Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is the first game of three in the Chronicles spin-off series based on the main Assassin's Creed franchise. It is a 2.5D platform game similar to the earlier Assassin's Creed II: Discovery. The game is set in China in 1526 with Shao Jun as the protagonist, a character that was introduced in the short film Assassin's Creed: Embers . Set two years after the events of the film, Shao Jun is one of the few remaining Assassins of the Chinese Brotherhood. Her brotherhood was wiped out by Zhang Yong, the leader of a group of eunuchs known as the Tigers, which are in fact Templars controlling the emperor as a puppet. Her new leader Wang Yangming calls her back to China to push back the Templar influence. The game has a linear side-scrolling design, but with a lot of vertical movement. The gameplay encourages stealth over combat, and each level is split up into multiple sections based on the player's performance in stealth. The game awards Shadow Style ratings and points that act as experience to access upgrades such as increased health. Enemies have a visible awareness cone based on line of sight. The player can use abilities like taking cover in alcoves, assassinating from ledges, and distracting enemies with a dog whistle to progress through the game. There are minor puzzle elements and complex situations where the player needs to take into account the patrol paths of multiple guards.
Jun can assassinate with a hidden shoe blade, but she can also engage in regular combat with a sword using mechanics to perform attacks, block, and roll over. Various gadgets like daggers, noise darts, and firecrackers are unlocked gradually, and additional abilities become available as the player progresses through the game.
After each level, upgrades can be unlocked, and there are secondary objectives and optional hidden collectibles. The game is presented as an Animus simulation, so Jun cannot die but desynchronizes. There is also a plus and plus hard mode that can be unlocked, with existing abilities and upgrades being carried over.
