The past couple months now I have made a deep dive into the American Revolution much thanks to the video game Assassin's Creed III. The game was released in 2012, however I bought the remastered version which made the experience all the better. As a big fan of American history I would rank this one among my favorite of the Assassin's games yet (maybe not quite as great as Odyssey, but pretty close). The game completely expands from AC I and II with a totally new frontier and hunting option. The ability to pretty much go wherever you want, is what I love most about gaming, and this game certainly has the open-world feel to it.
While this game was released as the 3rd installment in the series, it actually serves as a sequel to AC IV Blag Flag, and AC Rogue (set during the Pirate Age and French and Indian War). There is also the expansion of AC III: Liberation which I wished I would have played before AC III, since it is also set during the French and Indian War. And the alternate expansion of The Tyranny of King Washington (which I played a little bit but did not care for the story). Nonetheless I intend to play AC Liberation next which is set in New Orleans circa 1760-1770s. However back to this game at hand, AC III which is mostly set during the American Revolution.
I was quite shocked upon starting this game, that the main assassin hero was actually a Native-American warrior. From the cover alone it's hard to tell, and honestly I hadn't done too much research before starting this game. Nonetheless the main character is Ratonhnhakton (referred to as Connor) and he makes for a fitting assassin. Just like all AC assassins he is out for vengeance and has an instinctive warrior hunger about him. His costume and weapons alone, made him perhaps one of my favorite of the assassins yet.
The Setting
Once again I could really care less about the modern-day setting of Desmond and wish the game developers would just do away with the whole animus/abstergo present-day story. What makes the AC series so great is the full immersion into a historical era, and the game should just leave it at that without the present day arch. Anyway the first couple sequences of this game start as Haytham Kenway the British son of pirate Edward Kenway (from the AC IV: Black Flag). Haytham travels to the colonies during the French and Indian War where he assassinates the British General Braddock. He also develops a romantic relationship with a Native woman, named Ziio, and together they give birth to Connor. However in quite the twist it is revealed that Edward is actually a Templar (the rivals of the Assassins Brotherhood).
The game then fast forwards to Connor's teenager years where he learns to hunt yet witnesses his mother killed by a Colonial raid, led by Charles Lee. At this point Connor swears vengeance upon the Templar, Charles Lee and travels to a homestead in Davenport (a made up town near Rockport, MA) where he seeks out an assassin named Achilles to train him. Achilles reluctantly agrees to train Connor who over the years becomes a deadly killer. As a young man in 1770, Connor runs an errand for Achilles in Boston, where he witnesses several Templars (led by his dad) incite the Boston Massacre. At this point on, Connor becomes engulfed in the events of the American Revolution while also seeking out vengeance against the Templar Order.
He later meets Samuel Adams in Boston, and helps the Sons of Liberty win back Boston from the British Redcoats, and takes part in the famous Tea Party of 1773. He then aids Paul Revere on his famous ride thru the frontier to warn the militia of the oncoming British soldiers. He takes part in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill. He also later intercepts a Templar plot by Charles Lee to assassinate General George Washington. This wins Connor favor with Washington, but the feeling is not mutual as Connor later discovers that Washington intends to raid Native villages throughout the frontier.
Connor later reunites with his father, and the two share a common goal of hunting for the Patriot-turned-British-spy, Benjamin Church. Together they are able to assassinate Church, however after the Battle of Monmouth Connor witnesses Charles Lee sabotage the fight and stays committed to seeking out his vengeance. Although Connor no longer supports Washington for his slaying of Natives, he still plays a major role in the battles of Yorktown and the Chesapeake. With the help of the French navy Connor is able to locate and hunt General Lee. He first however must eliminate his father, who intends to defends Charles Lee. After this in a rather dramatic chase sequence where Connor makes it very hard on himself he finally achieves his revenge and kills Charles Lee. The story ends with American liberty while Connor takes over Achilles' homestead in Davenport with a new community of friendly and diverse settlers.
The Gameplay
The format of this game was a big jump from AC I and II, with a much larger and free-reign map. I would mostly associate the controls on par with AC IV, AC Rouge, AC Unity (all four of these games were released within a couple years 2012-2014). The big changes from AC II was the open frontier terrain, the hunting, the crafting, and also the shipping missions. This game introduced the concept of sea missions although it does not have the free-reign flow of later sea-based AC games such as AC IV, AC Rouge, and AC Odyssey. Therefore this is mostly a land based game, with some minor sea missions on the side.
Visiting the cities of Boston and New York City during the American Revolution, are of course a major appeal (however this has become a trademark of the AC series to be expected). For me what really took this game to the next level was the frontier terrain. It's nice to be take a break from the urban settings controlled by British or Colonial soldiers, and openly explore the wild filled with dangerous animals. There is a wide array of animals to be hunted in this game, and Connor's ability to track and climb make it a very entertaining side option. He can even set traps and bait which is some pretty advanced hunting gameplay.
The hunting is not-for-nothing as it can be used as side missions, yet more so for crafting new weapons. Honestly it took me a while to figure out how the crafting works and think this might have been a little too complex. In order to craft, Connor had to first help Homesteaders on various missions so that they could produce materials. Once the materials were available (such as ore, lumber, vegetables, etc), he could then make purchases to add to his stockpile. I made an added effort to partake on these side quests in conjunction with the main quest (too often I zip thru the main quest and have so much more to do on the side afterwards). I will say despite the crafting being a bit overly-complicated, I did very much enjoy the Homestead characters and missions and made sure to complete them all before calling it quits on this game.
The fighting is on par with most AC games prior to AC Origins and Odyssey with the basic three elements; attack, break-defense, and counter. It is very difficult to take on multiple enemies at a time, however in a 1-on-1 fight Connor can easily beat about anyone. The stealth assassination option is always the best bet, however once again in overwhelming situations I would always revert to the smoke bomb to either make multiples kills or make an escape. There are also various levels of enemies, such as the grenadiers or the Jagers. These axe-swinging brutes often made for more challenging fights. Connor had a unique arsenal of weapons, including a tomahawk axe, clubs, swords, pistols, a ropedart, and a bow-and-arrow which were some of my favorites. I wasn't a big fan of having to equip the horse whistle however.
Just like most AC games, there is a ton of side quests, liberation missions, and collectibles to obtain. This includes winning back fortifications, sea missions, treasure chests, and helping various people along the way. Despite my added effort to play the side quests along with the main quest, I still only achieved about 55% synchronization when I finally called it quits. That is no doubt another credit to the game developers for producing so much game content. Perhaps some day I may return to this game and all the other AC games I have enjoyed over the past year now. However first I still have several more games to play. Next up for me will be AC Liberation, then AC India, AC Syndicate, and AC Russia. Hopefully I can have these all finished before the latest major release in November of AC Valhalla.
I was quite shocked upon starting this game, that the main assassin hero was actually a Native-American warrior. From the cover alone it's hard to tell, and honestly I hadn't done too much research before starting this game. Nonetheless the main character is Ratonhnhakton (referred to as Connor) and he makes for a fitting assassin. Just like all AC assassins he is out for vengeance and has an instinctive warrior hunger about him. His costume and weapons alone, made him perhaps one of my favorite of the assassins yet.
The Setting
Once again I could really care less about the modern-day setting of Desmond and wish the game developers would just do away with the whole animus/abstergo present-day story. What makes the AC series so great is the full immersion into a historical era, and the game should just leave it at that without the present day arch. Anyway the first couple sequences of this game start as Haytham Kenway the British son of pirate Edward Kenway (from the AC IV: Black Flag). Haytham travels to the colonies during the French and Indian War where he assassinates the British General Braddock. He also develops a romantic relationship with a Native woman, named Ziio, and together they give birth to Connor. However in quite the twist it is revealed that Edward is actually a Templar (the rivals of the Assassins Brotherhood).The game then fast forwards to Connor's teenager years where he learns to hunt yet witnesses his mother killed by a Colonial raid, led by Charles Lee. At this point Connor swears vengeance upon the Templar, Charles Lee and travels to a homestead in Davenport (a made up town near Rockport, MA) where he seeks out an assassin named Achilles to train him. Achilles reluctantly agrees to train Connor who over the years becomes a deadly killer. As a young man in 1770, Connor runs an errand for Achilles in Boston, where he witnesses several Templars (led by his dad) incite the Boston Massacre. At this point on, Connor becomes engulfed in the events of the American Revolution while also seeking out vengeance against the Templar Order.
Connor later reunites with his father, and the two share a common goal of hunting for the Patriot-turned-British-spy, Benjamin Church. Together they are able to assassinate Church, however after the Battle of Monmouth Connor witnesses Charles Lee sabotage the fight and stays committed to seeking out his vengeance. Although Connor no longer supports Washington for his slaying of Natives, he still plays a major role in the battles of Yorktown and the Chesapeake. With the help of the French navy Connor is able to locate and hunt General Lee. He first however must eliminate his father, who intends to defends Charles Lee. After this in a rather dramatic chase sequence where Connor makes it very hard on himself he finally achieves his revenge and kills Charles Lee. The story ends with American liberty while Connor takes over Achilles' homestead in Davenport with a new community of friendly and diverse settlers.
The Gameplay
The format of this game was a big jump from AC I and II, with a much larger and free-reign map. I would mostly associate the controls on par with AC IV, AC Rouge, AC Unity (all four of these games were released within a couple years 2012-2014). The big changes from AC II was the open frontier terrain, the hunting, the crafting, and also the shipping missions. This game introduced the concept of sea missions although it does not have the free-reign flow of later sea-based AC games such as AC IV, AC Rouge, and AC Odyssey. Therefore this is mostly a land based game, with some minor sea missions on the side.
The hunting is not-for-nothing as it can be used as side missions, yet more so for crafting new weapons. Honestly it took me a while to figure out how the crafting works and think this might have been a little too complex. In order to craft, Connor had to first help Homesteaders on various missions so that they could produce materials. Once the materials were available (such as ore, lumber, vegetables, etc), he could then make purchases to add to his stockpile. I made an added effort to partake on these side quests in conjunction with the main quest (too often I zip thru the main quest and have so much more to do on the side afterwards). I will say despite the crafting being a bit overly-complicated, I did very much enjoy the Homestead characters and missions and made sure to complete them all before calling it quits on this game.
The fighting is on par with most AC games prior to AC Origins and Odyssey with the basic three elements; attack, break-defense, and counter. It is very difficult to take on multiple enemies at a time, however in a 1-on-1 fight Connor can easily beat about anyone. The stealth assassination option is always the best bet, however once again in overwhelming situations I would always revert to the smoke bomb to either make multiples kills or make an escape. There are also various levels of enemies, such as the grenadiers or the Jagers. These axe-swinging brutes often made for more challenging fights. Connor had a unique arsenal of weapons, including a tomahawk axe, clubs, swords, pistols, a ropedart, and a bow-and-arrow which were some of my favorites. I wasn't a big fan of having to equip the horse whistle however.Just like most AC games, there is a ton of side quests, liberation missions, and collectibles to obtain. This includes winning back fortifications, sea missions, treasure chests, and helping various people along the way. Despite my added effort to play the side quests along with the main quest, I still only achieved about 55% synchronization when I finally called it quits. That is no doubt another credit to the game developers for producing so much game content. Perhaps some day I may return to this game and all the other AC games I have enjoyed over the past year now. However first I still have several more games to play. Next up for me will be AC Liberation, then AC India, AC Syndicate, and AC Russia. Hopefully I can have these all finished before the latest major release in November of AC Valhalla.
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