Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China

You know I am an old-school gamer. Who else would prefer a simple side-scrolling version of the hit Assassin's Creed franchise to any of the original games?

 

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China

For: PS4, Xbox One, PC
From: Ubisoft
Three and a half stars (out of five)

 

Assassin's Creed has never grabbed me as games like The Last of Us or Uncharted, though I can appreciate its beauty and exceptional technical values.

But there is a lot to like about Chronicles, a sort of Assassin's Creed Lite that is a charming addition to the series.

The story has you playing Shao Jun, a young 16th-century assassin who trained under the legendary Ezio Auditore.

She returns to her native China with the aim of restoring her country's Brotherhood of Assassins.

Gameplay is very basic but a lot of fun.

You can run, jump and slide from left to right, with the occasional foray at 90 degrees in the ''2.5D'' style.

It's a mix of stealth (hide from the baddies), action (fight them) and puzzle (work out how to distract them or sneak past them), and it all works rather well, especially for those of us who remember the classic Prince of Persia game.

Looks great, too. Ubisoft says the look of the game is inspired by traditional Chinese brush-stroke painting and I'm inclined to accept that.

Don't expect Chronicles to take 50 hours to complete - there are just 12 levels.

It's also basically a completely linear adventure, which will be something of a shock to fans of the Assassin's Creed series' open-world gameplay.

But appreciate it for what is - a really fun little title.

Assassin's Creed: China will be followed in the series by games set in India and Russia.