Assassin's Creed III

"On this land, I am torn. Part of me wants to fight and repel all outsiders. The other part of me is the outsider. In the name of liberty, I will fight the enemy regardless of their allegiance. While men of courage write history of this day, the future of our land depends on those who are truly free."

- Ratonhnhaké:ton, Assassin's Creed III Gameplay Trailer.

Assassin's Creed III is a action-adventure video game that is developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main title in the Assassin's Creed series, and is a direct sequel to Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Ubisoft has claimed that the game will be bigger than its previous installments, and will complete the story of Desmond Miles.

The game is set between 1753 and 1783, and focuses on a new ancestor, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who fought during the American Revolution.

Assassin's Creed III was released on October 30 in the United States for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and October 31 in Europe, while the PC version will be released on November 20 for the United States and November 23 in Europe. The game will also be a launch title for the Wii U in North America.

Development
With the game in development since January 2010, by its release date, Ubisoft will have worked on the title for almost three years. In a statement made by Yves Guillemot, he shared that "what we have seen is just fabulous."

Despite the many possibilities for a new setting, according to Creative Director Alex Hutchinson, the team settled on the American Revolution "once we realized you could meet Washington, sail a boat, leap from tree to tree in the middle of winter and hunt wildlife".

The game runs on a new version of the Anvil game engine called AnvilNext, which improves environmental effects. There will also be seasonal changes; the landscape is warm and open in the summer, but is covered in snow during winter, which subsequently affects gameplay.

In winter, thick snow will cause people to move more slowly and stumble about in the drifts, and lakes and rivers will freeze over, allowing Ratonhnhaké:ton to access new areas. Although the seasons will change in line with specific memories, fog and rain will change naturally.

Another technical aspect of the engine is that it can depict up to two thousand troops engaged in battle, in contrast to previous games' one hundred, along with detailed close-ups.

Navigation
Exploration will be based around a large countryside area known as the Frontier, which is one and a half times larger than Rome in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and not as empty as the Kingdom in Assassin's Creed, as one third of the quests and gameplay content are contained there. The cities of Boston and New York may also be explored, and will have new details and ambiance.

Since there will be a lot more travel included within the game, the fast travel mechanic is making a return, which allows for quick travel from any location, as opposed to previous games. A whole new system of unlocking fast travel has been implemented, which is integrated into the game's natural progress.

More varied methods of movement have been added as well, including climbing trees, cliffs, and other natural elements, alongside leaping over wagons, or sliding under obstacles. Other freerunning elements also have Ratonhnhaké:ton jumping through windows, to trees, and then onto rooftops. Accompanying this, the zipline feature also makes a return.

Combat
Dual-wielding weapons has been implemented, while fighting and stealth have been completely overhauled with new features, such as "double-counters," "multiple takedowns," and chain kills. Ratonhnhaké:ton will go into battle with a wide variety of weapons at his disposal, including two Hidden Blades, tomahawk, flintlock pistols, rope darts, and a bow and arrow. The hidden blade is able to be ejected and used as a dagger. The dagger can be used to skin hunted animals.

Context sensitive actions, such as using enemies as human shields, will also be included. The target locking system has been removed and replaced by automated enemy selection, effectively changing the combat dynamics. In addition, assassinations can now be performed with weapons other than the Hidden Blades, most notably the tomahawk and bayonet.

The combat system has been greatly improved, as there are thousands of new animations, few of which have been carried over from previous installments. Simple defense and counter-attacks are now more difficult, and combat has been focused on putting Ratonhnhaké:ton on the offensive, with attacks based on both speed and momentum.

The counter system has been completely revamped, as the developers wanted to create more strategy and options, which prompted them to create new reactions based on button presses. To counter, the Circle (PS3) or B button (Xbox 360) should be pressed, followed by that of a secondary button, with each having their own reaction.


 * Pressing the Square button (PS3) or the X button (Xbox 360) allows Ratonhnhaké:ton to kill his target.
 * Pressing the Circle button (PS3) or B button (Xbox 360) will have Ratonhnhaké:ton throw his enemy to the ground.
 * Pressing the Triangle button (PS3) or the Y button (Xbox 360) will allow Ratonhnhaké:ton to use his secondary weapon.
 * Pressing the X button (PS3) or the A button (Xbox 360) will let Ratonhnhaké:ton stun or disarm his enemy.

With these combinations, the game's developers were able to create multiple combos and enemies that resist different types of counters. As such, in order to get a kill spree going, the player will need to press an appropriate button for each enemy archetype.

Memories
Desmond will use the upgraded Animus 2.03, and will find himself reliving "significant events." 100% synchronization in memories returns, though synchronization will be treated more like experience in an RPG leveling system, except with a finite amount available.

Activities completed within missions have their own value. The more synchronized Desmond becomes, the more the synchronization bar is filled, which can also be increased through replaying missions. Checkpoints will also be introduced to mission replay, meaning that entire memories need not have to be replayed in order to achieve the 100% synchronization requirement.

Other
The economic system in the game will be different, as Ratonhnhaké:ton can now hunt animals, enabling him to sell the resources gathered from them. These resources can be more valuable depending on quality of the kill performed on the animal, and on the weapon type used to kill it.

Along with this, a new property system known as the Homestead will be added, in which Ratonhnhaké:ton will live in a manor with surrounding land, and he will also be able to invite other citizens to stay nearby. Here, the inhabitants will be given a second chance following the events of the war of the American Revolution, and will generate income through trade and crafting. Following this, the Homestead will expand with every resident that inhabits the area.

The regenerative health system similar to the type featured in Assassin's Creed will return, and in order to regain his health, Ratonhnhaké:ton must escape from combat and rest.

There will also be puzzles similar to the Glyphs, though they will not be given by Subject 16.

Platforming missions, like the Assassin Tombs or Lairs of Romulus, are making a return, though it is unconfirmed in what way they will be implemented. As stated by Corey May, "People like those. We like those. It's not something we'd remove."

Season Pass
Before the game's release, Ubisoft announced a new feature known as a Season Pass, which is available for purchase on Xbox Live and the Playstation Store for 2400 Microsoft points and $29.99 respectively. The Season Pass will allow early access to five downloadable content packs, a week before they are released. Among these packs is the three-part Tyranny of King Washington, while the rest of the downloadable content will house multiplayer components. DLC will also be an option for the Wii U, though plans on how a Season Pass accompanies this is currently unknown. Choosing to purchase the Season Pass would net an overall 25% discount on all five downloadable content pieces, and it was released alongside Assassin's Creed III on October 30th.

Plot
The plot of the game begins in the present day, with Desmond, his father William, Rebecca, and Shaun finding the Temple in a cave in New York. Using the Apple to access the structure, Desmond activates a large portion of the equipment, as well as an apparent timer to the event expected on December 21, 2012. He then falls into a fugue, at which point he is returned to the Animus and bleeds back to Haytham Kenway, father to Connor.

Haytham murders a patron at the London Opera, stealing a medallion, which Haytham and his associates speculate might be a key to a storehouse of "Those who came before", and dispatch Haytham to the American Colonies to find it. After preventing an attempt by a crewman named Mills to turn him over to a trailing ship, Haytham arrives in Boston. Upon reaching Boston, he is tasked with finding five men faithful to his cause: Charles Lee, William Johnson, Thomas Hickey,Benjamin Church and Jonathan Pitcairn. Upon finding these men, he kills a slave trader named Silas and frees a large group of Mohawk slaves in the process. One of the Mohawk, Ziio, agrees to help Haytham on the condition that he kill General Braddock, the man responsible for capturing the Mohawks. After tracking his movements, Haytham slays Braddock as he retreats from battle. Haytham and Ziio then travel to the Temple, the same from present day, however Haytham is disappointed to find the medallion he possesses cannot open the entrance. It is here he and Ziio bond. At the end of this, Charles Lee, Haytham's second, is singled out for his help, and recruited into the Order. It transpires, however, that Haytham and his associates are actually Templars.

This surprises Desmond to the point where the game appears to freeze, when it is actually Desmond's mind trying to comprehend it. Desmond returns to the Temple, and has a brief fight with his father over his feeling that he is just a pawn. Shaun then gives the player a choice: explore the cave or return to the Animus.

The story then switches to Connor. After Charles Lee informs a young Connor that he wishes to speak to the elders of his village, he returns to find the village burning, causing the death of his mother. Later, a teenage Connor is told by a village elder that the reason no one is allowed to leave the valley is because they are there to protect the Temple, and shows him a Sphere, which activates at his touch, and allows him to communicate with Juno. Juno informs him he and his village are guardians of the Temple, and that current probabilities indicate that unless he leaves, his village will be destroyed and his people slaughtered. After showing the wise woman the symbol of the Assassins, she tells him to leave the valley, finding Achilles Davenport, an Assassin, and convinces the elder embittered fighter to train him.

After collecting supplies to rebuild the decaying homestead, Achilles presents Connor with the Aquila, a ship Connor can use to patrol the Eastern seaboard. Connor soon is taken to Boston, where he is finally dubbed Connor Kenway, after Achilles' son.

As Connor learns the art of being an assassin he is brought into the cities of Boston and New York as well as a large open area called The Frontier. After being made a full-fledged member of the Brotherhood by Achilles, Connor sets out to eliminate the Colonial Templars. William Johnson is first assassinated after he attempts to purchase the land in which Connor's people reside on. Connor next targets John Pitcairn, who leads the British forces at Bunker and Breed's Hills. After he is dealt with Connor next targets Thomas Hickey whom Connor discovers is plotting to assassinate George Washington. Connor finds Hickey, however after a brief scuffle both are thrown in prison. Hickey doesn't stay long and is freed by Haytham and Lee. Connor is framed for the plot to assassinate Washington and sentenced to the gallows, however Achilles manages to free Connor at the execution. Connor takes off after Hickey, who is present, and manages to kill him before he can kill Washington.

With Haytham, Lee, and Benjamin Church still at large Connor fears they still plot to eliminate Washington. Connor meets with Washington who informs him that Church has stolen goods vital to the army and has fled. Connor agrees to pursue him and, in the process, finds his father, Haytham, as well. Haytham reveals his own pursuit for Church who now has betrayed the Templars as well. The two agree to set aside their differences for the time being in order to find Church together. Upon travelling to the Caribbean and pursuing a boat, Haytham and Connor find Church and kill him. The two then travel to meet Washington. Here, Haytham discovers a letter revealing that Washington has ordered the removal of all the Indigenous tribes from the land as a number of which have supported the British. One of the lands to be removed is Connor's own despite the tribe being completely neutral. Connor severs his ties with Haytham and Washington and takes off to protect his tribe's village. Connor finds the village safe, but the wise woman has dispatched several tribesmen to turn back the Colonials sent to purge the village. Connor neutralizes them to avoid conflict, however he is forced to sacrifice a good friend mentally blinded by Lee.

Connor becomes torn in his mission to eliminate the Templars with the thought that he could possibly turn his father for good. Connor sets off to pursue Lee who has been disgraced by Washington and taken refuge in Fort George. Connor infiltrates the fort only to find Haytham. Haytham reveals Lee has escaped (with the medallion) again and he and Connor engage in battle. Now accepting that his father will not turn, Connor kills Haytham, who refuses to repent in the end.

As Desmond plays these events out in the Animus he is occasionally taken out in order to find power cells crucial in the process of exploring the temple. The efforts take Desmond to locations including Manhattan and Brazil. During these trips, he encounters Daniel Cross, an Assassin-turned Templar who was responsible for nearly wiping out the Assassins in 2000 by killing their Mentor. While exploring the temple Juno tells Desmond the events leading up to the first cataclysm. It is during one of these lectures that Desmond reveals that him killing Lucy was no accident and that he chose to after the Apple revealed to him that Lucy was a double-agent and intended to take the Apple to Abstergo. When a third power cell is located William offers to locate it instead while Desmond continues to search for the key (the medallion) in the Animus. However, William is captured by Abstergo and held in an Abstergo facility in Rome, the same facility Desmond was kept at in the first game. Dr. Warren Vidic demands Desmond bring the Apple to him in exchange for William. Desmond infiltrates the laboratories, and again encounters Daniel. As Daniel corners him, he begins to suffer from the Bleeding effect, as a result of being "raised" in an Animus and reliving the memories of his Russian Assassin ancestor Nikolai Orelov, and therefore, causing him to briefly speak Russian. Daniel flees in panic, with Desmond in pursuit. After a short chase, Desmond stabs him to death with his hidden blade and rescues William after using the power of the Apple to mind control a nearby security guard into killing Vidic.

Connor now pursues Lee again. After pursuing Lee into a burning ship the two come to a stalemate after falling through a section of the ship. Connor is impaled in his side by a piece of the ship. Lee asks him why he continues to persist even though the Templars only rise again and again. Connor replies, "Because no one else will", and shoots Lee in the chest. A mortally wounded Lee escapes in a ferry across the lake with a badly injured Connor in pursuit. Connor finds Lee in a pub taking one last drink and finishes the job by stabbing Lee in the chest. Connor takes the medallion and several months later returns to his tribe's village only to find they have moved elsewhere. He finds the Sphere, presumably left behind for him to find. Juno reappears instructing him to hide the medallion where no one else will find it. Connor does so, burying the medallion in the grave of Connor Davenport, Achilles's deceased son and his namesake.

Now with the knowledge of the medallion's location, Desmond retrieves it and uses it to access the confines of the Temple. Here, he and the others find Juno's apparition who instructs Desmond to activate a pedestal which will save the world from the Sun. Minerva's apparition suddenly appears and reveals that by doing so he will also die and inadvertently free Juno from captivity, allowing her to begin her conquest of the world. Juno was sealed long ago during the war between the First Civilization and humanity when she plotted to use the machines designed to save the world against it. Minerva, prodded by Juno, then shows Desmond that if the Sun were to unleash its power on the world then he and several more would survive in a post-apocalyptic world in which he becomes a religious icon whose ideals are mistranslated and lead the world to ruin. Believing the world would stand a better chance fighting against Juno, Desmond instructs the others to leave to prepare for the oncoming struggle. After they leave, Desmond activates the pedestal, taking his life and saving the world. Juno appears and tells Desmond his part is over and now it is time for her to play her part.

In an epilogue, Connor takes down the portraits of the Templar members in the secret basement and burns them, signifying the end of his journey. In addition, his return to his home village (shown before) is detailed further- upon arrival he spoke to a hunter that had been camping there, who revealed that the new U.S. Government had sold the land his village rested upon to settlers in order to settle war debts. He also travels to the pier in New York, seeing the last of the British Redcoats leave America for good. However, at this same encounter, Connor sees the beginnings of the slave trade present in the newly formed nation- right next to the pier of citizens cheering at the departure of the British there is a stand where a slave trader is peddling three of his "wares".

Multiplayer
Ubisoft Annecy, who developed the multiplayer components for Brotherhood and Revelations, and Ubisoft Bucharest, have been tasked with bringing multiplayer back with this installment, though they are staying tight-lipped about it and its features.

So far, it has been announced that there will be a cooperative mode named Wolf Pack, where 2 to 4 players are tasked with killing certain NPCs during a time limit, through a sequence of 25 stages. Another feature Ubisoft has revealed is the addition of Domination, a team mode, where Abstergo recruits will need to capture areas of the virtual map they are on, before protecting them from the opposite team.

Unlike the previous Multiplayer section featured in ACB and ACR the Multiplayer of Assassins Creed III is not presented as part of the Animi Training Program for Abstergo Agents. Instead ACIII's Multiplayer is presented as being produced by Abstergo Industries through the Entertainment branch of the company as part of their Anmus Game Machine.

Characters
So far, 16 Animi Avatars have been announced for Assassin's Creed III's multiplayer.
 * Bear
 * Carpenter
 * Commander
 * Hessian
 * Huntsman
 * Independent
 * Lady Maverick
 * Mountebank
 * Night Stalker
 * Pioneer
 * Preacher
 * Redcoat
 * Robber
 * Sharpshooter
 * Silent Shadow
 * Strong Man

Locations
Accompanying the Animi Avatars, seven locations are currently known for multiplayer.
 * Animus Core
 * Boston North End
 * Boston Harbor
 * Fort Wolcott
 * New York Brewery
 * Northwest Passage
 * Virginian Plantation

Marketing
Following the official reveal, Ubisoft announced incentives for gamers who pre-ordered Assassin's Creed III from Amazon, GameStop, or BestBuy, in the form of a free steelbook casing that featured artwork by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross.

For newcomers to the series, the Assassin's Creed Double Edition was released on the PlayStation Network, which brought together Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II in a virtual compilation box.

Assassin's Creed III also has four missions exclusive to the PS3, which have been available for download since the game's launch date. The storyline is based around Benedict Arnold, a Continental Army general who later defected to the British Army.

With Assassin's Creed III: Liberation released for the alongside Assassin's Creed III, linking the two titles will unlock Ratonhnhaké:ton's tomahawk for the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré to use.

At the 2012 Tokyo Game Show, Sony also announced that the 500 gigabyte bundle of the its new, slimmer PS3 would be available with Assassin's Creed III.

Following this, the Xbox version of the game will come in a two-disc set. The first disc contains the single-player portion of the gameplay, while the second disc is required for multiplayer.

Criticisms
Initially, the pre-release media for Assassin's Creed III came under heavy criticism by some fans and critics for its portrayal of Loyalist Redcoats. This was mainly because, in every trailer and image released since the reveal in March 2012, the victims of the game's protagonist Ratonhnhaké:ton were almost exclusively of British allegiance; leading some to suggest that the game would be an America versus Britain story.

This claim was repeatedly contested by the game's developers, with co-writer Matt Turner denying it would be an "America Ra Ra" story, and that there were members of the Templar Order on both sides of the conflict.

Despite these assurances, criticisms for the decidedly one-sided portrayal of Loyalists continued until 2 August 2012, in which Ubisoft released an AnvilNext trailer that depicted Ratonhnhaké:ton killing several Continental soldiers, as well as Loyalist Redcoats.

Editions
Ubisoft has announced several collector's editions of Assassin's Creed III; with three available in Europe and Australia, one available worldwide, and two available for North and Latin America.

Freedom Edition= Join Or Die Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * A steel book case, with cover art drawn by award-winning comic artist Alex Ross.
 * A collector's box.
 * A 24 centimeter high quality figurine of Ratonhnhaké:ton.
 * An exclusive lithograph.
 * George Washington's notebook.
 * An additional Animi Avatar, the Sharpshooter.
 * Two exclusive single player missions, Lost Mayan Ruins and Ghost of War.
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * A collector's box.
 * Ratonhnhaké:ton's medallion.
 * George Washington's notebook.
 * An exclusive single player mission, Ghost of War.
 * An additional Animi Avatar, the Sharpshooter.

Special Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * Special packaging.
 * An exclusive single player mission, A Dangerous Secret.

UbiWorkshop Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * Assassin's Creed: Subject Four.
 * Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia Second Edition.

Digital Deluxe Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * George Washington's notebook. (PDF file)
 * Three single-player missions.
 * The Captain of the Aquila's uniform and traditional Colonial Assassin outfit.
 * Two additional Animi Avatars, the Sharpshooter and Redcoat.
 * Best of audio tracks collection from previous Assassin's Creed games.

Limited Edition=
 * A retail copy of Assassin's Creed III.
 * George Washington's notebook.
 * A statue of Ratonhnhaké:ton, with tomahawk and Hidden Blade.
 * Assassin's Creed-inspired colonial flag.
 * A metal belt buckle.

Gallery
Concept art=