Assassin's Creed III

About

In Assassin's Creed III, play as a Native American assassin during the American Revolution, utilizing a variety of weapons and taking part in iconic historical events. The Ubisoft-AnvilNext game engine powers the experience, offering advanced physics, immersive combat, and lifelike animations. Witness the brutal truth of the Revolution through the eyes of your assassin as you protect your land and people.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,957 reviews

story961 positive mentions

stability353 negative mentions

Immersive historical setting during the American Revolution with detailed environments.
Naval combat missions are highly praised, offering a unique and enjoyable gameplay experience.
Expansive open world with opportunities for exploration and side missions.

Bland story and unremarkable characters, leading to a lack of emotional engagement.
Gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, with many missions lacking variety.
Technical issues and bugs that can disrupt gameplay and immersion.

story
3,630 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
64%
9%
The story of Assassin's Creed III is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging yet flawed. While some praise its exploration of themes like freedom and loyalty during the American Revolution, others criticize it for being convoluted, slow-paced, and featuring a protagonist, Connor, who lacks the charisma of previous leads like Ezio. The narrative is often described as disjointed, with a heavy reliance on cutscenes and a modern-day storyline that detracts from the historical elements, leading some to recommend watching the story online rather than playing through the game. Overall, it serves as a conclusion to Desmond's arc but leaves many feeling unsatisfied with its execution.
- “The storyline is great and very intriguing, I find myself mulling over it (especially when I'm supposed to be doing other things).”
- “The story is wonderfully cinematic and expertly written.”
- “His personal quest for justice is interwoven with the broader conflict of the American Revolution, providing players with a compelling storyline.”
- “The story is convoluted and lacks coherence, making it difficult to follow.”
- “Connor is a bland character with no real development, making it hard to connect with his story.”
- “The missions are repetitive and often feel like busywork, detracting from the overall narrative experience.”
gameplay
1,059 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
12%
The gameplay of Assassin's Creed III has received mixed reviews, with some praising the introduction of naval combat and enhanced parkour mechanics, while others criticize its clunky controls and lack of challenge. Many players found the gameplay to be repetitive and frustrating, particularly due to bugs and poorly executed mechanics, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a rich open world and engaging side activities, though it often feels bogged down by unnecessary mechanics and a convoluted story.
- “The addition of naval combat adds a thrilling new dimension to gameplay, while the introduction of Connor, a new protagonist, brings a fresh perspective to the series.”
- “The gameplay is fantastic, with improved combat mechanics and a revamped parkour system that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The gameplay is fun and the scenery is great, especially in the wilderness, making for an engaging experience.”
- “Bland story, empty characters, gameplay with no challenge.”
- “Overall gameplay felt like they tried to add too many things at once, like the trade/craft system that I never understood, rather than focusing on the core gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is utterly ruined by constant bugs, gameplay flows with the same consistency as a turd falling into a toilet bowl.”
graphics
538 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The graphics of Assassin's Creed III have received mixed reviews, with many praising the game's visual fidelity and atmospheric environments, particularly for its time of release in 2012. However, players have also reported numerous graphical issues, including glitches, tearing, and limited customization options, which detract from the overall experience. While some find the graphics to be a significant improvement over previous titles, others criticize the game's optimization and performance on various hardware setups.
- “The visuals are pretty good for a game made in 2012, the ambient occlusion realistically maps out the shadows and lighting smoothly and beautifully, the texture quality is excellent and I fail to find a distorted texture anywhere. This game is made on an engine designed by Ubisoft called Anvil, and it might just be the best looking game on the engine!”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the music is amazing, the story... not so much.”
- “The graphics are stunning just stunning!”
- “While Assassin's Creed III is a solid entry in the series with a strong historical setting and exciting naval combat, its technical issues, limited graphics settings, and Ubisoft launcher requirements hold it back from reaching its full potential.”
- “The quality of graphics is awful, much worse than the first two games.”
- “The graphics aren't great (you see objects appear in front of you if you're traveling around the world), it is an old game though and the animations are still awesome.”
stability
360 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The stability of Assassin's Creed III has been widely criticized, with players reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users experienced performance drops, game-breaking issues, and frustrating AI problems, leading to a consensus that the game feels rushed and poorly optimized. While some players noted that the game runs smoothly on certain platforms, the overall sentiment is that the numerous technical issues detract from the enjoyment and immersion of the experience.
- “But this game somehow runs great.”
- “It's a fun game with good graphics, almost no glitches, and good gameplay mechanics.”
- “Runs great”
- “This game is a constant stream of bugs and glitches... usually resulting in the crashing of the game.”
- “The game has done excellent on optimization, it has never crashed a single time and I fail to find any game-breaking glitches or bugs.”
- “The amount of glitches I encountered was pretty ridiculous.”
music
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the story, while others find it less memorable compared to previous entries in the series. Some users highlight the soundtrack's orchestral quality and fitting thematic elements, though criticisms include a lack of ambient music in certain areas and repetitive tracks. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally regarded as good, it does not consistently reach the heights of earlier titles in the franchise.
- “The music is, in typical AC fashion, incredible.”
- “The soundtrack and presentation is pretty great though.”
- “The music changes based on where you are, how many enemies are nearby, or how many are in open combat, and whether you are fighting or running from them.”
- “The music is forgettable compared to previous games.”
- “Worse was at many times, you don't hear any music at all which makes the game a snore fest.”
- “The music is forgettable and not very colorful throughout the game.”
optimization
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
36%
50%
The optimization of Assassin's Creed III on PC has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frequent frame rate drops, stuttering, and glitches, particularly in urban areas like Boston. Users have noted that even high-end hardware struggles to maintain stable performance, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game is seen as a poorly optimized console port, with many recommending it only on sale due to its technical shortcomings.
- “The game is working on optimal levels when it comes to performance and graphics (as a game of late 2012) and can really be beautiful to the present day - eye candies still are included.”
- “Fun game, broken in a few spots, but well optimized.”
- “The graphics are atmospheric and adequate for the game's age, and the game is well optimized. I play on a Core2Duo E6850 non-OC with a GTX 560Ti with everything on max except AA @1920x1200 and the game runs perfectly and fluidly, without having crashed once for more than 60 hours that I've played it.”
- “Ubisoft's decision to prioritize console development over PC optimization has also contributed to the subpar performance of Assassin's Creed 3 on PC.”
- “The performance issues have a terrible effect on hardware; for some reason, FPS in cities tends to go below 30, making the game run poorly even with state-of-the-art parts.”
- “Waste of money, it's so poorly optimized that even a strong PC is going to get unplayable framerates in some areas; Ubisoft doesn't care about PC players anymore.”
grinding
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
The grinding aspect of Assassin's Creed III is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with many players feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of repetitive tasks and side objectives that serve little purpose beyond extending gameplay. The crafting, trading, and hunting mechanics are particularly noted for their convoluted and time-consuming nature, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While some players appreciate the story and graphics, the overwhelming consensus is that the game suffers from excessive grind and poorly designed mechanics that make progression feel like a chore.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Numerous side quests lengthen and support the game while allowing the player to explore the game's world through different avenues that retain a feeling of freshness by not grinding through them.”
- “The first time I played through this game, the amount of effort you needed to collect resources was tedious, with very little return for your efforts.”
- “For one, the gameplay itself is tedious, unvaried, and does not respect the player's time.”
- “The game loses the battle of being too grindy for its own good as well.”
atmosphere
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
5%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive representation of the American Revolution, with detailed environments like the frontier, Boston, and New York contributing to a captivating experience. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful graphics, a fitting soundtrack, and dynamic weather effects that enhance the overall ambiance, despite some criticisms regarding repetitive dialogue and occasional bugs. While the atmosphere is considered one of the game's stronger aspects, opinions vary on how well it supports the story and gameplay mechanics.
- “The atmosphere and composition - uniquely the frontiers and homestead was the place that captivated me the most with its greenery of walking through the branches, waterfalls and streams and appreciating the life of nature and the settler members in their daily lives.”
- “The atmosphere of each area and stage in the story is well represented through environmental effects such as rain, fog, snow, and the position of the camera.”
- “The atmosphere and feel of the game is fantastic and you really feel attached to the character and part of the world.”
- “Boston, New York, Homestead, and the Frontier are well-made locations but lack good atmosphere, and the game doesn't have good soundtracks to go with these different locations.”
- “It's dull, there's no atmosphere and I won't come back to it.”
- “The amount of bugs that exist as well as the bland storyline do not create an atmosphere that is worth seeing or playing.”
emotional
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
23%
The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the main character, Connor, lacking depth and emotional connection compared to previous protagonists. While some moments in the storyline are described as touching and heartfelt, others criticize the overall narrative as boring and unengaging, leading to a disconnect with the characters and their emotional journeys. Ultimately, the game's emotional impact varies significantly among players, with some appreciating the emotional highs while others feel the story fails to resonate.
- “The journey becomes much more emotional when the characters are spot on.”
- “The whole story was so touching that I almost burst out in tears.”
- “This is a great game, the story, as with all Assassin's Creed games, really hits you with many emotional and deep moments.”
- “Boring story, the main character, Connor, has no character development and is very dislikeable.”
- “Overall rating 3/10: if you want to play this game just to finish out the next chapter of the Desmond storyline, by all means do so; but you could probably read about that aspect of the story online without having to subject yourself to the torture which is this game, its awkward controls, boring storyline, two-dimensional characters, and overall unsatisfying experience.”
- “Got to the halfway mark and literally couldn't deal with the game's boring story and unlikable characters.”
humor
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches, with players finding amusement in both character interactions and the game's numerous bugs. While some players appreciate the dry humor and funny dialogue, particularly from characters like Shaun and Connor, others highlight the hilarity of glitches, such as ragdoll physics and bizarre NPC behaviors. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience, despite some players feeling it doesn't reach the comedic heights of previous installments.
- “At the very start of the game, I got a hilarious screenshot of one of the crew floating in mid-air.”
- “Some of them were actually really funny, for example a bug where horses go flying when they interact with fences in certain ways.”
- “While all of these were humorous, the first two required me to restart from a checkpoint.”
character development
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
42%
26%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, particularly regarding the protagonist, Connor, who is often described as lacking depth and emotional connection compared to previous characters in the franchise. While some players appreciate the development of supporting characters and the overall storyline, many criticize the pacing and execution, leading to a disjointed experience with minimal growth for the main character. Overall, the game struggles with character development, leaving players feeling disconnected from the protagonist and unsatisfied with the narrative progression.
- “Phenomenal story line and the character development was well done.”
- “Connor was a very interesting character because of his character development that even though he doubted himself throughout the journey he powered through and finished it.”
- “The character development for the villains in this game is great, especially Charles Lee who has a real arc from eager apprentice to evil villain.”
- “The pacing of the script is super bad and between large jumps in time and large gaps in character development, I sometimes felt like the game's focus is away from the player, like I was some third wheel watching as the game progressed behind the loading screens and poorly made cutscenes.”
- “Very little character development in Connor, who is so dry he has as much personality as a wall.”
- “The disjointed story, lack of character development, and the overly long 'tutorial' portion of the game, in addition to the protagonist, a half-English and half-Native American named Ratonhnhaké:ton (or simply Connor), being unlikable and unrelatable, was all disappointing to me.”
replayability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
Overall, the replayability of the game is mixed, with many players noting a lack of engaging content beyond the main storyline, leading to a general consensus of low replay value. While some appreciate the collectibles and side missions, others find the experience repetitive and lacking in incentive to replay. A few players do highlight that it offers slightly more replayability than previous titles in the series, but it remains a common sentiment that the game does not provide enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
- “Due to this, there is a ton of replayability.”
- “I would recommend this game at $30 due to the high amount of replayability.”
- “+ there is a lot of stuff in the world to discover and find adding a lot of replayability in the post-game.”
- “For me, it's nostalgic and very fun to play sometimes as a time waster, but it is an Assassin's Creed game, so be warned it gets pretty boring and has little replay value.”
- “There's a couple of nice cutscenes to wrap things up, and then an intro to multiplayer and bonus stuff for replay value, but once you've done the storyline, there's not much to do apart from collectibles and side missions.”
- “I've played through the story, and I'm feeling zero replay value in this.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for its inclusion of microtransactions, particularly in the multiplayer mode, which some players feel detracts from the overall experience. Users express frustration over in-app purchases that seem to push players towards spending more money, likening it to intrusive ads in paid content. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to be a point of contention among players, impacting their enjoyment of the game.
- “For instance, in the skills menu, pressing 'Y' for more experience seems to lead to an in-app purchase option.”
- “Ubisoft appears to have introduced microtransactions in the multiplayer mode.”
- “For instance, in the skills menu: pressing 'Y' for more experience - which I assume takes you to some in-app purchase.”
- “But Ubisoft seems to have decided to add microtransactions in the multiplayer.”
- “Uplay is like those 'you wouldn't download a car' ads you're forced to watch on movies you paid for; while the pirates just take that part out and enjoy a seamless experience.”