Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation was, in 2012, the main argument for why a PlayStation Vita owner should pick up a big licensed action-adventure game. The game runs parallel to the series' third entry, but instead of colonial New England, it takes place in 18th-century New Orleans, its surrounding swamps, and Mayan ruins. The lead character is Aveline de Grandpré, daughter of a French merchant and an African mother — an unusual perspective for the series, one the game manages to use not just in the story but directly in the gameplay.

The key mechanic is a set of three personas. In a lady's dress, Aveline doesn't arouse suspicion and can bribe people, but she can't climb; disguised as a slave, she blends in among laborers and moves unnoticed; in her assassin outfit she has full freedom of movement and her whole arsenal, but she instantly draws the guards' attention. The rest is classic Assassin's Creed of the era — rooftop parkour, combat counterattacks, silent kills from above, and an open city full of side quests, including a trading network and sending shipments by boat. The persona system comes with a suspicion meter that behaves differently for each disguise, so the player has to think not only about where to go but also how to look while doing it.

Technically, it was an impressive feat: on Vita, New Orleans has a dense crowd, a day-night cycle, and vegetation that wasn't common on a handheld at the time, though at the cost of minor hiccups and a shorter draw distance. Touch controls are used more out of obligation, for rowing or opening letters. Besides the city, the game also plays out in the open swamps of Louisiana, where the player moves along branches and treetops much like in the third game's colonial wilderness. The atmosphere is helped by music with Creole motifs and the sultry, damp swamp setting. Contemporary reviews praised the scope and the lead character while criticizing the simplified and poorly told story. Aveline later got a remaster for home consoles, but the original version remains a showcase of just how far portable gaming could be pushed at the time.