Tuesday sees the release of the final chapter of the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series, Russia. As an Assassin’s Creed fan it has been intriguing to see how the Chronicles of China, India and now Russia have brought to life characters that previously have only featured in comic books, novels or animated shorts. Reviews have been mixed on the games so far, so it was with a nervous excitement I fired up Russia and was introduced to Assassin Nikolai Orelov:

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles Russia introduces us to Nikolai Orelov, an Assassin first seen in two spin off comic books ‘Assassin’s Creed: The Fall’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed: The Chain’, with the story of Russia set between those two tales. Nikolai is an experienced Master Assassin and is preparing to retire from the Brotherhood but has been asked to undertake one last mission. That mission is to retrieve an artifact currently held by the Tsar’s but who have been captured by Bolshevik forces. The mission soon takes a tragic turn and Nikolai is left to protect the last surviving member of the Years, the Princess Anastasia who has the artifact, and must see both safely into the hands of the Brotherhood.

Right away you can see the visual difference this time with an almost Graphic Noir feel to the appearance of this title. A grainy overlay helps to give it a cold and rougher texture and tone with objects and environments highlighted in a dramatic red which stands out. This is a sharp contrast to the vibrant colours of India and China and really helps create the atmosphere of 1918 Russia. The sombre musical score blends in well and reflects not just the Russian tone but the personality of Nikolai who as an Assassin that is nearing the end of a long life in the Brotherhood comes across as weary and tired of the life and reminds me of where Ezio Auditore was in Assassin’s Creed Revelations.

If you have played the previous instalments to the Chronicles series then you will know what to expect from Russia. It uses the same 2.5 D environments for a side scrolling sneaking action game. Where Russia differs is that rather than focusing on complex puzzles which require the observation of enemy routes and patience to progress through the stages, instead Russia has more action at its core. The puzzle solving is still a part of the game but Nikolai is more comfortable taking out enemies than trying to sneak pass.

Using his sniper rifle as a main weapon, Nikolai has modified it to use the rope dart element seen previously but also has modified it to act as a winch to pull down vent covers and create bridges. With the time period now more modern, electricity plays a part with shock wire traps blocking windows and doors and mines on walkways that require a magnetic key to pass safely by. The winch can be used to short out these traps and to kill the lights in an area allowing for strategic combat and sneaking. This tweak on the standard gameplay style of the series along with the more relaxed freedom for action made Russia the most comfortable of the three titles to get into.

As Russia is the third and final title of the series, the above changes would really have benefitted both China and India which at times were frustratingly constrained in terms of combat with some stages a complete chore to grind through at times but Russia’s gameplay certainly benefits from the change. This does not mean the stealth element has been removed completely as early in the game a nice twist adds a really clever gameplay style that stays true to the Chronicles experience.

Whilst I found Russia more accessible to play, it still suffers from issues that plagued China and India which for many was off putting. The try-fail-repeat mechanic is still present and at times can be very punishing to the point where you as the player can feel cheated by the game’s cheapness. One stage had me repeating the same section eight times before it let me continue simply because it required a pixel perfect timed jump that for the life of me I felt I was hitting just right. That frustration would in the previous games often result in having to take a break before the controller would go for a quick flight across the room. But with this being the third game of having this mechanic, my patience has grown but it can still feel as though the play testers are exacting a little revenge on players.

The simple truth is that if China and India’s style of play was not your thing, your mind may already be made up about Russia, which would be a shame. If you are a fan of the story telling in Assassin’s Creed titles, Russia’s more laid back style will allow you to enjoy the story of Nikolai Orelov without too much rage quitting inducing punishing stages. The difficulty curve allows enjoyment of the early levels before a natural increase in enemy difficulty starts to ramp up the challenge. There are lovely little details that link Russia to the previous titles and even the enemy guards whistling the iconic Assassin’s Creed menu music from the main games will raise a smile.

I have enjoyed the Chronicles series as a fun challenging spin off to the main game line but it’s unforgiving nature in China and India sadly did put many off. Russia is my favourite instalment because it tells a great story with an interesting main Assassin. Gameplay is rewarding enough to forgive its niggles and I look forward to heading back in to try and improve my level scores.

If you were put off by the previous games Russia may win you over and by ending the series with the most playable chapter yet, you just Might be encouraged to revisit Chiba and India. I know I will be.