Assassin's Creed Chronicles Is Not Dead, Now Coming to Vita

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China won't be alone anymore. Way back in 2014, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China was announced as DLC for Assassin's Creed Unity, but those plans were seemingly derailed by Unity's general reception. Then in March of this year, ACC: China was joined by the announcement of ACC: India and Russia, making a small Assassin's Creed spinoff trilogy. Those games were supposed to come later this year.

Then we heard nothing.

Now Ubisoft has revealed that both titles will be coming early next year. Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India is coming on January 12, while Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia is coming February 9. In addition, Ubisoft will be releasing all three games in a trilogy bundle for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 5. Each title will be $9.99, like ACC: China, and the trilogy will cost $29.99. The company has also pulled off a surprising move and announced that the trilogy bundle will be coming to PlayStation Vita at the same time.

I reviewed Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China in April. It was a fine game; quite similar to Klei Entertainment's Mark of the Ninja, but not necessarily up to that same pedigree. China also missed an opportunity to really flesh out the story of Chinese assassin Shao Jun. For $10 though, it was a fun game that you can polish off in one or two sittings.

Russia and India look to be carrying forward the artistic leanings of ACC: China, utilizing the art of the specific region the game is based in. ACC: China featured Chinese ink wash painting, while India seems to evoke Indian Rangoli and Russia calls back to the Soviet Constructivist art of the 1920s. It gives all three games a striking look, while sticking to a common core.

I'd argue that Assassin's Creed Chronicles was made for the portable screen. I'm fine playing it on home platforms, but Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a smaller, quicker experience than its counterparts. A portable release on Vita works much better, especially in the context of the trilogy. You get in, complete a level, and you're sated for the time being. $30 is a great price point for a Vita game and you get three different stories with some narrative tie according to Ubisoft.

I still have high hopes for the Assassin's Creed Chronicles titles moving forward, as I think Ubisoft could use those games to explore eras the main titles would usually avoid. Given Ubisoft's strategy of the Chronicles titles revisiting characters from spinoff media, I'd guess the next game would involve assassin Tom Stoddard during the Salem witch trials, who is the focus of the current Assassin's Creed comic. Either way, the Chronicles will be complete (for now) in February.