3. Lose Character Abilities & Gadgets - Give Us Progression
It's a weird thing to focus on, but in the first game there was a point where you actively unlocked the ability to grab a ledge in mid-air. It completely changed the way you played. No longer were you hurtling yourself off the highest point and crashing into a lump on the floor, as this ability to break your fall felt both useful in the world, and contextually appropriate being Altair was refining his skills with each and every kill. The fear for many developers when it comes to sequels is the notion of backtracking in terms of abilities the player expects to have, thereby starting their newest game with a character who's not as well equipped as where the other left off. But to focus on that is to miss the point entirely - the very fact each subsequent AC hero starts out all souped-up and ready to go just feels incongruous - especially when the movements of a pirate, French nobleman and Italian Renaissance-man all match up perfectly. Why not keep the barest of essentials like climb-jumps or the aforementioned ledge-grabs (the assumption being the person we're playing as has 'learnt from the best' and has a base level of athleticism), before unlocking the crazy new additions we're seeing for Syndicate like going invisible or obtaining the grapple hook, after you've levelled up accordingly? These higher level items or actions would give the story a sense of place and reward; something that's been sorely missing for the last games, as it can feel like you've seen everything the game has to offer after the first hour.