Had they appeared exclusively in Rogue, their portrayal wouldn't evoke much emotion. That notably excludes returning characters, but it’s largely due to the fact that we already love them based on previous encounters. The rest of the cast fares little better, as Rogue sports a revolving door of characters you barely get to interact with, making it hard to care about any of them. That sadly doesn't change over the course of the game either even though Shay mentions feeling guilty, those words don't translate into action or real consideration of what's going on. This creates a scenario where Shay is willing to backstab his only friends and family after a couple hours of thought - suggesting he's not too beat up about it - which makes it hard to sympathize with him. The catalyst for his choice is certainly large in scale, but the emotional weight of that decision is never truly explored. Unfortunately, Shay's story is structured in a way that heavily favors MacGuffin-hunting over character development, so there's little honest build-up to the moment he (mild spoiler alert!) betrays his Assassin comrades. In theory the story of the Assassin-Templar conflict from the other side - seen through the eyes of a man who has witnessed the Brotherhood's dark side - should be electrifying.
Where the modern-day story delivers in some interesting ways however, the central tale of Shay Cormac falls flat. Since information on the Initiates has popped up in Assassin's Creed Unity, this is undoubtedly the start of a trend, and checking out this info in Rogue is invaluable for those not already in the know. particularly in regard to the re-emerging modern-day Assassins. For fans who love the AC games, but don't want to spend hours poring over side material, these bits of data in Rogue are a boon to understanding what the heck is going on in the AC universe. There's a special focus on information covered on the AC Initiates website, which is good, because the info there is as critical to understanding the whole story as it is hard to keep track of in-game. Playing as the same genetic memory researcher and hacker extraordinaire who starred in Black Flag's modern segments, you can search for notes scattered throughout Abstergo Entertainment headquarters, and in Rogue these touch on lore never before noted in the games.
The game's modern-day storyline adds something else worthwhile, in the form of lore clarification. The fast-firing puckle-gun and oil barrels (which, rather than acting as floating bombs, set the ocean's surface on fire) add an additional twist to the mechanic, and it's easy to while away the hours just taking down riverside forts and engaging in epic sea battles. Perhaps most importantly, Rogue features a return of the refined naval combat so beloved in in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, and it's just as strong here.
Here you'll find the near-absurd level of collectibles the series is famous for, as well as brain-teasing fort-infiltrations (taking the form of gang HQ raids) that have made prominent appearances in previous titles. Shay can also participate in a vast array of different side quests, which come in every flavor, from citizen-saving to narwhal-stabbing.