Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China

The opinions of the critics regarding the story of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are varied. Some critics, such as COGconnected and Official Xbox Magazine UK, find the story engaging and focused, with COGconnected even stating that it provides a fresh perspective on the Assassin's Creed franchise. These critics appreciate the narrative's emphasis on revenge and the protagonist's mission to defeat the Templars. However, there are several critics who express negative opinions about the story. IGN, in both their US and Spain reviews, criticizes the lack of heart and passion in the narrative, suggesting that it feels dry and unengaging. Destructoid and Game Revolution both highlight the forgettable characters and weak dialogue, while Polygon mentions the lack of major revelations and character development for the protagonist. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that the story of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is lacking in depth and fails to capture the essence of the Assassin's Creed series. Critics like CGMagazine and God is a Geek express disappointment in the narrative, with CGMagazine stating that it lacks depth and fails to capture the essence of the series. Similarly, DarkStation describes the story as paper-thin, and GameTrailers mentions the struggle to make an impact and the lack of connection with the main character. While there are some positive aspects mentioned by certain critics, such as the engaging nature of the revenge plot and the fresh perspective it brings, the overall sentiment is that the story of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China falls short of expectations. The lack of character development, weak dialogue, and shallow delivery contribute to the negative opinions expressed by the majority of the critics.

The opinions of the critics regarding the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are varied, but there are some common positive aspects that stand out. Many critics praise the stealth mechanics and emphasize the importance of stealth in the gameplay experience. The ability to hide, sneak, and assassinate enemies is often highlighted as a satisfying and well-implemented aspect of the game. Critics such as Destructoid and Softpedia specifically mention the controls being similar to the core series and the enjoyment of navigating around enemies. The variety of tools and abilities available to the player is also mentioned positively by critics like Attack of the Fanboy and COGconnected. The game's level design and interesting 2D levels are commended by Polygon and The Digital Fix. Overall, the positive aspects of the gameplay include the emphasis on stealth, well-designed levels, and enjoyable navigation. On the other hand, there are some negative opinions regarding the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China. Several critics mention issues with combat, describing it as clumsy, lacking flow, and feeling repetitive. CGMagazine and Game Revolution specifically criticize the combat mechanics, with the latter stating that it becomes boring. The restricted space and lack of improvisation options in combat are mentioned by Gamers' Temple as making it feel constrained. Some critics also mention frustrating control issues and poor climbing movement. Game Informer and TheSixthAxis highlight these control issues, while the latter criticizes the clunky and stilted combat. The lack of challenge in puzzles is also mentioned by Gamers' Temple. Overall, the negative aspects of the gameplay include issues with combat mechanics, control problems, and lack of challenge in certain aspects of the game. The overall consensus among the critics regarding the gameplay of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is mixed. While there are positive aspects such as the well-implemented stealth mechanics, enjoyable navigation, and interesting level design, there are also negative aspects such as clumsy combat, control issues, and lack of challenge in certain areas. The emphasis on stealth and the ability to strategize and earn high ratings are generally appreciated by critics. However, some critics feel that the gameplay lacks complexity and originality, with IGN and Gameplanet mentioning the lack of freshness and originality compared to similar games like Mark of the Ninja. Despite the mixed opinions, the game seems to have a solid foundation in terms of stealth mechanics and level design, but falls short in other areas such as combat and control execution.

The opinions of the critics regarding the Graphics and Visual Design of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are generally positive. Many critics praise the game's art style, describing it as beautiful, incredible, and visually compelling. CGMagazine highlights the game's "beautiful painted look" and artistic style, while Gamers' Temple commends the "ink and watercolor graphics" that strongly convey a Chinese atmosphere. The use of a pseudo-traditional Chinese brush-painted style is also noted by God is a Geek. The visuals are often compared to living paintings, with Destructoid stating that everything looks like a living painting and Attack of the Fanboy describing the game as a beautiful "living painting" of 16th century China. The art direction, watercolor-like palette, and vibrant backgrounds are also praised by Game Revolution, Critical Hit, and Metro GameCentral. However, there are some criticisms regarding the Graphics and Visual Design of the game. Game Informer mentions that the maps lack detail and the icons are hard to see, while Softpedia highlights that some interactive elements are hard to distinguish from the background. The Digital Fix also notes that some backdrops are dull and lifeless, and DarkStation states that while the visual style is gorgeous, the rest of the game lacks momentum and danger. IGN and X-ONE Magazine UK mention that the muted colors and sparse environments make levels feel hollow, although IGN also acknowledges the smart use of multiple background layers that make each area feel like a place. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China has a visually appealing art style and graphics. The game's beautiful painted look, ink and watercolor graphics, and motion comic-like cinematics are praised by multiple critics. The art style successfully evokes the look of Chinese watercolors and adds character to the game. However, there are some criticisms regarding the lack of detail in certain aspects, such as maps and interactive elements, as well as the muted colors and sparse environments that make levels feel hollow. Despite these criticisms, the overall sentiment is positive, with the game's visuals being a highlight and contributing to its unique atmosphere and aesthetic.

The opinions of the critics regarding the Sound Design and Music of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are varied. CGMagazine praises the audio, stating that it is topnotch and meets the expectations set by Ubisoft, enhancing the overall presentation of the game. This positive feedback suggests that the sound design and music successfully immerse players in the game world and contribute to their enjoyment. On the other hand, several critics express negative opinions about the voice acting. God is a Geek mentions that the spoken dialogue and voice acting are not remarkable, while The Digital Fix criticizes the voice work, particularly the lack of personality in the main character's voice. The SixthAxis also adds that the protagonist sounds uninterested and monotonous, while the villains sound cartoonish at times. These criticisms indicate that the voice acting fails to bring the characters to life and may detract from the overall experience. Regarding the music, Softpedia comments that the soundtrack is decent, but some stages have themes that clash with the focus on China. This suggests that while the music is generally acceptable, it may not always align perfectly with the game's setting and atmosphere. GameTrailers goes further, stating that the sound design and music are lackluster and do not bring the game to life. This negative assessment implies that the overall impact of the sound design and music may be underwhelming. Overall, the critics' opinions on the Sound Design and Music of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are mixed. While CGMagazine and Softpedia appreciate certain aspects of the audio, such as the topnotch quality and decent soundtrack, other critics like God is a Geek, The Digital Fix, and The SixthAxis express disappointment with the voice acting. Additionally, GameTrailers provides a negative assessment of the sound design and music, suggesting a lack of liveliness. Considering these varying opinions, it can be concluded that the Sound Design and Music of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China may have both positive and negative elements, leaving room for improvement in certain areas.

The opinions of the critics regarding the voice acting in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are varied. Some critics, such as Softpedia and Game Revolution, found the voice acting to be good and adequate for the game. Softpedia specifically mentions that the main characters speak English while guards speak in Chinese dialects, which adds authenticity to the setting. This positive feedback suggests that the voice actors were able to effectively portray their characters and contribute to the overall immersion of the game. However, there are also critics, like The Digital Fix and TheSixthAxis, who express disappointment with the voice acting. The Digital Fix criticizes the lack of personality in the main character's voice work, while TheSixthAxis notes that the protagonist sounds uninterested and monotonous. These negative opinions indicate that the voice actors may have failed to deliver convincing performances, which could have detracted from the overall experience of the game. Another aspect of the voice acting that received criticism is the lack of authenticity in accents. Digitally Downloaded points out the choice of a voice actor without an authentic accent, expressing a desire for more appropriate voice actors in future games. Metro GameCentral also mentions that the English accents of the main characters feel out of place, while guards and minor characters speak in Chinese without subtitles. This inconsistency in accents may have created a disconnect between the characters and the game's setting. Overall, the consensus among the critics leans towards a mixed opinion on the voice acting in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China. While some critics found it to be good and fitting for the game, others expressed disappointment with the lack of personality, monotony, and inconsistent accents. The positive feedback from Softpedia and Game Revolution suggests that there were successful aspects of the voice acting, but the negative opinions from The Digital Fix and TheSixthAxis highlight areas where improvements could have been made. Ultimately, the voice acting in this game seems to have left a somewhat underwhelming impression on the critics.

In terms of the technical performance of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, there are some positive aspects mentioned by a few critics. COGconnected, Game Revolution, and Gameplanet all played the game on PS4 and noted that there were no major bugs or technical issues. This suggests that the game runs smoothly on this platform without any significant hindrances to the overall gameplay experience. Additionally, Critical Hit mentions that there were some issues with linking the game to Uplay, but it is unclear if this problem is widespread. Overall, these positive comments indicate that the technical performance on PS4 is generally satisfactory. However, there are also negative aspects mentioned by critics regarding the technical performance of the game, particularly on PC. Gameplanet played the game on PC and criticized the controls for feeling mushy at times and the platforming for having a floaty element that doesn't feel quite right. PC Gamer also played the game on PC and mentioned that the movement feels smudgy, while also highlighting the reliance on drawn-out animations as a downside. The Jimquisition's review on PC heavily criticizes the technical performance and stability of the game, describing it as a "technical shitshow" with frequent stuttering, glitches, and bugs that undermine the visual beauty of the game. These negative comments suggest that the technical performance on PC is lacking and may negatively impact the overall gaming experience. Taking into account the opinions of the critics, the overall consensus regarding the technical performance of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is mixed. While there are positive comments about the lack of major bugs or technical issues on PS4, the negative feedback from Gameplanet, PC Gamer, and The Jimquisition on PC highlights significant problems with controls, movement, and stability. It is worth noting that the negative comments are more prominent and detailed, indicating that the technical performance may be a significant drawback for the game, particularly on PC. Players on PS4 may have a more stable and enjoyable experience, while PC players may encounter frustrating issues that impact their immersion and enjoyment of the game.

The opinions of the critics regarding the replay value of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China are varied. Some critics, such as Destructoid and God is a Geek, highlight the presence of New Game+ modes and additional challenges that provide incentive for replaying the game. These modes unlock upon completion and allow players to replay levels, improve their scores, unlock more abilities, and collect missed collectibles. This adds replay value and extends the gameplay experience for those who enjoy mastering levels and achieving higher scores. The presence of side objectives, hidden collectibles, and multiple routes through levels, as mentioned by PSNStores, also contribute to the replay value by encouraging exploration and experimentation. On the other hand, several critics express concerns about the lack of replay value in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China. CGMagazine and Gamers' Temple both mention the game's short length and simplicity of puzzles as factors that may discourage players from replaying or finishing the game. Game Informer notes that while the game offers rewards for high ratings and side missions, the gameplay starts to lose steam halfway through the campaign, potentially diminishing the desire to replay it. Game Revolution also highlights the repetitive levels and lack of standout moments as potential drawbacks that may reduce the game's replay value. Overall, the critics' consensus on the replay value of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is mixed. While there are elements that contribute to the game's replayability, such as the New Game+ modes, additional challenges, and multiple playstyles mentioned by various critics, there are also concerns about the game's short length, lack of variety, and repetitive levels. It is worth noting that some critics, like Impulsegamer and TheSixthAxis, find value in the game's cheap price and the potential for a new direction in the series. However, the overall sentiment suggests that while there are some aspects that may entice players to replay the game, it may not have a strong replay value for everyone.