Forget Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation may well be the big system-seller for the PS Vita when it launches in October.
Developed by Ubisoft Sofia, this handheld iteration looks like anything but a spin-off from the main series. For one, it uses the same engine as the console releases - and this definitely shows in both the smoothness of the animations and the sheer level of detail in the crowd and environments.
Most of the newer elements to the series, such as running assassinations and tree vaulting, are present and correct in this portable edition, as is the open-world, free-running gameplay that defines the series.
In essence, it's shaping up to be the real Assassin's Creed experience, only on a portable.
Girl power
For the first time in the series, you're not playing as one of Desmond's ancestors but as Aveline, the daughter of a French merchant and slave girl. Aveline's story is naturally shrouded in secrecy right now.
What I do know is that the story spans the time period 1765 - 1780, taking in Deep South locales such as New Orleans (complete with cathedral and other colonial landmarks), the swamps of Louisiana, and even parts of Mexico.
There have naturally been a few sacrifices made on the graphics front to get these locations onto the smaller screen, with a heat-haze effect ensuring Assassin's Creed III: Liberation's framerate remains high.
However, this is a small concession once other elements such as thronging crowds and incidental details like townsfolk cleaning the steps of public buildings are taken into consideration.
Cutting edge
Not much else has been cut back when it comes to other elements of the Assassin's Creed series, mind.
As with Assassin's Creed III, combat revolves around a two-weapon system, with Aveline able to shoot a musket (after locking onto targets by tapping them) then dive headfirst into a lunging machete swipe.
Each kill fills a gauge that, when activated, freezes time and allows you to pick out soldiers / guards to instantly kill - Splinter Cell: Conviction-style - by tapping them.
You perform other moves in exactly the same way as you would on the PS3, with energetic actions like climbing and killing executed by hitting the right trigger, while the dual joysticks manage physical and camera movement.
Enemies closer
The single-player campaign is described as being 15 hours long, although completionists are likely to spend a fair bit longer than that in the game's world.
There's also a multiplayer mode to take into account - alas, this was kept under wraps for now, but I'd be surprised if it didn't take its cues from the clever modes found on the console version.
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation will be leaping onto the PS Vita at the same time as the console versions on October 30th.
Check out the gameplay trailer below while you wait.
