![]() ![]() The greatest casualty of Liberation's muddled storytelling is Aveline herself. The bayou is filled with trees to climb and swamps to swim through. There are occasional flashes of excitement when a mysterious hacker infiltrates Abstergo's narrative to offer you the "truth" about these events, but they amount to little more than a handful of extended cutscenes back-loaded toward the end of the game. Though the story deals with such heavy themes as slavery and the cultural identity of a city transitioning from French to Spanish rule, it's a largely aimless and hastily delivered plot that sees Aveline bounce around like a pinball from one enemy to the next for the bulk of the game. ![]() There's great potential here for the type of storytelling unique to an unreliable narrator, yet Liberation takes little advantage of its own narrative format. It is, in other words, a story about Assassins as told by Templars. ![]() Rather than one of Desmond Miles' trips through the Animus, the narrative in Liberation is framed as a piece of historical entertainment delivered by Abstergo Industries, the illusive corporation that serves as the series' overarching antagonist. In fact, this Vita spin-off introduces a number of intriguing concepts. It's not that Liberation lacks for new ideas. The New Orleans of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation is a beautiful, if somewhat dangerous, place. She's the sort of figure capable of anchoring a truly special game-making it all the more disappointing that Liberation, taken as a whole, is a bit dull. This is a woman born from the romance between a wealthy father and a slave mother, someone who has overcome her uncertain upbringing to find a new life in the Assassin Brotherhood. Not only is the heroine of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation the series' first female protagonist, but her backstory deals with one of the darkest periods in American history. Aveline de Grandpre is a fascinating character. ![]()
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