Assassin's Creed: Victory - 10 Key Features That Need An Overhaul

6. Melee Combat

One of the coolest things about what Assassin's Creed used to be was the balance between stalking targets from afar, whilst knowing you could stand your ground fairly well against a troupe of guards if things went sideways. That balance is what makes Assassin's Creed's core gameplay 'feel', and it's been sorely missing since AC III when the developers stated that the enemies "really didn't stand a chance" against that game's character Connor. Where's the challenge if you can just keep bashing the instant-kill button and watching a string of animations play out? Unity tried to make the general challenge of combat harder, but they did through obfuscation; not telegraphing when enemies are about to attack, forever jabbing you from angles you can't see, and doing away with the meaty feel of your weapon. You can argue that makes sense in that no one character should be able to defend against all angles if they're going for 'realism', but you're an Assassin - a warrior trained essentially Batman Begins-style to be able to survive these sorts of encounters. A difficulty curve is a great thing, but it should always feel fair if you're cut down. Getting spotted is one thing, but surviving the resulting brawl by the skin of your teeth as you apply all your training is what needs to come back.