Job interviews, first dates and new gaming series have one thing in common: first impressions matter. Yet last year's Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China spinoff still turned up with its flies undone, smelling of BO and chucking its controller against the wall. But give the Chronicles series a second chance and it might still win you over.

SO WHAT IS ASSASSIN'S CREED CHRONICLES?

If Assassin's Creed is an open-world offshoot of the 3D Prince of Persia games - the PS2-era stuff with the wall running and rewind gimmick - then Assassin's Creed Chronicles is more like Prince of Persia when it was a 2D side-scroller. Certainly in the way it's presented, at least.

Ubisoft

It follows even closer in the silent footsteps of side-scrolling stealth games like Mark of the Ninja and Gunpoint. You have an objective - usually one that involves killing someone or nabbing an item - and you make your way through levels, hiding from enemies, fighting guards and using your parkour skills to escape hairy situations.

It may not look like a traditional Assassin's Creed game, but with Eagle Vision, bales of hay and buckets of blood, it has all the hallmarks of one - and without the bugs that plague Ubisoft's scrappy annual blockbusters.

BYE BYE DRAB VISUALS...

So what exactly has changed since Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China? Well the most striking difference is the way it's presented - with striking being the operative word.

Ubisoft

While the China setting was all dark and grey, the new game uses a much more vibrant colour scheme to bring 19th century India to life. With those bright, bustling market stalls and opulent Indian palaces, you get a greater sense of location than you did with the last game and it's also a lot more fun.

Then there's the story, which takes place amid conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company. While that all sounds a bit heavy, it's really not. The developers have chucked in a bit of adventure and romance, as the lead character woos a princess while trying to steal a rare artefact from those pesky Templars.

Ubisoft

If you tend to switch off during the overblown story sections in the main series, then you'll get on much better with Chronicles, which never requires you to switch on in the first place. And sometimes that's all you want from a game.

A GREAT HYBRID OF STYLES

As far as the action goes, Chronicles gets most things right. Things like combat and parkour actually feel more refined in the two-dimensional surroundings, so you avoid those really momentum-killing moments from the core series where you accidentally climb on a fence or run into a pole.

Ubisoft

In fact, the parkour sections are thoroughly enjoyable, as players bounce through windows, slide under tables, jump between trees and speed down ziplines. It's generally pretty smooth sailing and all very exciting.

The combat, meanwhile, is a pretty straightforward combination of blocking, light and heavy attacks. But again, the 2D environment makes it less fiddly. It's actually quite rhythmic, as you block, roll and stab baddies from the front and back - and in this game you can actually see who's attacking you.

Ubisoft

Combine this with stealth sections where you have to roll from cover to cover, creep past sleeping guards and avoid the glare of caged tigers, and you have a deceptively deep game with a nice amount of variety.

BUT IT'S NOT ALL GOOD...

So the new Chronicles game is quite good then, although it wouldn't be Assassin's Creed without a few problems. For starters, it could really do without those spying missions where you have to follow somebody and fail the mission if they see you.

Also, with so many different commands and context-sensitive controls to master, there are times when the game feels a bit clumsy - or maybe we're just a bit crap at the stealth stuff.

For instance, you might find yourself accidentally jumping instead of hiding, which, coupled with those instant fails, makes certain sections a tad frustrating.

It just needs Ubisoft to grab a wrench and tighten things up slightly. Hopefully they'll get it right for the next game, which is set in Russia and pencilled in for a February launch - so there's not much time to get it right.

SO SHOULD I BUY IT THEN?

There are definitely better 2D and 3D stealth games out there - like Stealth Inc, Volume and Gunpoint - but if you're a fan of the Assassin's Creed series and fancy trying something different, then Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India is a no-brainer.

It's a stylish game with fun platforming, smooth combat and mostly good stealthy bits - and a definite improvement on its underwhelming predecessor.

3

Platforms Available On: PS4 (Reviewed), Xbox One, PC

Developer: Climax Studios

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre: Side-scrolling stealth

Release Date: Out now

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