Assassins and Templars… Good and evil… And too many shades of gray. Since the days of Altair, the ultimate goal of the two factions has seemed the same multiple times, despite their differences in methods. Not all assassinated Templars were evil men, and sometimes their deaths seemed more dictated by dogma than by their actual dangerousness. It's therefore not surprising that members of one faction or the other have decided to switch sides over time: Assassin's Creed Rogue tells the story of one of these men, who decided to abandon the Creed to become a Templar.
Disunity
While Assassin's Creed Rogue reveals a conflict within a group of Assassins on one hand, it is also part of another divergence. In fact, for the first time, Ubisoft decided to release two installments of its successful saga simultaneously: Unity, reserved for next-generation machines only, and Rogue, designed for the others. This choice caused some perplexity among owners of the latter: knowing that Ubisoft's main effort was concentrated on Unity – which, as Dave explains in his review, is truly stunning – what could be expected from Rogue, an episode that was sidelined and announced somewhat quietly?
The traitor
Assassin's Creed Rogue covers a good portion of the life of Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin who first sees his faith crumble and then joins the ranks of the Templars. Its story unfolds during the Seven Years' War and serves as a connection between those of Black Flag and Assassin's Creed 3, revealing some still-unclear points in this saga within the saga. This aspect alone removes some doubt about the game's appeal: Rogue is not a mere commercial operation, like the negligible Revelations for example, but it constitutes an important piece of the American tetralogy. Rogue thus revisits previously known characters, such as Achilles and Haytham, and completes the narrative on the rise of the Templars in the colonies and, consequently, the fall of the Assassins from the Davenport homestead. The story is therefore interesting, despite some narrative weaknesses, with characters sometimes too modern for the era and a protagonist who doesn't entirely convince. In fact, while on one hand Shay follows the classic evolutionary process for an Assassin's Creed protagonist, on the other he often seems to forget the tragedy that drove him to become a Templar.
Assassin of assassins
The gameplay of Assassin's Creed Rogue draws heavily from Assassin's Creed 3 and Black Flag, skillfully mixing them with a dash of Assassin's Creed 2 sprinkled on top. As expected, the main story is resolved in a handful of hours, perhaps even less than usual, while the secondary missions offer plenty of playtime before completion.
In addition to the classic parkour and combat mechanics, Rogue reintroduces actions from piracy already seen in Black Flag, where you can engage in long-range naval combat or board a vessel. Furthermore, a very nice new feature, We may also suffer boarding from enemy crews, To reject the death penalty. Another novelty consists of the presence of ice floes and icebergs that can complicate navigation and marine hunting.
Furthermore, in cold areas, the water temperature doesn't allow Shay to soak for too long due to the risk of freezing to death.
Clashes at sea allow the player to recover materials to improve their ship... or restore buildings! Rogue revives the economic system from Assassin's Creed 2The restoration of shops and houses to increase the flow of money into Shay's chests. Each building safeguarding operation has both a financial cost and a resource cost: this choice – which is excellent and well-balanced – pushes the player to find the right balance between ship improvements and increasing financial opportunities.
To stay on the topic of resources, Shay can create his own outfits, holsters, pouches, and ammunition using the remains of animals hunted on land and at sea. Money, on the other hand, is the primary means of acquiring new weapons. Among these, Assassin's Creed Rogue offers us some new, more or less lethal gadgets: the air rifle with darts and grenades for land combat, and flaming oil and a sort of machine gun for sea combat.
The most important gameplay innovation is the assassin hunt. Shay's former comrades can exploit his own techniques to hide and ambush. These enemies are extremely lethal: the first two or three times you encounter them, don't be surprised if you die without even being able to react. Unfortunately, once you figure out how to neutralize them, they lose a lot of their intrigue. In any case, Rogue proposes an interesting system for making the player understand the location of an assassin: when one of them is nearby, a disturbing voice begins to hiss, and a sort of pink halo appears on the screen; with Eagle Vision activated, it is therefore possible to estimate in which direction the enemy is, how far away they are, and then embark on a deadly treasure hunt.
Finally, the fact that Shay joined the Templars' ranks inspired the developers to completely overhaul the famous assassination missions: in Rogue, first, we need to intercept the carrier pigeons to discover the opponents' plans and then delete a group From enemies on a mission. Excellent idea, really!
Breathtaking landscapes and Celtic music
Aesthetically, Rogue is very reminiscent of Black Flag and, in part, Assassin's Creed 3. The naval sections are so well done that you sometimes stop to contemplate the landscapes, the sea forts, and the water with its play of light, shadow, and reflections. In comparison, the cities, 
Although well made, they almost seem to lack detail. These include old and new urban areas, including New York, Albany, Lisbon, Paris, and more.
However, the classic Abstergo mission in the present day is a completely different story: besides being part of a longtime questionable overarching narrative – to say the least! – it's graphically disappointing and has little to do with the rest of the game. For the record, the mission takes place in first-person, as in Black Flag.
The soundtrack is spectacular thanks to the songs of sailors and innkeepers, the dialogue of soldiers and citizens in their various languages, and the music and ballads inspired by the traditions of the countries of the United Kingdom. The only drawback from this point of view is the background music in the menus, which quickly becomes annoying. Finally, special mention must be made of Shay's Templar outfit: it is one of the most beautiful ever sported by a protagonist of the saga!
In the time of the last of the Mohicans
Assassin's Creed Rogue dispels any doubts about its validity and proves to be an excellent installment in the saga. Of course, it's a bit short in terms of the main story, it rehashes concepts and environments already seen, and it indeed offers few novelties, but, most importantly, the entire game is well-made and balanced. If you are die-hard fans of the saga, or if you believe Black Flag is the best Assassin's Creed ever developed, you will have the opportunity to embark on new explorations and battles. If you love James Fenimore Cooper's famous novel or its cinematographic adaptation, you absolutely cannot miss Assassin's Creed Rogue, which takes place in the same era: the game will allow you to see the same places and even encounter one of its protagonists.
So, as you have certainly understood, before you dive into the French Revolution, we highly recommend playing this excellent episode!