Game #966: Assassin's Creed II - Discovery

 2-D Assassin's Creed done right.

 Well, I didn't expect much out of AC Chronicles, but all three games were more underwhelming than I expected, so my expectations were low when it came to Assassin's Creed II: Discovery. Back when Ezio Auditore da Firenze was Assassin's Creed's Batman, in terms of shilling and popularity, he had a little DS game that played to that console's capabilities, turning the open-world series into a 2.5-D sidescroller and turns out... was actually pretty decent.

 Discovery is made up of about 20 bite-sized missions, some can be tackled in any way, some allow you to be seen up to four times before losing the mission and then there are chase missions in which you must escape the area. The parkour system was adapted by making Ezio very agile and nimble, you'd be surprised how fast he can run once he picks up speed, because picking up speed is actually a mechanic in the game. He moves so fast by default that the L button is the stealth button, making him walk slowly and zooming out the camera a bit, allowing you to see slightly more ahead of you. In order to evade guards' sights you'll also have to make use of the radar on the lower screen.

 As much as the game will make you run, jump, cling, and wall climb all over the place you'll also engage in combat. Y is your 3-hit basic combo, but you get a few more advanced mechanics, such as rolling below your enemies or breaking their guards by timing Y button presses as soon as your blade bounces off of them. Later in the game you'll also get throwing knives.

 Each stage has a small selection of mini-objectives, such as not losing X amount of health, scoring X amount of stealth kills, beating the level in under X amount of time, etc. and the more you fulfill the more points you'll get which in turn unlock cheats. You can't use cheats on levels you just unlocked. The game lasts about 3 hours, which is fair enough, but you can unlock challenge stages if you search had enough. Spread throughout levels you'll also find wanted posters, and every ten of these that you find your health bar will get extended.

 The story is set during AC 2, between DLCs I think, but it's nothing very remarkable, heck, the ending is very unsatisfying. It is fully voice acted, however, which I felt was pretty cool. 

 The game is fairly fun for the most part, as it blends fast-paced platforming with acceptable combat in a pretty neat fashion. Levels are short and fast-paced, so it's easy to cram in a few missions in short bursts. The controls are not perfect, and I would've liked to be able to climb down walls without having to press against them while falling to prevent my death. Speaking of falling damage, it felt a bit inconsistent, I survived a few falls I shouldn't have for whatever reason, but other times the game just murdered me.

 I think the emphasis on fast gameplay, even during the stealth missions, is what makes this game so much more fun, at least to me, than the chronicles series. There's very little down time and Ezio is actually a decent fighter, even though enemies can overwhelm you in numbers. It keeps things exciting, and that's how this game stands out from the other AC spin offs I have played. It's very recommendable.

 7.0