Ever known anyone with an impossibly over-achieving sibling? That brother or sister whose manifold accomplishments inevitably overshadowed all the other kids? Well, think of that annoying, magnificent bastard as Assassin’s Creed II and its unfortunate-but-still-completely-capable younger brother as Assassin’s Creed III. While AC III easily outstrips the somewhat lackluster Revelations and even the relatively solid Brotherhood, a handful of unexpected failings keep it from reaching the same unimpeachable glory enjoyed by its numbered predecessor.

Make no mistake: that’s not our polite way of calling AC III a bad game. Far from it. AC III improves on the underlying Assassin’s Creed formula in a handful of subtle but tangible ways. The game’s signature free-running proves faster, more fluid, and more adaptive than ever, affording you a liberating ease of movement unrivaled even by past AC games. Want to easily vault over objects? Effortlessly leap for a higher hold? No problem! Thanks to the refined controls, it’s easier to maintain control and not inadvertently jump off a building and into an early grave.

Combat enjoys a similar update, making fights feel more natural and fluid than ever. The animations are truly spectacular, offering endless combos for every weapon and even dynamically incorporating the environment for certain kills. Simultaneously countering two enemies for a cinematic execution of both unlucky souls is a thing of beauty. Weapons and foes remain largely unchanged from past titles, as does that almost rhythmic “defend, counter, kill” tactic found in all AC games. Still, the satisfaction garnered from dragging an unsuspected guard into the world’s deadliest bale of hay or driving your hidden blade into a target from above retains every shred of its devious appeal.

The cities don't offer many places to hide, so prepare to run quite a bit.

Collecting trinkets for a difficult old sailor unlocks special naval missions.

By far the game’s greatest success, however, is its world. AC III exchanges Europe and the Middle East for colonial America during the time of the Revolutionary War. The setting stands in stark contrast to the worlds of previous AC games, which just makes it all the more enthralling. The cities of Boston and New York each provide a fascinating playground for your abilities (we especially appreciated the Big Apple’s burned-out, smallpox-riddled quarter), but the real star is the massive, open frontier that exists between the two. This genuinely breathtaking landscape is teeming with trees to climb and wildlife to hunt, and you could easily spend hours just breezing through treetops and ambling up cliff faces. It’s unlike anything the series has seen before and a genuine accomplishment in and of itself. (We seriously want to go camping now, and AC III is to blame.)

This new setting spins a new story and offers up a new ancestor of the series’ present-day protagonist, Desmond Miles, who uses latent memories to live out the lives of his forebears. Our new hero is Connor Kenway, a half–Native American, half-British Assassin who’s forced to avenge a few deaths while protecting his people’s land from encroaching colonists. His unique position lands him squarely in the middle of the American Revolution, fighting alongside the likes of Samuel Adams and George Washington mainly because their goals align, even if their ideologies do not. The dense, layered narrative ribbons through the entire experience, driving every aspect of the game while providing an intermittently accurate and often compelling account of the era. There’s nothing quite like realizing you’re about to witness the Boston Massacre in real time.

Prior to AC III’s release, some corners of the gaming community voiced concern that its story might end up feeling unfairly one-sided and jingoistic given all the trailers showing Connor hunting Redcoats. We can confirm this is not the case. If anything, the game focuses on the idea that war is messy, and while both sides may believe they’re right, it’s still just murder at the end of the day.