Assassin's Creed Rogue

The perfect Assassin’s Creed swan song on last-gen, Rogue offers perhaps the best protagonist the series has ever seen—even if the gameplay will be too familiar for the liking of some.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue is a remarkable title in the series, introducing one of the best and more charismatic characters seen so far and managing to shine a light on several aspects of the series' past plots. It's surely isn't an innovative or revolutionary entry in the Assassins saga, but it's definitely worth your time.

By embracing established mechanics and gameplay systems, the closing chapter of the America saga regularly feels like a retread. Fortunately, with much of the groundwork already in place, the developers have been able to focus on content creation, and Rogue is one of the biggest and most varied titles in the franchise to date.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue delivers a unique twist on the story by putting players on the other side, for once, and offering an insight as to how the Templar Order operates.

It's somehow a sequel to the gameplay system seen on Black Flag, but still it works. If you liked the previous episode and you don't mind the lack of additions, it won't disappoint you.

Assassin's Creed Rogue isn't the cash grab many assumed it would be, and ultimately is an enjoyable experience and fitting end to the Kenway trilogy.

Assassin's Creed Rogue is gameplay-wise more or less an unofficial sequel to Black Flag, in that it inherits virtually every enjoyable element from last year's title. The combat can be a bit repetitive, which is particularly true for those who played AC4 extensively, but it's a solid last-gen entry in the series all the same.

In many ways, Rogue feels like the perfect closing chapter to the generation of consoles that gave the series their start, while also shining a light on some of the areas that need to improve going forward.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue is the sort of thing we like to see in an AC game. A well-paced story with plenty of intrigue, twists and a vaguely charismatic lead with a shonky accent.

Assassin's Creed Rogue may well have begun life as a hedged bet - a PS3 and Xbox 360 game knocked together in case the next-gen consoles hadn't taken off by now - but despite its slightly awkward role as b-side to Assassin's Creed Unity, the result is a welcome follow-up to Black Flag.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue doesn’t do anything particularly innovative or different, but it builds on the fantastic ideas Black Flag brought to the table and adds a bit of its own flair. It’s a shame it’s been relegated to last-gen hardware though–here’s hoping it’ll get a chance to stretch out its legs.

Rogue offers varied missions and content, but it’s also a game less satisfactory than the series. You'll feel like you've played all of this before, but if you're at all interested in the Assassin’s Creed brand it's absolutely a nice addition to your collection.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue's story lacks punch, but the game offers lots of activities, adventure and seafaring that can keep you entertained for a long time.

Rogue is a good addition to the series: the gameplay is not innovative, but the game has one of the most interesting story of any recent Assassin’s Creed, and is enjoyable like Black Flag. If you're a fan of the series, Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is the perfect closing chapter of the colonial Era trilogy.

Sure, it doesn’t break new ground and the main character is yet another one of those stereotypical brooding males out for revenge but there is no question the game delivered in the entertainment department.

With that said, the primary flaw in Assassin's Creed Rogue is the plot. Conrad, in Heart of Darkness, wrote "showing in this remark the weakness of many tellers of tales who seem so often unaware of what their audience would best like to hear." And Ubisoft Sofia has succumbed to these weaknesses. Rogue does not tell the story players want to hear.

Rogue is a good chapter in the Assassin's Creed body of work. Good but not great. Nor is it definitive. Without multiplayer, it's not even a standalone product as far as the series is concerned. But the story of institutional betrayal, severed friendships, and broken mentors is a worthy tale.

Even with its faults, we’ve enjoyed much of our time with Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Exploring the wilds and icy seas is still fun for a while, and facing off against hidden assassins has its moments. Overall though, Rogue is left feeling stretched thin, held together by the threads connecting it to other games in the franchise.

It ends up feeling more like a retrospective than a game in its own right. [Jan 2015, p.80]

Even though Unity arguably is the braver game of the two, Rogue might just be the better one.

The additions are welcome, bolstering Black Flag’s excellent formula. The only thing that stops Rogue from reaching the heights of of that game is how its lack of new ideas isn’t replaced by a fresh setting.

While Unity shot for the stars and missed a bit, Rogue is content with keeping its feet on the ground. It's a game made from bits and pieces of Assassin's Creed games you've played before and the only thing that elevates it beyond that is the unique story focus. Despite that, Rogue is solid entry in the franchise and a fitting capstone on the Kenway Trilogy of games.

It's all the more disappointing there's so little to do while the story is being told; the upgrade economy's pointless and most of the tasks are quite trivial.

Far more gripping than its Xbox One counterpart. [Issue#119, p.66]

Assassin's Creed Rogue is not a bad game, but it is a derivative game.

Assassin Creed: Rogue has not made me happy. It's not a bad game, far from it, but with a first story about a templar hunting assassins comes a responsibility to do something more. The developers have lost the chance to create something great. Mediocre story (with some fantastic moments), boring side-quests, forced lengthening of gameplay and lack of important novelties don't deserve any praise.

Outside of a few additions like an air rifle and grenade launcher (which is used exactly one for mission), there's next to nothing in Rogue that moves the franchise forward.

Those who yearn for a return to Black Flag's sandbox will take comfort knowing this is "more of the same," as the clichéd review expression goes. But, Rogue's systems do nothing to move Assassin's Creed forward, leaving it fittingly stuck in the past like the last-generation consoles it graces.

Rogue paints the picture of an arbitrary war drawing arbitrary lines.

A relatively competent rehash of Black Flag, but with a lack of new ideas and a considerably less exciting setting it’s one that struggles to justify its existence.