As the saga's first portable release of the 7th gaming generation, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation brought chunks of third-person stealthy fun in a compelling historical setting to gamers on the go, amidst some hardware limitations.

Portable titles of AAA franchises tend to be very austere in terms of resources and content, and Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is no exception. Some people may point to Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep as an example of a handheld spin-off of a popular game series one-upping its home-console counterparts (Birth By Sleep, released on the PSP, is still regarded by KH fans as one of the best Kingdom Hearts ever made.) Notwithstanding, this is far from being the general rule.

But I digress. Back to Assassin's Creed:For all its faults, Liberation looked impressive for a PS Vita game, but after playing the HD version on the PS3, the flaws in design become apparent. The long discontinued Vita attempted to emulate the experience of a PS3 on a handheld console, yet with many compromises, starting with the resolution (which is short of the PS3's 720p), which served, in this specific case, to mask all the imperfections.

Nevertheless, there is a certain charm to playing an Assassin's Creed title on a smaller screen that you can carry in your pocket or bring to your bed as you lay. Alas, when we compare it to the flagship releases, it looks naturally more tarnished. It also doesn't help that it was released simultaneously with Assassin's Creed 3.

Don't get me wrong, though! The game, when scrutinized in its own right, is a good game. As a matter of fact, It's arguably one of the best games released for the now-defunct Vita and it's one of those titles you can certainly enjoy in your spare time. It's likewise quite short, spanning roughly 8 hours of game time (or 20 if you are a completionist), so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Exploring and parkouring around New Orleans is quite a fun endeavor. There's a certain appeal to the city that makes you want to take a peek at every little corner. However, once you reach the Bayou area, the experience starts to go a bit downhill. Moreover, while I won't be spoiling the ending, let's just say I found it a bit "lacking" and anti-cathartic.

The voice acting also leaves a bit to be desired. Aveline (the main character and the first female protagonist in the entire series) is a French-African who speaks English, so it's understandable that they wanted to convey all the diction challenges that ensued from the mix. Still, after 5 dialogues, it starts to grate a little. especially since there doesn't seem to be many nuances in the delivery. In addition, many of the dialogues appear to be too over-the-top for my liking, especially in the final scenes.

As a character, Aveline is memorable and even, dare I say, relatable. To be frank, she's probably one of the most "human" assassins (for lack of a better term) in the entire franchise, with a very believable character arc. However, I wish the game's story would have done a bit more justice to her. I can safely say that she really deserved a starring role in a flagship title, which is more than I can say for the rest of the characters.