Ah, the moment everyone was waiting for: a beautiful trailer for Assassin’s Creed III. The assassin ran through the camp, took a horse, rode it into the middle of battle, then single-handedly (and with much finesse) took out a bunch of British soldiers. He took out his quarry – viciously, as always – bringing a smile to Washington’s face.
Francois Pelland, producer, came onstage after the trailer to give a live demo. Running through the New England woods in winter, climbing and leaping from tree to tree – the gracefulness translates beautifully here. But the first battle was against wolves, who come after you when you kill a deer. Not very exciting, but certainly successful in immersing you in this time period new to the franchise. When the player returns to the camp, it’s clear that he was on a fetch quest, and that there are a plethora of these available.
And then came the real combat, which was as amazing as can be expected. After stringing one soldier up, he grabbed another and used him as a shield against the enemies’ bullets, then danced among the rest with his axe. The assassination goes off beautifully, with the same familiar gameplay and cinematics we’ve all grown to love.
Pelland explained afterwards that the true enemy in this game – and in all games in this franchise – have always been the Templar. Don’t get caught up in seeing the British as the enemy, but rather keep the real focus in mind. And don’t be afraid to kill whatever gets in your way – whether it has two legs or four.
