or avoiding can lock you into a certain choice of playing style or simply overwhelm you when the solution to that area is unclear. The combat follows the same format as in China and whilst it can be exhilarating when successfully taken out guards unseen, the frustration when engaging multiple enemies can at times instantly snap you out of the game.
The precision that is required in sneaking around can also be rather testing at times as the vision cone detection of the enemy guards are very unforgiving that when combined with soldiers that can move between high and low and a moments notice, patience in taking your time to study the layout of the map, enemy movement patterns and then planning how to progress can be truly satisfying when accomplished but the trial and error aspect could be off-putting to some.
Assassin’s Creed India is a good follow-up to China and diversion from the main game series. Ubisoft is very smart to bring the Assassin’s Creed universe more closer together by using characters established outside the games via animation, graphic novels and comic books and naturally putting them into their own game experience for fans. Whilst the side scrolling style of Chronicles is not to everyone’s taste, India really offers a very different gaming experience.
India will test players on many levels but if you adapt to how the game requires you to play, it will prove to be a great challenge. Chronicles is the best answer to those who believe that the Assassin’s Creed series needs shaking up. The story of Arbaaz Mir adds a new spicy flavour which will appeal to Assassin’s Creed fans and India makes no apologies for giving the player a real challenge to start their gaming year.
