Ubisoft’s latest offering, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, thrusts players back into the Animus once again. This time though, it’s about experiencing memories first hand. You get to play through memories from Assassins: Ezio Auditore, Kassandra, and Connor. Assassin’s Creed always felt like one those franchises that could translate to VR well if done properly, but had many potential pitfalls. So have Ubisoft managed to pull it out the bag? Let’s find out.
From the moment I put the headset on I felt immersed in the world of Assassin’s Creed. Being a big fan of the early games where they introduced to the animus, it felt so natural putting a headset on to experience the game. Almost like you were entering the animus yourself. A short tutorial level introduces you to the mechanics at play, and I am happy to report that all aspects are at least serviceable.
There are plenty of comfort settings which will allow gamers to tailor the experience to their liking. I always prefer my movement as fluid as possible and so in open play I was able to smooth turn and cover ground at a decent speed.
Parkour was my main worry going in. Everyone has had that moment in old AC games where you are seamlessly scaling buildings of various shapes and sizes, only to all of a sudden be left face planting a wall and stopped dead in your tracks. In VR that issue could easily be a huge source of frustration, but Ubisoft have in my opinion found the sweet spot between automation and immersion. When running, you hold A and you will automatically hop between landing points that are in range. If it is a particularly big leap, or if you are scaling a building you may need to be on hand to grab a ledge, so the game keeps you on your toes, but it does negate a lot of potential jank.
Of course we can’t talk immersion without mentioning the leap of faith. This was clearly an aspect that Ubisoft knew they needed to nail. After all, it is one of the most iconic sights in any Assassin’s Creed game. I am happy to report that it has been implemented superbly. When playing the game for the first time I scaled the Auditore villa, synced my viewpoint and leaped into a barrel of hay. Then, like a child going down his first slide, I immediately got back up, climbed the building again and flung myself off once more.
I don’t often get motion sickness in VR, so I knew there was a chance that the leap of faith could be an issue for some, despite having no issues myself. So I tested it on my wife with a sick bag at the ready. To my delight – and her relief – she was able to jump with no issues as well. It is a credit to Ubisoft that they have managed to handle some admittedly tricky mechanics so well.
Combat is a little bit more of a mixed bag. Again, all aspects are serviceable, but stealth is definitely the games strong suit. The motion of flicking your wrist to reveal the hidden blade and taking out enemies silently feels great. I often found myself going back and trying sections again if my cover was blown as the tactical stealth is always a highlight for me.
Sword play is a little more run of the mill, especially at first. Match the pattern from the enemy to block and strike when the time is right. This does expand over the campaign though, with special abilities and ranged weapons to keep things interesting.
While the story is pretty standard Assassin’s Creed fare, having a narrative that weaves seamlessly between Italy during the renaissance – via Ezio Auditore from AC II, Greece around the Peloponnesian War – via Kassandra from AC: Odyssey and the American evolution via everyone’s favourite, Connor from AC III is a joy throughout. There are other returning characters as well, such as Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, as well as new faces in the form of Dominika Wilks, played by Morena Baccarin.
The game world looks stunning. You can tell each environment has been meticulously crafted to show off some iconic areas from previous games. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the character models. While these aren’t bad enough to pull you out of the experience, they certainly stand out next to the detail in the world. I played the game on Quest 3, but I did switch over to a friends Quest 2 for a comparison, and I am happy to report that the game held up well, albeit with the expected drop in visual fidelity.
Priced £34.99 at launch (25% off using this link), Assassin’s Creed Nexus is great value for money. The campaign is runs about a dozen hours and more if like me you take time to explore your surroundings.
Despite a few hitches in terms of character models and longer than expected load times, Assassin’s Creed Nexus manages to deliver exactly what it set out to do: provide an authentic Assassin’s Creed game in VR. It won’t be for everyone and there is plenty of quieter moments in amongst the action, but this is one adventure AC fans won’t want to miss.
-Mark
