futtbucket
Am I glad that they dialed back on RPG elements? yes. Am I glad that it feels like they dialed back on everything else? no. Having played this series for well over a decade, every new addition feels like one step forward and two steps back. Assassins Creed Unity, while flawed, had so much to offer in terms of versatility and animation that is missing in this entry nearly a decade later. Also I didn't play Valhalla so I didn't understand the ending AT ALL lol
2022
Oh man. This game kicked my ass for a long time before it finally clicked for me. After that it became much more enjoyable and one of my favorite games of 2022. Mastering different combos is fun, until you find a few relatively OP moves and spam those on everyone you see. Really entertaining for fighting & non-fighting game fans alike
2020
I really, really, like this game & thought it deserved GOTY, but holy shit, the gameplay loop is such a damn drag. Why do I have to select my each party member separately just to jump this gap? Why can't I have shared inventory & have to juggle 50+ items between party members? Sometimes I'd fail a skill check, start combat, and roll my eyes at the 30 min point-and-clickfest that I had to strap myself into. Mostly found myself looking forward to the next dialogue interaction between NPC's, definitely the highlight of the game.
Gameplay / Combat system is absolutely sublime. Personally really enjoyed the story, liked that it challenged my expectations about the game but definitely need some cognitive dissonance to justify killing armies to then preach about the ruthless cycle of revenge. No Return DLC mode is also pretty engaging
2021