In defense of Assassin's Creed III in front of his remaster

Assassin's Creed III remaster arrives with Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. This movement has many fans who raise their eyebrows. Despite selling more than 7 million copies, Assassin's Creed III has the reputation of being one of the lowest installments in the franchise. But Assassin's Creed III teamed up with me, and this remastered upcoming one forced me to defend the 2012 open world game.

Despite its name, Assassin's Creed III is the fifth opus of the franchise. The first was released in 2007 and focused on the Third Crusade. Assassin's Creed II and its suites (Brotherhood and Revelations) took place during the Italian Renaissance era. Assassin's Creed III went to the American Revolution.

This is a big reason why I love the game. The American Revolution is my favorite time in history. I read Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by historian Joseph Ellis. He focuses on crucial moments, such as the Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton duel and President George Washington's farewell speech. I'm listening to a podcast called The Thomas Jefferson Hour, organized by social scientist Clay S. Jenkinson. He is also a historical actor and will take on the character of Jefferson, depicting the founding father while discussing the events of his time and trying to give his perspective on our time.

As an American, I have an inherent interest in founding the country. But the characters who dominated that time – Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton and others – have rich and strong personalities. And the events of their time, a war for independence against the world's greatest power and then the attempt to set up a democratic government, propelled them to greatness.

I also really love all these fancy coats.

A different setting

When Assassin's Creed II made it clear that the series would explore several epochs of history, fans began proclaiming their dream setting. Some will say that feudal Japan (they are still waiting), others want ancient Egypt (Assassin's Creed: Origins of last year made this wish a reality). I had the American Revolution at the top of my list. I was delighted when Ubisoft chose it as the framework for Assassin's Creed III.

Assassin's Creed III is an ambitious game. He reworked the mechanics of combat and crossing the series and added new features, such as hunting, naval combat and the development of a family town.

This wealth of functionality would become a point of criticism for many who felt that Assassin's Creed III was expanding too much. Previous games, Brotherhood and Revelations, focused on one city. Assassin's Creed III had several cities, a wilderness separating them and the homestead. With all the new features, it's a big game. But nothing stands out as a remarkable success. As Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku said at the time, "nothing works really well".

I can somehow understand where he comes from. Assassin's Creed II was distinguished by the sympathetic character of Ezio. The fraternity is focused on a single city open to the world. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag has taken the course on naval combat. When you think about these games, you think about these features. For Assassin's Creed III, it's an ambitious mix of ideas.

Break the ground and make his house

None of its features stand out as big hits, but some are special. Many players love Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and his naval battle. You will often find fans and critics of the Black Flag series as one of the best entries in the franchise. Ubisoft even turns the design into its own game, Skull & Bones. Do not forget: the naval fight started with Assassin's Creed III. His team managed to create this intuitive system while working on a giant open-world game. It's impressive.

I also like the farm. Assassin's Creed games usually focus on big cities, but Assassin's Creed III has players who live and develop a small town. You recruit people to live there, giving you access to new stores and items. The homestead is home to community-based segments of history. Compared to the sensation of "the imminent end of the world" of most Assassin's Creed stories, these warmer moments are a big change of pace with a lot of heart.

The long start of Assassin's Creed III also receives criticism. I can not dispute its length. It takes a few hours before you are in the skin of the game. You do not even start as a main character. Instead, you play as his father, exploring why and how he left England for the colonies. You then follow him while he sets up an order of the Knights Templar in America. I know, it's slow. But it does a great job of setting up the game. It also gives us a nice look at the characters who will later become villains.

So, if you've never played Assassin's Creed III and are already planning to skip the remaster because you've only heard bad things, come back to your decision. This is not the most concentrated tale of the series, but the ambitions of Assassin's Creed III have produced many good ideas.

And if you're a Revolutionary America fan like me, you really do not have many other options if you want to play a game at the time.