A small and (comparatively) cheap AC game that's way more fun and interesting than modern offerings. Essentially a mini black-flag condensed into a tighter package.

I'm pissed that I waited so long to play it, but experiencing it for the first time in 2023 really put things into perspective for how far this franchise has fallen. Hopefully more creativity can be re-injected back into Assassin's Creed at some point.

My only real complaint is the abstergo nonsense, that side of the story-line should have died with Desmond Miles and it's always been a simple contrivance that halted the flow of the story after important story beats and feels like wasted time every time. Do something interesting with it (like with desmond miles) or just don't put it in my face to begin with,

Rapidly became my favourite game.

If you're looking for the slow pace of dark souls, keep looking.
If you're looking for the same style of difficulty with a much faster pace that respects your time and not only lets you but wants you to try every wild idea you could have with whatever stylish flair you wish, you're in the right place.

Mecha isn't for everyone admittedly, but I've never seen a more triumphant return on a genre than this.

In terms of game design I can find no flaw, and it all flows so gorgeously between different builds and bosses that the harsher difficulty spikes are less roadblocks and more the kinds of challenges that you only emerge from stronger and better in many ways than the person that started them.

Some advice before you start so you don't get caught up in misunderstandings:
There's no i-frame dodge-rolling
Staying on the ground isn't necessarily a good idea
The sword you start with can carry you if you use it at the right time
Stagger is a thing
You don't need to use the same build throughout the game, experimentation will get you far