This was my first ever Assassin’s Creed experience. It made me realise that I’ve slept on this series for far too long. Everything about the game is slick, refined and well thought-out. Assassin’s Creed III follows the backstory of Desmond and his brotherhood of assassins. The first few hours of the story puts you in charge of Desmond’s eloquently spoken descendant Haytham and later his half-British son Connor. Haytham is a snappy dressed, well mannered assassin with endearing people skills. Not the dark, hooded, elusive protagonist I had expected to use from the glossy box cover art.

Despite his not-so-Assassin-like appearance, I enjoyed my time using Haytham. From his decadent, flowing garments to his ridiculously slow gun reloading, everything about him felt genuine. The crusade against the Templars picks up significantly once you take control of Connor and Desmond. The story propels you back and forth through time, as you traverse primarily between Boston and New York in an authentic re-imagining of the American Revolution era.

With a likeness to the Uncharted series in its impeccable story-telling, Assassin’s Creed III seamlessly blends its cinematic story sequences with the action. The pacing is spot-on and peaks and dips in regular intervals during the entirety of the single player campaign. The animated kill sequences are particularly satisfying and the melee-style combat is fun and markedly improved on previous iterations (or so I have been told). Timing is key here and parrying incoming attacks is a must. Stealth missions are intricately interwoven throughout the story also, with plenty of optional homestead missions and side quests to partake in.

ACIII feels like that Daniel Day-Lewis movie The Last of the Mohicans, at least in its setting and its movie-quality voice acting. The old-world American colonial vibe is strong here. Add to that all the best stealth and platforming elements from games like Tenchu and Metal Gear and what results is a legitimate AAA title worthy of the series’ high praise.

Best Bits… Ship battles
Worst Bits… Haytham’s revolver
You’ll like it if you liked… Pirates of the Caribbean
Hermit factor… High
Star Rating…. 4.5 out of 5.