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Assassin’s Creed 3 is an adventure/action game by Ubisoft and the 5th game in the main Assassin’s Creed series. Once again it surrounds the story of Desmond Miles, a trained assassin in the modern-day world and one of his ancestors that he is able to connect to and experience through the Animus. It picks up where Assassin’s Creed Revelations left off with Ezio, another one of Desmond’s predecessors, giving him a message about a task only he can complete. And Desmond learned from Jupiter, a member of the First Civilization, that a solar flare is coming and will destroy life on the planet just as it wiped out the First Civilization and that he must use the technology built by them to protect the planet from it. And the central vault, which contains this technology, is located in New York so the team must travel there. However there’s a problem: the temple requires a key that the team doesn’t have and they don’t know where to start. This is the basis for the connection to the main assassin in this game, Ratonhnhake:ton aka Connor, who is half-British, half-Native American and his journey takes place during the years surrounding the Revolutionary War in New York, Boston and the surrounding areas. It’s up to you once again to uncover the locations of the missing components left by the First Civilization as Desmond and help a revolution that started a nation succeed as Connor .

On top of the world

Gameplay
The game starts off with you as Haytham Kenway in England and you have to assassinate a target in the Royal Opera House. If you’ve played any Assassin’s Creed game before this part will be very simple for you because it’s basically a tutorial of the same mechanics used in previous games. This scene clarifies what it is Desmond and the assassins need because it’s shown that Haytham takes a medallion from the patron he assassinates and that’s the key that’s needed in the present day to open the inner sanctum of the temple in NY. The details of the events that are occurring as seen through the Animus are deliberately sketchy and basically Haytham must travel to the New World (America) to follow a lead about a First Civilization site being found.
Initially I found the beginning of this game a bit slow knowing the character I was using wasn’t the main assassin however I started enjoying it more once I arrived in America. It was almost immediately after I arrived did I feel that the location and time period for this latest game was perfect. New players can become acquainted with how the gameplay mechanics work and veteran players of the series should focus on more of the story at this point as it unfolds. You arrive years before the Revolutionary War and the game tries and succeeds in giving you a sense of how the citizens in the area would be living considering the political and economic structure at the time. One of the main tasks you have to complete is finding the individuals on a list who are sympathetic to your cause and this helps you become acquainted with the area and locate this site. You meet a Native American woman in the hopes you can gain her trust so she can help you as well. If you put two and two together you can deduce the origins of the main character, Ratonhnhake:ton, and so I won’t give away any spoilers there is a big reveal that will shock veteran players of the series way more than new players
If you’re new to the series it’s essential to know that Assassins and Templars are mortal enemies. It’s like Jedi vs sith, elves vs orcs, Kni…well you get the picture. They have completely opposing views of how the world should be and seek the same items for completely different reasons. So by the time you start using Connor a lot has happened in the New World and events have already been set in motion beyond your control. You start off as a young boy and you’re finally introduced to some new gameplay mechanics and the way it’s done is excellent. It’s intertwined with the culture of the Native Americans. So every ability or item you have you feel connected to the character and the overall story even more. You learn how to track, which will be very useful in hunting and also in missions to track and find people. You’re able to navigate the land better than when you was using Haytham and this includes being able to climb and jump between trees. And with tragedy striking Connor’s tribe you do feel a sense of pride in being this character and also wanting to go after the perpetrators.
Ubisoft has always done a great job in recreating the historical context in which these games take place and creating a story that not only fits with historical events but is very enjoyable. And as much as I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the amount of detail put into the cities and stories in the other games the overall story and cause in this one resonated a bit more with me. Connor’s story isn’t just about him and this game does a better job in connecting the events taking place with the population affected by it. Make no mistake, this is Connor’s story but Connor succeeding would mean the Revolutionary War was a success, for example. And this game tied the slaughter and persecution of the Native Americans with the schemes of the Templars and led to suspense towards the end of the game. And yes you will encounter and work with actual historical figures. (Check the Animus Database as well. It’s very informative.)

It’s easy to understand why Connor would push forward in his quest to learn the way of the Assassins after experiencing visions guiding him in that direction. You meet Achilles, an old Assassin, and it’s explained that the Assassin’s order was all but wiped out except him. If you have a strong dislike for cutscenes then the beginning of Connor’s journey won’t change your mind about that. This part is heavily oriented towards the story and so it feels like every five steps you take there’s another cutscene. I like cutscenes and these were well done so I didn’t mind. However I admit I was close to my limit when finally the beautiful and rich world of Assassin’s Creed 3 was opened to me and this is where it shines much brighter than the previous games. And this world is literally much bigger than the other games.
You can just focus on the main missions but you would be only scratching the surface of what AC3 offers. There are numerous side quests that progress along with each sequence you complete and various activities to do to pass the time. There are four main maps: New York, Boston, the Homestead and the Frontier. And each map has side quests and activities unique to it. So in New York you can come across a random group of people and incite a riot that leads to a direct conflict with the redcoats in the immediate vicinity. Or you could accept a liberation mission, which could be protecting citizens, helping kids get food, burning blankets that have been deliberately infected with the smallpox or something else. Where as on the Homestead you complete side quests to build relationships with others who live there. You can watch the Homestead grow with the addition of more people and locations. It pays off, literally.
You can build a very lucrative trade network and unlike previous games where you purchase buildings and wait to collect money, this one is interactive. You help people on the homestead you get access to items and artisans. You can build and send (and occasionally have to defend) convoys. You can also craft items to sell if you don’t feel like setting traps or using bait to hunt animals and selling what you acquire. The trading and crafting is not only well done but the hunting in and of itself feels like a mini game. I would say the hunting is even better than in Red Dead Redemption. That’s not all. There are also naval missions complete with naval combat and this was so much fun I’m tempted to say it could have been a completely separate game. The only thing holding me back from that endorsement is I loved it in this game. Yes you have a ship that you can upgrade and you’re the captain. So you control everything from the sails to the different weapons you can fire and it’s not just other ships you have to worry about but winds, waves and the environment.

This isn’t the love boat

It legitimately feels like you’re controlling one of these old vessels. All these different activities are connected by the fact that this is a fully realized world and if you just focus on the main story you’ll miss the depth of this world. Every single activity keeps you in that world and that time period. You can think of it as your own personal Animus.
All of this is great but the title does contain the word Assassin so it would’ve been a shame if the combat and actual assassinations were the game’s weakest aspects. So I’m glad I can say that the combat is fun and more enjoyable than the last game. Not much has changed in terms of combat requiring you to time your attacks and counter moves but it is much smoother and the variety of new weapons at your disposal allows you to handle any enemies you face in the way you choose. Out of all the assassins Connor seems to be the most dangerous as far as his weapon arsenal. You can also use the enemies you’re fighting as human shields to protect from rifle fire (it’s a good thing they didn’t have automatic weapons back then.) So the enemies you encounter don’t just rush in. There are different types and they try to surround you and use their numbers to defeat you. However you’re not alone. The Assassin’s guild makes a return in this game and you can call on those who you’ve recruited to attack someone, start a riot or be your bodyguard to distract redcoats who get too close. You can also send them out on missions in different locations. And in the previous games the story and action were relatively weak outside of the Animus. However the missions with Desmond were much better this time around and they were as enjoyable as the missions and combat in the Animus. This was a much needed improvement. Desmond’s story is still limited but it’s handled very well. One difference is there are no colored symbols above the enemies’ heads when you’re Desmond so you’ll have to time your counters and attacks based on their movements. And there is an awesome moment that I won’t elaborate on because of spoilers.
And it wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t point out a few things. For all the detail put into creating this world and the various characters you encounter the main character, Connor, lacks a few personal touches as an adult. It’s not something I noticed until closer to the end of the game. And what I mean by that is there are no personal side quests or interactions that reveal more of his character or mentality. The game spans years and the adult Connor almost comes off as a blank slate. I don’t know if this was done deliberately or not. As I mentioned earlier I loved how his being Native American was intertwined with his abilities, weapons and origin story. And considering the enormity of his task it would have been welcomed to see him interact with his tribe more, a significant other or even some kind of way where his thoughts and continued motivation was expressed. Yes it is Assassin’s Creed but even Ezio had time for Sophia, for example.
There were a few technical glitches such as a few problems with horses, I fell through a mountain once and couldn’t get out (no that’s not a metaphor about life) and a few minor conversations in side quests were out of place if you didn’t go to that location in earlier sequences. However all in all none of this ruined the experience for me. I love the Assassin’s Creed series and this latest one is not only the best one but has increased my anticipation for future entries in the series.

Multiplayer
The multiplayer in this game is unlike any other series and it’s one I enjoy thoroughly and it is addictive. It retains the style of the campaign for the most part so you’re not running and gunning or relying on a quick trigger finger to win matches. There are various multiplayer categories to choose from but the premise in all of them is you identify, pursue and kill your target (another player) before you’re killed or stunned. There are NPCs on the map who look just like you and the other players on the map so you have to make sure you identify your target or pursuer correctly or else you’ll give yourself up too. And you don’t just get points by killing your target, you get points based on how you kill your target. So to get the most points from a kill you have to do it stealthily by blending in with a crowd, waiting on a bench, approaching cautiously or some other way. Depending on the mode you’re playing you’re either assigned a target, use a compass to find other players or just have to identify based on cues. When you get close to a target or your pursuer is close to you there are whispers and sounds of heartbeats that get louder. Imagine having four pursuers on you and the whispers and heartbeats are getting louder…do you make a run for it and therefore identify yourself, try to slip away or take a stand against one of your pursuers and earn an honorable death? You can stun pursuers as well. Every action awards you different amount of points so you have to choose the best action as a pursuer but also as a target. And there are so many ways to kill your target it never gets old.
You can customize everything from your moves to your appearance by unlocking them or purchasing them with the credits you earn. The characters are already set and also have their own names and stories so you have to select one of the characters out of this set group. However you can customize the abilities in your classes to either give you an advantage as a pursuer or as a target. The choices depend on your preferences. And when you reach a certain level you can even customize those abilities. So for example, if you use a decoy as one of your abilities you can customize how your decoy acts and how long it exists. This is very well done and gives you so many possibilities for your assassin. The multiplayer modes where you work as a team are just as fun as the Free for All modes and there’s domination, manhunt, artifact assault and wolf pack. AC3 multiplayer is definitely one of the best and a breath of fresh air.

Summary

AC3 is the best entry in the series to date. The combat was more enjoyable and the weapons and tools at your disposal gave a variety of ways to defeat enemies. The main campaign was great and the story and missions weren’t repetitive and I’m glad I can say even the missions with Desmond were just as enjoyable. There was no letdown in the ending to me. The beginning was a little slow in terms of how long it took to get to the main character but the campaign was solid from beginning to end. Add to that the numerous side quests and activities and an addictive multiplayer mode and you have hours of entertainment to keep you satisfied. If you’ve never played an Assassin’s Creed game before I still recommend getting it because the only parts of the story that might be slightly difficult to follow are the modern-day elements. If you took a break from AC series this one will definitely bring you back in the fold with all it has to offer. And if you’re a fan of the AC series why are you waiting? This is a must buy

Kareem Ali

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