Assassin’s Creed III – Revolutionary Changes

In just over two weeks, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will do what every previous Assassin’s Creed has done: revamp and redefine the series with unique touches and changes to the gameplay. The Frye twins put their own spin on character customization and crafting, and switch up the familiar Assassin’s Creed support-character dynamic by letting players run a gang on the mean streets of Victorian London. It’s the latest in a line of games that each did something to shake up the series, and some of the biggest changes came with the appropriately revolution-themed Assassin’s Creed III.

I don’t remember ever being as excited for a game as I was for Assassin’s Creed III, and from the second Desmond’s story gave way to Haytham’s – set in the decades before the American Revolution – I was hooked. I hung on Ben Franklin’s every filthy word. I explored as much of Boston’s underground as I could. I grew hypnotized by Haytham’s jaunty lopsided cape and the professorially narrow cut of his tricorn. I… may have been a little too invested in the prologue, in retrospect. But it doesn’t matter, because once adult Connor grabbed the reins, things got awesome.

Sure, Connor’s uneasy mix of earnestness and petulance didn’t make him the most charming hero, especially after I’d spent so much time with the effortlessly debonair Ezio, but he more than made up for any personality flaws with what he could do, and where. Exploring Boston and New York was all fine and good, but the Frontier – a vast stretch of open wilderness, forts and villages – was unlike any other Assassin’s Creed environment before it. By climbing up into the gnarled, twisting tree branches, Connor could perform nimble free-running chains that covered impressive distances without ever touching the ground. It wasn’t empty, either; you could be miles away from people, and there was still always something to do nearby, even if it was just hunting – or being hunted by – the local wildlife.

At first, I missed the familiar combat that had defined the previous four games; holding the right trigger and timing a counterattack was second nature to me by this point. By putting the focus on actively parrying instead of falling back on a deflective stance, though, the fighting became faster, punchier and nastier, with Connor able to mete out all kinds of horrific counter-kill damage with a variety of brutal weapons and his new pivoting, knife-grip-equipped Hidden Blades. As a bonus, he could also counter his enemies’ attacks with guns, arrows and nearly everything else in his arsenal (coins, hunting bait and horse whistles proved sadly ineffectual), rewarding those who experimented during fights.

Speaking of fights, the naval battles were an amazing addition that took the spirit of the Da Vinci war-machine missions from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and ran with it, creating violent spectacles that went far beyond the scope of anything the series had previously attempted. There was something immensely satisfying about hammering enemy ships with volleys of cannon fire, and the occasional huge, stormy waves added a fun (if slightly terrifying) hazard to consider, challenging me to alternately steer clear of them while timing my shots to fly above them.

For fans like me who’d followed the series since its inception, however, the biggest payoff was in seeing Desmond finally come into his own as an Assassin. Exploring the ruins of the Grand Temple was fun, but being able to finally make the reluctant heir to the series’ genetic legacy go out into the world and beat down Abstergo guards was rewarding, even though Desmond’s sequences were linear.

As much as Assassin’s Creed III fundamentally changed what Assassin’s Creed was, the piratical Assassin’s Creed IV – which made ships a central part of its Caribbean sandbox – took what it created and made it even more impressive. Be sure to come back for our next video, where we’ll delve into those clear blue waters with a look at what made Assassin’s Creed IV so special.

For previous entries in this series, check out these features:

Assassin’s Creed II – How the Series Evolved

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – An Army of Changes

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – An Explosive Evolution

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