Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD is a port of the 2012 PlayStation Vita title, adding upgraded visuals and extra missions. Available on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, this downloadable title follows the life of Aveline de Grandpré, the first female protagonist in the Assassin Creed series.
Liberation takes place in late 18th Century New Orleans around The Seven Year War and the Louisiana Rebellion of 1768. Slavery is one of the main plot points, a subject that even Hollywood wasn’t comfortable tackling until recently. Kudos goes to Ubisoft for tackling such a sensitive topic (Assassin Creeds IV’s DLC, Freedom Cry, also deals with slavery). Although, after watching the powerful 12 Years a Slave, it did feel odd seeing the slave’s plight reduced to a trivial side-quest.
In another departure from the norm, the relationship between main character Aveline and her sidekick Gerard is a deliberate 180 on traditional gender roles; Aveline is the brave warrior who drudges on – sometimes foolishly – into battle whilst cautious Gerard offers support from the sidelines. The main story, whilst intriguing, jumps erratically. This is somewhat redeemed by summaries in-between loading screens.
Prior knowledge of past Assassin’s Creed games is expected. Unfortunately, Ubisoft makes little effort to explain the greater Assassins and Templars plot, leaving many sections of the story downright baffling for newcomers.
The main story is roughly 6-8 hours long; there are also numerous side-quests to occupy the Trophy/Achievement hunters. Most of the missions are quick pick-up-and-play offerings. The much-criticized multiplayer mode from the Vita version has been removed.
Liberation’s gameplay is a departure from previous Assassin Creed games. Aveline lives with her parents and has to keep her Assassin dealings a secret from them. To circumvent this, she rotates various personas, three in total—first, the de-facto Assassin Persona, which will be familiar to anyone who has played an AC game. Second, the Lady Persona gives her the ability to ‘charm’ guards and walk around New Orleans uninterrupted. However, due to the Lady Persona’s oversized dress – and because she is a lady – Aveline can’t free run whilst in this persona. The third uniform is the Slave Persona that the heroine utilizes to go undercover in plantations and slave camps. Despite its ubiquity in advertisements and promo material, the Assassin Persona was the least used of the three outfits in my playthrough due to the high attention the Assassin colours garnered from guards. The better option when out-and-about, is the less-conspicuous Slave Persona which has all the abilities of the Assassin outfit albeit with less health and fewer weapons.
The whip is a fun new addition; unlocked halfway through the game, it allows Aveline to swing across obstacles like Spider-Man. In battle, the whip is a handy tool; with one press, you can knock an enemy off balance, leaving them open for a killer blow.
The cinematics displays Liberations Vita roots; poorly synced voiceovers and stilted faces that went unnoticed on a tiny Vita screen are all too apparent on an HDTV. Although generally, the game looks very impressive, especially the Bayou setting, Liberation HD scarcely resembles the Vita title.
Throughout my time with Assassin’s Creed series, I have become accustomed to the various glitches found in the games, but Liberation pushes that patience to its limit. In the very first minute, I encountered a glitch that caused Aveline’s legs to grow 30ft tall. In another instance, whilst climbing out of the Bayou River onto land, Aveline thought it best to continue swimming. On the grass. I had to restart the game to prevent Aveline from drowning on a tree branch.
The soundtrack is fantastic and is up to the high standard of Assassin Creed scores; even more impressive considering that this soundtrack was composed for a Vita title.
Liberation offers new gameplay features that AC fans will appreciate. However, it cannot be – and shouldn’t be – treated as a main entry into the series. The game is also a tad overpriced at £15.99.
The character of Aveline shows promise. Hopefully, Ubisoft will promote her to a main franchise game or use her traits for another female protagonist to give video games a much-needed leading heroine.
Liberation is a decent game that its intended fanbase will enjoy, but it’s not one for newcomers.
Overall
Assassin Creed fans will love this fresh outlook on a familiar franchise with its daring plot and inspired characters. Sadly, the game is riddled with glitches, unwelcoming to newcomers and lacks polish. Only for the hardcore AC fan.
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