Everyone was insisting Assassin’s Creed: Unity was going to blow gamers away and finally be the first “truly next-gen” game. All anyone really was interested in hearing about was the latest iteration of the Assassin’s Creed series on the shiniest of consoles. Most people didn’t even see the trailers or PR material for Assassin’s Creed: Rogue. As far as Ubisoft and the rest of the world was concerned, Assassin’s Creed: Rogue might as well not exist. So I was fairly sure from there on that Rogue was going to be the interesting one.
You see, Rogue isn’t bound to new technological hiccups and unfamiliar hardware; it’s built for Xbox 360 and PS3. Rogue is able to reuse a lot more of the assets from Assassin’s Creed 3, Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, and Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag than Unity, so development could be focused on unique gameplay ideas instead of making yet another set of lamp posts for players to get caught on. It doesn’t even have the multiplayer so there’s no need to iterate on that front. Rogue could have been about space farmer Assassins versus leopard leotard-wearing Templars, and no one would have blinked an eye. Instead, Rogue offers a fitting tribute and finale to the America saga started back with Assassin’s Creed 3.
Now, if you didn’t like Assassin’s Creed 3, Liberation, or Black Flag, then you aren’t going to enjoy this. Seriously, if you could not stand the most recent games, then you have no reason to pick this up. You can happily sit back and replay Brotherhood for the zillionth time (you know who you are!).
Now if you are one of the players who did find something to enjoy in the America saga (I count myself amongst them), then keep reading. Trust me, you want to see this.
Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is the story of Shay Carmac, an Irish Assassin who also doubles as a protagonist with something of a conscience; at least when the plot demands it. Shay’s actual character and main motto (please feel free to drink a shot of vodka every time he says “I make my own luck!”) are quite boring, but the story around him is very intriguing. We finally see the Assassins as the bad guys, and realize that sometimes the Templars are not Saturday morning cartoon villains.
The main plot conceit of an ancient technology that can level cities is more or less an excuse to explore this theme of inverted roles. You serve the Assassins for a few hours in, but beyond there you earn your way up the ranks to become a Templar Knight. Shay isn’t very keen on leveling cities of innocent people, you see.
When you see things on the flipside, previous games just feel different. Seeing Achilles in his brash youth really changed my perspective on him in Assassin’s Creed 3. Assassins are always willing to ally with criminals and outlaws, and seeing the harm this can do is eye opening since until now, they’ve always been painted in a poetic “Robin Hood” kind of light. Similarly, it can be weird not having to worry about running from the British Royal Navy. And let it be said, being supported by Man O’ Wars can be quite handy, especially since they let you pilot one later in the game for a particularly notable naval mission.
Beyond that though, you also now have to face Assassins as enemies. The premise is intriguing, but sadly falls flat on its face too many times in the more heavily scripted sequences. The novelty of using the multiplayer detection system in single-player is great, but after about twenty hours worth of being interrupted and losing my health because some dumb bald guy hiding in a bush spawned while I wasn’t looking, I am fine with this idea being left behind. If it were more subtle or your enemies more clever, it would work great. I’d much prefer being able to invade other players games, and they invade mine, ala Dark Souls, over dealing with the relatively brain dead AI.
The inclusion of glaciers however, greatly impact naval combat. Not only can you blast them open in hopes of getting a little extra loot, but ice of all kinds can shift the battle in or out of your favor. I was in one particularly harsh fight with a French frigate that had my ship down to its last chunk of health. But by luring it into glaciers and using them as cover, I was able to take it down handily. There are also ice flows that can slow your ship down but benefit you if you’re navigating around on foot. Northern waters are also chilled cold and do damage over time if you go swimming.
Winter was always an intriguing concept in earlier games, but here the game flourishes with some of the best missions and sequences taking place during winter. This combines with the new rifle gadgetry to provide the real new meat of the game. You can both fire regular sleep and beserker darts like before, but they aren’t alone anymore. Your rifle can fire grenade variants of the darts, and you can fire firecracker bombs and darts that either distract enemies or cause a sizable explosion. The limited ammo count keeps your new toys from being too powerful, but there are a fair number of ammo boxes so you can test out your new abilities. It’s far from the wide selection of Hitman-esque toys Assassin’s Creed 3 had, but it’s far from the overly streamlined Black Flag and Liberation.
You also get arguably the second largest explorable world in Assassin’s Creed history. Not only do you get an entire river valley, New York City (pre-fire), and the North Atlantic, but they are packed to the gills with side content. Collect shards of a sword to reclaim a viking set of armor and weaponry. Take over every settlement, convoy, fortress, and more. Collect new Prosperity collectibles that increase your rate of gold and resource acquisition. Take out gangs and Assassin hideouts. I spent over twenty hours with the game, and only have a little over 50% complete. This is after wiping out every gang in New York, and taking over several naval fortresses. Rogue will keep your disc drive company for a long while, have no doubt about that.
The biggest issue some may have though is that while there’s certainly less filler content, a lot of what’s here has been done before. You can now prevent assassinations, which is a great new side mission, but they are harder to predict and locate than the usual Assassin Bureau missions. You don’t get the mini-story missions like Black Flag had, so you don’t really get to know your Templar brethren. There are still naval contracts but they still require going to a friendly fortress to get them.
Purchasing new weapons and ship upgrades can now be done from the captain’s cabin, but for some reason you still can’t just buy animal pelts from there. Crafting is still as annoyingly unnecessary and full of ridiculous requirements as in previous games, further worsened by the fact that there don’t seem to be nearly as many animals roaming to compensate for just how much the game is rendering at any given time.
Glitches also are still here. Most aren’t game breaking, but I did encounter a few that just felt pretty inexcusable considering that, as I said, this is mainly being built from other games’ assets (some new original content is here, of course, but we’re still talking Expansion Pack-level of rehashing). The rehashing in of itself isn’t too bad, but if you are planning to play through the last-gen games for the first time, it may be best to brace yourself for some very familiar forts, houses, and mansions. On the upside, all the new content is wider in scope and is more consistently its own, with some missions not having to lean on recycled assets at all.
Speaking of scope as well, the game does look beautiful and running (for the most part) amazingly well despite being on such older hardware. The water effects look better than Black Flag, especially when the sun is setting. There even aren’t as many loading transitions; most of the time you can just jump off your boat and be where you need to go. There also are just more locations available due to each zone being slightly compacted on its own. There’s more ground to cover, but it’s all more immediately accessible, and that’s a world of difference from previous games that could have long stretches of nothing to do.
Most importantly though, this feels like a fitting conclusion to the America saga. You’ve fought the revolution, you’ve seen the golden age of piracy, and now you’ve experienced all that binds those two stories together. Some moments I didn’t see coming thankfully addressed some points long time fans will enjoy, and there’s a lot to be said about the philosophy tossed around in this entry. The Modern Day storyline wraps up fairly succinctly for whatever Ubisoft has planned next, while giving some payoff for that narrative angle in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations’ multiplayer. There’s even a nice little tie-in with Assassin’s Creed: Unity that I’m hoping we see more payoff for in Unity’s DLC campaign Dead Kings.
Unity may all be about starting anew, but Rogue does a far better job of it if you’re a longstanding fan of the series. You can see where they’re going, if only slightly, by the end of the game. Nothing is tossed off for the sake of accessibility to the narrative (a few starting points are made but really, you shouldn’t start with Rogue as your first Assassin’s Creed game), instead all that can be packed in is there. There are a few hints in the Modern Day to maybe a handful of glances back in the near future, but Rogue really is a conclusion to the past few years in the series. And while it’s no Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, it does a d*** fine job of a finale.
What does your purchase net you?
The game is currently retailing for $59.99. I was able to acquire the game on sale for much lower price, but would argue it’s worth between twenty-five to forty dollars, depending on your budget. The wealth of content is better than most games, and 100%-ers will have plenty to do. If you just play games for their story though, the main campaign will only take you about eighteen hours, give or take if you do side content to upgrade your character. The main story in of itself doesn’t offer many iconic missions worth replaying after first beating them, though. Know what you’re getting into, and you can assess the price accurately.
The Bottom Line
Assassin’s Creeed: Rogue is a fantastic game, and does well at what it aims for, it just doesn’t do enough different to make itself a standalone title. It’s best appreciated after at least playing the third and forth core entries in the series, although you’ll appreciate more of the nice fanservice and deeper ideas if you’ve been here for the long haul.
Moment of Artistry
Assaulting a naval fort and being ambushed by a squad of men, only to make them turn on each other with a beserker grenade. Causing an opposing ship to sink itself by ramming into a glacier you put in their path. Stealthily stabbing a hidden Assassin before they even realize you’re there. These are moments where Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is at its best.
Pros
+ New rifle weapon opens up new tactical options
+ A more even handed look at Assassin’s Creed‘s morality
+ A fitting sendoff to the America saga
+ Ice and glaciers add a needed amount of depth to naval combat/exploration
+ Game world is both more accessible and vast at once
+ Beautiful and subtle music score sets the tone perfectly
+ Amazingly good performance on last-gen hardware
+ Combines some of the best elements from previous entries into it’s own blend while still fitting the Black Flag flavor.
+ Less collect-a-thons with no purpose
Cons
– Glitches
– Not a good entry point for those new to the series
– Cast all could benefit from a bit more depth
– Needs more ye’old cowbell
Genre/Niche
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This review was conducted with a copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.
Assassin’s Creed: Rogue can be pre-purchased on Steam and physically purchased for 360 and PS3. Next-gen ports are reportedly coming in 2015.