AC III is a giant step within the AC series of games. It is easy to understand why Ubisoft designates this game as the third instalment of the series; Bortherhood and Revelations are mere expansions by its side. The main feature of AC III is that the game takes backs its primordial ideas, transporting us to a region in which you can not only travel between cities but the lands between them also have a lot to offer the player. After the Holy Land and Italy, we now travel to the forests of New England and the cities of Boston and New York. It might seem that these nascent cities have little to offer compared to cities like Damascus, Venice, Rome or Constantinople, and at first glance the cities of New England may feel repetitive and boring. However, the multitude of novelties presented by AC III as well as the new engine developed by Ubisoft, make the new cities full of life, in constant change, and a real challenge for the player.
The chosen historical framework, the American Revolution, may hook the player more or less, but the historical events are well presented, described and linked to each other. The pace of the game, without being slow, allows you to get acquainted with the characters, places, and historical landmarks. In addition, the main campaign gives us a wide variety of missions, something remarkable compared to the previous games in which the missions used to be reduced simple murders. On the other hand, the development of this new family of assassins, the Kenways, is masterfully carried out, and has nothing to envy to Altair or the Enzio's saga.
The great novelties of the game are the new main role of firearms, and the addition of naval missions. Regarding firearms, they do not alter the gameplay by unbalancing combat or making murders easier. Their use is correctly limited by reloading times, noise, and bullet availability. In addition, sword combat has been deeply renewed. One still has the feeling that the character is a kind of superhero, but the movements, blocks and lunges make each combat different from the previous one and unrepetitive. As for naval missions, one is surprisingly left longing for more. The idea of being able to visit secluded coastlines and having missions on them is a very successful. If the player gets tired of the cities or of jumping through the forests, he can always throw himself into the sea and enjoy a completely different experience, while still being fun and entertaining. Undoubtedly, the naval section gives the game a new dimension that I doubt Ubisoft will leave aside in the coming games.
Having said all this, AC III is a completely recommended game, which has improved the aspects that made AC a success, adding new features that makes the game even more complete. Some glitches in the game engine, especially when horse riding through the forests, as well as some bugs in certain missions, are not enough to leave aside what is, without a doubt, the best AC at the date of its release.
