Porting a game like Liberation to consoles is going to come with some very noticeable compromises - especially with how much of the gameplay made use of the PS Vita's exclusive features. But with that in mind, Liberation still proves to be a pretty good time. It's flawed beyond its handheld roots, but Liberation is still an Assassin's Creed game with some interesting ideas within its grasp.
Liberation tells one of the most interesting and unique stories in the series. It's more than just revenge and finding pieces of eden. The story mixes a slave narrative with elements of a conspiracy thriller. There's also a lot of interesting themes and symbolism throughout, almost feeling akin to the thematically-driven storytelling of AC1. The script is decent and the characterization is fairly well-done, but unfortunately a lot of these positives are overshadowed by the unpolished negatives. Despite Liberation having a genuinely good narrative, it's the presentation of that narrative that hurts the most. Cinematics are stiff and the voice acting is all over the place. Also, the way the story is told can feel a bit disjointed and abrupt at times - especially when it comes to timeskips, though this is something that other Assassin's Creed games have struggled with as well.
The open world and the gameplay is pretty solid for the most part. Liberation introduces some cool gameplay systems that are unique to this game. Most notably, the persona system. This taps into an interesting element of social stealth and also speaks to the themes of the game. But other than that, most of the game plays like Assassin's Creed III, but in a better world and scenario. The open world is fun to explore and much more fun to traverse than in Assassin's Creed III. There's also a decent amount of fun side content to engage with. But again, the gameplay is sometimes held back by the game's handheld roots. Certain missions have replaced their handheld features, but don't always translate well with a console setup. And also the jankiness of the presentation comes out a bit rougher in console format.
One of the most consistent factors of this game, though, is the atmosphere and art direction. Looking past the janky animations and some odd textures, Liberation looks quite good on the ACIII Remaster. There's better volumetric lighting and the coloration of the environments is a bit more vibrant, too. But the sharper look doesn't take away from the epic and expressive atmosphere. The game is ambitious, but still grounded in its deeper themes. While the soundtrack can be a bit theatrical at times, it makes up for it with its more spiritual and cultural moments.
Liberation is hindered by its janky presentation. The story is deep and symbolic, but the theatrical voice acting and scuffed cinematics make it hard to take seriously. The handheld spirit also doesn't translate all that well on a more powerful console with higher standards of quality. The game does redeem itself with the persona system and implementing Assassin's Creed III's framework into a slightly better sandbox. As well as the beautiful soundtrack, atmospheric environments, and vibrant art direction.
