First Looks// Assassin's Creed III

Ezio is dead. Long live Ezio. But all is not lost in the historical war between Assassins and Templars. A new era in the Assassin’s Creed franchise brings with it a new hero - Native American Connor Kenway. Fighting the tyranny that ordered the destruction of his village as a child, Connor vows to seek justice during the 18th Century American Revolution. And he’s a total badass.

Of course, there’s also modern-day Assassin Desmond Miles too. But... well...

... So Connor’s a badass Assassin, who ends up playing for team America in the famous Revolutionary War. Suck on that, Brits. But, while original series protagonist Altaïr was driven by duty, and Ezio by revenge, Connor’s motives in Assassin’s Creed III is entirely based on justice.

White colonists had ensured that his youth was an unpleasant one, living in fear among his family and friends in the Mohawk Native American tribe. So now that there is an opportunity to change the country, he simply seeks equality and co-existence between the tribes and the American colonists. But don’t worry - Ubisoft assures us that the game is still very much about Assassins lopping the heads off of Templars. This is just a nice little meta-plot. And one that spans a huge chunk of time - from the years 1753 to 1783, to be exact.

Connor has a multitude of different weapons at his disposal - while old favourites like the Hidden Blades return, a few new ones have been included too. A bow and arrow has been included for long-range attacks, as has a musket. The latter has to be used strategically however, as its long reload time means that it’s only really useful for ambush purposes. Close quarters combat is still essential for getting the job done, and the Tomahawk is Connor’s weapon of choice here.

As well as tackling Templars and British baddies, your weapons are also useful for killing wildlife for profit. As you explore the wilderness, bounding deer and roaring bears can be found and fought in order to skin them for pelts and furs. A ‘dirty’ kill with a musket will reduce the value of your spoils, while ‘clean’ kills with knives will net you a lot of money at stalls.

Another cool weapon at Connor’s disposal is the Rope Dart, which can be used to spear targets and pull them towards you. I saw an example of this in the woods, where from a high tree branch, Connor used the weapon to turn a baddie into a counterweight so he could safely fall and ambush a group of enemies.

Trees and rock climbing is a very big part of the stealth and exploration factor in Assassin’s Creed III. Ubisoft developers told me that the team in Montreal worked with professional rock climbers to get the motion capture and the feel of traversing cliffs just right. And it makes the game world feel truly open - the Frontier is the big, vast expanse that links towns and camps together, and the views from atop mountains are simply staggering.

Animations when clambering trees and rocks are also visually impressive, as is the in-game engine. It’s all running on a new version of the Assassin’s Creed engine titled Anvil Next - and it’s pulling off some real next level shit here. Connor stumbles and clambers when making his way through deep snow. Weather changes offer varying gameplay effects too - rain will knacker muskets and pistols, while low visibility and maneuverability in fog and ice will also prove treacherous.

The engine offers many great opportunities for improved algorithms too - Connor can now perform leaps of faith onto moving carriages and other traveling objects, while a chase sequence in Boston port town allowed our Native American hero to effortlessly hop from a ramp to a rolling cart, and onto another static lamppost - before leaping into an old lady’s bedroom and dashing out the other side of the house. It’s great stuff.

Equally as impressive is the amount of characters that the engine can draw at any one time. The aforementioned Boston town was bustling with traders, children, dogs and even thieves (if you spot one). NPCs tend to get a lot closer to you than they ever did in past Assassin’s Creed games, making the experience a little bit more cosy in some respects.

In another gameplay demo, on the famous Bunker Hill, Connor was tasked with running through the battlefield, navigating past the vast waves of enemy soldiers that were firing at allied forces and taking out a target in the opposing campsite. Anvil Next is said to allow the drawing of over 2000 characters at once - and you can believe it.

What once was a technical impossibility in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (the opening sequence at Monteriggioni) is now close to reality in Assassin’s Creed III - huge numbers of troops on a nearby kill shooting at once, causing ballistic fire to cause craters in the earth beside you. Your only hope is to dash from wall to wall, taking advantage of the enemies’ longer reload time.

I must admit - before I saw this game in action, I was very concerned about the prospect of Assassin’s Creed III. Ubisoft has turned it into an annual franchise now, and I was mindful that players - and myself - would get severe franchise fatigue.

I needn’t have worried - with the advances in technology, the curious new presentation style (the Animus now presents 3D objects within the game world, menus are shown in dark blue and white hues) and a fresh new take on the series, it would seem that Ubisoft can still kick some life into this franchise yet. Keep a very close eye on this one.