Assassin’s Creed III: Analysis of Leaked Screens and Scans

Posted on 3 March, 2012 by exterminat

Assassin’s Creed III

Analysis of Leaked Screens and Scans

by exterminat

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

Over the past few days, the internet has been ablaze with Assassin’s Creed III information. Now we know full concrete details about the game beyond the setting we predicted yonks ago.

Beginning with a leaked image of the game’s protagonist, media has continually been revealed and spread around, and will likely continue to do so until Ubisoft officially unveils the title with a likely first game trailer on Monday, March 5th.

OXCGN was the first outlet to discuss the American Revolution setting, with articles going back to 2009 contemplating the importance of that period, and a proposal based on evidence provided in early 2011.

Today, we’re taking a look at all that has been discovered so far.

She’s a looker!

I’ll be discussing the new images in particular, but before we get into that, here’s a quick rundown of the text and what we know.

Set in American Revolution between 1753 and 1783
Assassin born of white English father and Native American mother
Name is Connor, or Ratohnhaké:ton in native Mohawk tongue
Story focuses on his belonging to neither culture
Takes no sides, will go after both “Americans” and British
Both sides portrayed objectively, but Connor chooses to act “against tyranny” after a family murder
Will be involved in major events of the Revolution (Saratoga, Bunker Hill listed amongst many) but it is his story, not The Patriot
Key characters will come into play: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lee and many more
Economy, money, property all overhauled but still under wraps
Den defense from Revelations will not return
Multiplayer will be included but no further information was provided
Aim is to create “a next-gen game on current gen” consoles
Uses completely overhauled Anvil Engine
“Seasons” occur, with every place having both a normal and winter version
Combat system completely overhauled, much more fluid
Frontier is 1.5 times the size of Rome
Climbing trees and traversing a wide area outside of Boston and New York called The Frontier will be a key aspect of the game
Hunting mechanic exists, can skin animals and make money a la Red Dead Redemption
Flintlock weapons appear
Connor can dual wield a hatchet and a knife
Massive battles of 1000+ enemies now possible
Will contain settlements occupied by Americans, British, Mohawk
Big “goal” is to allow the player to traverse restricted areas without the entire game getting angry

It is also reported that the game begins with the French-Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War, which was a setting our editor David Hilton picked back in 2009 (see here)

All of this and much, much more. Read through the scans in our image gallery at the bottom to get the full story.

For now, let’s break down those screenshots.

Dig in!

Our first image is that of Connor in a tree, demonstrating the new climbing mechanics. The articles describe it as “just as if you were climbing a building”, so that will be interesting to get our hands on at E3.

In the image, we see Connor overlooking a group of regular frontiersmen, possibly of Puritan nature. On his back, we see not the crossbow featured in the other titles, but a full, actual bow, undoubtedly his signature symbol of his Mohawk heritage.

Under that, a flintlock pistol appears to hang from his left hip. On the ground, however, we see the frontiersmen around a boat; there could possibly be a travel method using the multitude of rivers in the area.

Our next shot brings us to Connor being ordered to stop at a British checkpoint.

A colonial Boston hangs in the background, showing a bustling city unlike anything previously seen in the franchise. A man appears to be having a dispute with the officer near Connor, undoubtedly over the presence of his dog.

Am I the only one who thinks Connor looks just a ‘tad’ conspicuous in his outfit, especially near all these civilians?

Shot number three showcases Connor in the Frontier, during the winter.

The new hunting mechanic is obviously being showcased here, with Connor creeping through the snow in an effort to use his bow against his prey.

You will be able to join “Clubs” and apparently a hunting club is just one of them.

If it’s anything like Red Dead Redemption‘s, I sincerely hope we don’t have to sit through a cinematic each time we collect a skin. These form part of the market economy of the game.

Next, number four showcases our protagonist as he gets a running-jump on an American target. I don’t recognize the face, but Templar agents will be on both sides of the conflict.

Connor will be about justice, not one side or the other, just as we previously hoped.

Most interesting is that instead of a hidden blade, Connor has his tomahawk raised, ready for attack. This leads me to believe that the game will be significantly more violent than previous titles, with a more ground-based aggressive ‘predatorial’ style already being highlighted.

Image number five brings us to something that the AC series has been shying away from as of late: stealth. Connor is hiding behind a tree as a group of Redcoats march by, undoubtedly on patrol.

The commanding officer is most likely the one on the horse behind the rest, and my bet is that it will work similar to the missions in Brotherhood where you had to assassinate an officer/leader of some kind, and then eliminate the rest of the troops or follow them into their encampment.

After Revelations, though, I’m wary of any enemy with firearms; here’s to hoping that they don’t cause you to stagger backward and leave yourself susceptible to more shots!

Finally, we have the sixth and final shot, which is easily the most interesting.

The previously mentioned improved combat system is in play here, with Connor blocking a bayonet stab with his tomahawk (which has a blade shaped in the Assassin symbol).

I don’t know about you, but that screams “I’m a badass.”

I would imagine with a proper counter move, Connor could swipe the muskets out of an enemy’s hands, leaving them for an eventual hand-to-hand return once the others have been dispatched in a similar way.

Another thing to take note of is that Connor has a blade drawn here, and it’s completely unlike that of previous titles. I would say that it’s the knife that can be dual-wielded, as his character doesn’t strike me as having a “hidden” blade to do his dirty work.

October 30…

We have much, much more on the way about Assassin’s Creed III.

OXCGN is your one best source for the game, and we hope you’ll continue coming back.

For now, check out the detailed scans of the GameInformer article below, where you can read in full the things that were discussed here.

Assassin’s Creed III will be officially unveiled on Monday, March 5th.

And even more Assassin’s Creed:

Assassin’s Creed 3: OXCGN Picks American Revolution in March 2011 – Evidence now in! – Read more
Assassin’s Creed III Limited Editions Detailed and Priced HERE
Assassin’s Creed 3 – Where and When to Next Part 1 –Read more
Assassin’s Creed 3 – Where and When to Next Part 2 –Read more
Assassin’s Creed 3: Set in American Revolution? - Check here
Assassin’s Creed 3 On October 30, 2012, but what does it mean? Click here

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Update- The End of The Beginning? – Read more
Previously On…Assassin’s Creed: story catch-up video, here
Assassin’s Creed Revelations: Flamethrowers – Did they exist back then?Read more
What Assassin’s Creed Could Learn from Shadow of the Colossus – Read more
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations: All the facts revealed – Read more
The Assassin’s Creed Effect: 3 Templar Games in 2011 – Read more